Philippians 4 - Finally, Rejoice!
Do these things and the God of peace will be with you! Find out how...
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Philippians 2 (ESV)
1 So if there is
any encouragement in Christ,
any comfort from love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by
being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being
in full accord
and of one mind.
3 Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you
look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in
Christ Jesus,
6 who,
though he was in the form of God,
did not count
equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself,
by taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has
highly exalted him
and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven
and on earth
and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed,
so now,
not only as in my presence
but much more in my absence,
work out
your own salvation
with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you,
both to will
and to work
for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things
without grumbling or disputing,
15 that you may be
blameless and innocent,
children of God
without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast to the word of life,
so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
17 Even if
I am to be poured out
as a drink offering
upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 Likewise
you also should be glad
and rejoice with me.
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
20 For
I have no one like him,
who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
21 For
they all seek their own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth,
how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
23 I hope therefore
to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,
24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,
26 for he has been longing for you all
and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
27 Indeed he was ill, near to death.
But God had mercy on him,
and not only on him but on me also,
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore,
that you may rejoice at seeing him again,
and that I may be less anxious.
29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy,
and honor such men,
30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ,
risking his life to complete
what was lacking in your service to me.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Philippians
Philippians 4 Summary
One thing you begin to notice about Paul's writing style is that sometimes he goes off on tangents and then later he comes back and picks up where he left off. It's not that the tangents don't give us valuable insight - they do! - but it helps to put everything back in context when you step back a bit and see how it all fits together.
The phrase in v4 should ring a bell: Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say rejoice! Look back at the beginning of chapter 3, it starts the same way. Basically, 3:2 - 4:3 was a rabbit trail (again, that's not to say it's not important), and starting with 4:4, things are back on track.
Dig Deeper
One of the biggest mistakes people make is taking Bible verses out of context, and v13 is one of those verses that is often butchered by separating it from its context:
I can do all things through him who gives me strength (v13, ESV).
Often this verse will be used as an inspirational phrase for sports teams, or to encourage someone who's sick, or in some sort of dire straights. But what happens when that team loses, or the sick person gets sicker or even dies, or when circumstances don't improve? Did those bad things happen because God didn't hold up His end of the bargain and give the strength needed?
However, when you read this verse in its entire context, and adjust the translation to more accurately reflect that context, which the latest version of the NIV does, it makes much more sense:
I can do all this through him who gives me strength (v13, NIV).
The 'all this' refers to being content in every situation, not being able to do all things. This is why it's so important to read the Bible in larger chunks than just a verse at a time!
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The one who is above all things and to whom all glory is due (v9 & 11)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to give you the same love and purpose that Jesus did because you are united to Him (v2)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
