Philippians - More Joy Less Stress

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 CS Lewis’ autobiography is called “Surprised by Joy”. Before he was a Christian he was always trying to find joy in other things and before he became a Christian he binged on things that gave him joy. The first time he read an Icelandic saga he loved it. He reads every Icelandic saga, and learns old Norse so he can read it in the original. As he works through it he realizes it isn’t paying out as he’d hoped. Then he gets a friend and binge on the friend but then the friend backs off. At one point he starts to realize that there’s a God...

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. Philippians 1:29-30 I am sure you all have come across the roly-poly toys. You may not recognize it with this name but I am sure you know these toys. These toys had it a face painted on it. And no matter what you do to that doll, it always comes up, upright, because it's weighted. So you can punch it. It'll fall down but it comes right back up. You can kick it. It'll fall down, come right back up. You can do it repeatedly. It keeps coming back up. I picture Paul like that. Lock him up in prison and he'll say, "I'll preach to the guards". He comes back up. Get him out of prison and he'll say, "I'll go visit the Philippian church and encourage them". He comes back up. When they are ready to kill him he'll say, "OK, k...

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. Philippians 1:28 " Courage is not limited to the battlefield or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much deeper and much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood ". Charles Swindoll Paul tells the Philippians that courage is a necessity in the gospel-worthy life. You can’t stand firm and united with your Christian brethren without courage. You can’t strive in defense of the faith, let alone sometimes carry some of your brothers and sister in Christ as your strive together, without courage. The word frightened refers to horses that easily get spooked and throw their riders off . We all know, sometimes a horse will become afraid or terrified by me...