This epistle was written by Paul when he was in prison, with iron fetters about his wrists; yet there is no iron in the epistle. It is full of light, life, love, and joy, blended with traces of sorrow, yet with a holy delight that rises above his grief.
—Charles Spurgeon, "Exposition of Philippians 4"
Philippians 3:1 & Philippians 4:4
When Paul says, finally my brethren it means that including the many things that he had already mentioned, he likes to draw attention to few more in conclusion. Paul's advice to this church is to rejoice in the Lord always. This advice to rejoice or be happy or joyful in the Lord has been repeatedly conveyed in all his letters to all the churches (Corinth Ephesus, Colosse, Thessalonica, etc.) Being joyful in the Lord is an important aspect and therefore, he stresses on it repeatedly, lest they forget. He insists that they learn and imbibe the truth because it is good and safe for them.
To be joyful in all circumstances is a perplexing question. There are no pre-defined steps or rules or a theory or a formula to be followed to remain happy at all times. There is only one Biblical principle that Paul recommends out of his experience and it is that under all circumstances, we are called to be happy.
A little background is good to understand on how Paul makes this declaration. Philippians is a province in Greece but was under the rule of the Romans. Here, Paul with boldness was proclaiming about Jesus. This angered the Pharisees and other religious heads of those times, they complained about him to the Roman authorities who in turn imprisoned him. Bound by chains, he endured shame, hunger, persecution, disappointment, and loneliness. However, all these could not bring down his spirit and joy in Christ. In the dungeon, as a captive, he repeatedly said - Be joyful and rejoice in Christ always.
LESSON FOR US
It is important to note that circumstances, property, and people cannot give happiness. It is only in Jesus that we can find a meaning to our lives and experience complete satisfaction. Without him, there can never be any joy in our lives. A sad face of a believer brings dishonor and disgrace to God's name and on the contrary, a joyful attitude is always the only identifying factor that differentiates us from the rest of the world. It reiterates the fact that we have a supreme and a sovereign God who looks over us and guides our step and because we have Christ in us and with us always, therefore we are called to be happy in all circumstances.
In this letter to Philippians, the words - joy, happy occur 16 times. He uses these phrases repeatedly in every chapter to emphasize its importance. If for a moment we are not sure, when and how we can be happy then let us be encouraged by Paul’s words to be happy in all circumstances. All implies – In health, in sickness, in richness and in poverty. Habakkuk 3:17-18
There are seven secrets that I would like to share that teach about being happy:
1) Joy in Progress - Philippians 1:9-11 – In Paul's prayer, we notice two things
We should grow in love
We should be fruitful
It is evident that there is joy in pressing forward and being fruitful. We must be vigilant to the truth that in case we are not being fruitful, then there is no joy. Traces of sadness and same prevailing condition in our lives means that there is no progress. So, growth is a vital as it signifies life and a proof that we are alive. This is applicable to a human being, animal, tree, church or an organization and no growth means decay resulting in death.
LESSON FOR US
(Matthew 5:6) The test for being progressive in our spiritual life is to have the hunger and thirst for righteousness and His kingdom. So, without hunger and thirst, there is no growth and without growth, there is no joy. A simple example to understand this truth better is, that a sure sign to check any ill health is to check the hunger pangs. Similarly, hunger for God's word, his kingdom, to be progressive, to be his witness, to grow in love, in faith and to improve on the talents that God gives signify growth in our spiritual life else, we are sick, which will eventually result in death. An honest self-introspection helps to identify the root cause for lack of hunger and desire for Godly things. Like a deer that pants for water, so must our desire be God's work, his kingdom. (Psalm 42:1-2)
2) Joy in Purity - Philippians1:10 – There is always joy in being pure. Purity brings goodness and blessings and wherever there is sin there is sadness, curse, and death. (Psalm 51:7-8) After David fell from grace, he longed for purity and the joy of salvation. He knew that because he sinned, he lost his happiness, so he prayed for forgiveness and a desire to be cleansed so that he can once again stand upright and be pure in the God's sight. To be joyful, Paul advocates a life of purity. It means to live an honest life and not a life of hypocrisy. A mismatch in our thoughts, words and deeds will not cause us any happiness. In John 1:47 Jesus testifies about Nathanael as an honest and not a sinful man. There is a difference in being sinful and dishonest. To break the law or doing what is not supposed to be done is called sin or being in a sinful state, but not acknowledging the fact that we have sinned is dishonesty. It is a state of deception where one assumes that he/she is leading a holy life. Deception is dangerous and does not benefit any. Honest and a pure life are more desirous and good for all. (1 John 1:8-9)
LESSON FOR US
The first step to lead a holy/pure life is to realize that we are sinners, followed by seeking forgiveness and then striving to protect our salvation and testimony. People around us may not read Bibles or tracts that we share, but most certainly will read our lives. They are quick to decipher if we are either honest or pretentious. It is good to examine our lives constantly to check if we are indeed joyful from within and purity in heart gives the real joy in our lives.
3) Joy in Partnership - Philippians 1:5, Philippians 4:14 – There is joy in partnering with God’s children rather than working independently. (Ecclesiastes 4:9) Working as a team gives greater joy than operating in silos.(Mark 6:7) Jesus always ensured that his disciples were sent in pairs to any village to spread the Good News. Lord's work has to be accomplished through partnership and then there is joy in being part of a fellowship. Refraining from sharing work and citing reasons of inability or lack of time is never a right Christian attitude. We are called to use our talents for God's work and that involves partnership and there is joy in that partnership.
4) Joy in Prayer - Philippians 4:6, 19 - There is joy in prayer because we know that when we pray, we have the assurance that Jesus will answer our prayers, and also that we will have peace that surpasses all understanding. Again, there are times when we don't obtain what we ask and there are circumstances where we grieve for things that we have missed. Paul encourages us to refrain from anxiety and with prayer and supplication, let our requests be made explicit.
5) Joy in Unity - Philippians 2:2 – Paul advocates to be united in heart, love, spirit and action. Strife causes division in work and spirit and it brings sadness. There must be sincere efforts to restore oneness as it will result in joy. (Philippians 4:2) When a dispute arose in the church, Paul encourages them to put away strife and uphold one another in high esteem and be joyful. Psalms 133:1 says that brotherly concord is pleasant. Unity in the family, church, or organization brings joy and acts as a catalyst to progress further.
6) Joy in Contentment - Philippians 4:11-12 - Paul had a unique quality to be happy in every state of his life which includes hunger nakedness, poverty, and bondage. He knew that there was joy in being happy and content with what life had to offer. 1 Timothy 6:6 – contentment is often a misunderstood word. It does not mean being in a restful state and refusing to work. (Psalm 127:2). Philippians 3:12-14 - In this reference, 'to run' is mentioned twice and 'to be in a hurry' is mentioned once. A spiritual lesson to ponder is, why would a satisfied person prefer to run or be hurried? The answer is that only when we indulge in God's work, we are satisfied and thereby we find our joy.
LESSONS FOR US
Refraining from work and being content by not using our talents and time is misleading self. We are called to work and work actively for God's kingdom. Let us remember that Jesus followed the same pattern while choosing his disciples, he did not call the ones who were in a restful state but called those who were busy. Peter and Andrew were casting their nets and John and James were cleaning their nets while Matthew was busy in collecting taxes.
Contentment has to be understood as working with all our might for God's kingdom and then to be happy with God’s blessings. So preaching God’s word, distributing bibles, sharing our testimony, sowing God's word, or living a life of good testimony is our job as a Christian; the number of lives transformed and souls added to His kingdom is God's work. Work hard and be joyful with the savings obtained.
Philippians 2:17 - Paul found happiness when he offered himself completely, to the last point. On similar lines, our health, wealth, wisdom, and talents have to be poured out for God’s work and then most assuredly we will find the joy in such work. Again, being content does not mean being complacent. A great man once said that it is better to wear out than rust out. It is a pathetic state of our lives if our talents are rusted and not worn out for Jesus. So there is joy in working hard and being content with what God blesses.
7) Joy in Giving - Philippians 4:15-18 There is joy in charity. Paul's sustenance in prison was supported by many because the expenses for a decent life in prison had to be borne by self or by the family or church. So understanding his need, the church in Philippi repeatedly and gladly shared his expenses. They raised funds and sent it for Paul’s needs. The purpose of this letter to Philippians was primarily to acknowledge their kindness and rejoice in their charity. He encourages them to join his happiness because the prison time helped the growth of the gospel. It is amazing to note that this epistle was written with joy while being in crises and in bondage. Acts 20:35 says that it is good to give than receive. Often, it is always the opposite in our lives because we are on the receiving end, be it from God, church or family. There is less joy when we are only the recipients.
A simile to understand this concept is that of lake and river. The lake might be beautiful to behold but water does not smell as fresh as the river water. It is because there is only an inflow and no outflow. However, the flowing river waters are sweet to taste because the water that flows into the river divides into various tributaries. As it breaks forth into various branches, it nourishes many things along the way.
LESSON FOR US
A Christian's life has to be a life of giving, which includes, giving our time, talent, energy, resources for God. There is sweetness and beauty as our lives give forth more than just being receivers. Let us also remember that when we give God to the best of our ability, he gives it back to us in hundred fold. Let us remember the truth that when God increases our income, let us not strive to increase our standard of living but increase our standard of giving. Haggai 1:6 cautions us on the consequences of not giving to the Lord what is due to him.
The quest for true happiness is always in Jesus. As we journey with Him, we learn this truth. Let us remember JOY as:
J - Jesus – To see Jesus first in our lives Philippians 2:21
O - Others – To see the needs of others Philippians 2:4
Y – You – To see the needs of self.
A word of caution is that if this order is reversed then there cannot be joy in our lives. When it comes to charity, the same principle is applied. If we are able to give God the first portion of our income, followed by being responsive to ministry needs, and finally spend on self, then God blesses us and there is greater joy in our lives. In a nutshell, a believer should be joyful in Christ always and the seven secrets are:
Joy in Progress
Joy in Purity
Joy in Partnership
Joy in Prayer
Joy in Unity
Joy in Contentment
Joy in Charity
It is His joy that enables us to have our joy full. (John 15:11)
God Bless.
In His love,
Timothy
