Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of live, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Philippians1:15-17
The great German Reformer, Martin Luther, in the 16th century was the leader of the Reformation. Great responsibility laid upon his shoulder to lead a nation and a continent in this Reformation movement. And with all of this responsibility upon him, Luther often became overwhelmed with bouts of despair and gloom. It was at such low points that joy evaded him. One day when he was especially low and discouraged, his wife Katie dressed up in all black as though she was going to a funeral and walked into his study. Luther looked up at her and said, "Who died?" She said very curtly, "God." He said, "My soul, woman, don't talk that way!" She said, "Then don't live that way."
What a message that is for us and to be reminded that God is upon His throne, and God is the living God. And as long as God is upon His throne, He is causing all things to work together for our good and for His glory. And because God is upon His throne, no matter what it is that we may face as far as difficult circumstances or because of great trials, we may have joy in our hearts, even in our darkest hours, because God is the God of the living.
St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, as we all know is all about joy. It is the dominant theme that runs through this letter. It is the golden thread of joy that really each section hangs upon it. And not only does Paul give us instruction about joy: what it is, where we may find it, what causes joy - Paul also gives testimony of joy in his own life. In other words, not only does he talk about joy, but he walks the walk of joy in his own life.
We all know that Paul is in prison in Rome in the midst of terribly trying circumstances. And yet, we read here in verse 18, "In this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice." How can we live like this? What is it that was so strong in the heart and the soul of Paul that he could live triumphantly over his circumstances and not be pulled down? What was it that Paul found that enabled him to so rightly live a life of joy? Whatever it is, I feel we all desperately need it. Because we are all too often subject to the circumstances that are unfolding in our lives. And so many times it steals our joy and robs us of the gladness that we should have.
In this passage, we see the secret of Paul's joy. And it is no secret. The secret infact is that there is no secret. Paul makes it known in this very text. And what he says is the source of his joy is that he lives for Jesus Christ and lives for His gospel. And as he sees the gospel spreading through even the most difficult trials, he has every reason to rejoice.
In the book Discovering Joy in Philippians by Pam Farrel, Jean A Jones and Karla Dornacher, they put to light an interesting fact about this first chapter in Philippians. In this chapter alone there are three words that are repeated so often.
The first is "Christ." Christ is mentioned 18 times in this chapter. I do know that there is another chapter in the Bible in which Christ is mentioned so many times again and again. This is a Christ centered chapter, and Paul was a Christ-centered author and a Christ-centered believer. So, that is the first key. If we are to have joy, we must be Christ-saturated, Christ-dominated.
The second word that is used so repeatedly is "gospel." It is recorded six times. That is a plethora of times for the word "gospel" to be used in just this one chapter. So, the secret to joy is somehow, someway, going to be tied together with "Christ" and "gospel."
The third word that is used is "joy" which is found four times. When we connect these three dots, - "Christ", "gospel", and "joy", it becomes abundantly clear why it is that Paul had such joy. His joy was directly attached to Jesus Christ and to the gospel and not just the knowledge of the gospel. "It makes no difference," Paul says, "what happens to me just as long as Christ is glorified and just as long as the gospel is shared with others. That is what brings Paul joy.
Dear Friends, Paul has truly died to himself, and he is alive unto Christ. And it is this that has caused such joy in his life. May we be able to understand this truth and channelize our efforts and lives to achieve this joy.
God Bless you.
Comments
Post a Comment