Philippians 4:1-5

Verses 4:1-5

The Point | No matter what is going on in our lives, we have reason to rejoice because of our relationship with Jesus.

As Paul concludes his letter, he reminds the Philippians of an essential aspect of God’s character: “the God of peace.”

In Greek, the word for peace is eirenes. It describes wholeness, health, and harmony “when all essential parts are joined together” (Think of it like a puzzle or Lego set where all the pieces are in their proper place.)

How do we stand firm in the Lord (4:1) and walk in the peace that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (4:7)? Paul gives us a three-fold strategy for experiencing the peace of God:

1) Prayer & Thanksgiving

2) Biblical Meditation

3) Discipleship

Here, Paul reaches out to a member of the Philippian church to reconcile two women who were in disagreement.

While we don’t know what the issue was between these two women, Paul considered it important enough to reference it publicly; in doing so, we see the power of God’s Word being applied to real life. Most likely, Paul is addressing this issue because of the importance of being united in Christ.

This is how the Word of God works - it tells us what we need to hear, what we need to believe and how to live. When we apply these, we look more like Jesus.

Sometimes, we have to fight for unity and peace; that may involve having hard conversations, apologizing, forgiving, etc.

The enemy is always going to try to bring about division, jealousy, offense, and any kind of disunity to disrupt the mission we have been given.

If you’re like me, you may think, “Okay, I get the importance of rejoicing, but not everything in life is joyful or fun. So, isn’t it just setting someone up for failure to expect them to rejoice at all times? How are we supposed to rejoice always?

The word that connects rejoice and always is this - in the Lord.

(1) Rejoice because of who he is (loving, patient, merciful, glorious, gracious, etc.) Know that he will always be that way as well - he doesn’t have bad days.

(2) Rejoice because of his generosity towards you (us). He blesses us with wisdom, guidance, peace, etc.

The challenge is to ask God if there is any relationship in your life that needs unity and fight for it. Allow the Spirit of God to guide and direct your conversations with others.