1 Thessalonians 5

1 Thessalonians 5:1

Gain Christ

Philippians 3:7. This verse begins with a meaningful “but”. This brings a complete turn in the argumentation. In the previous verses Paul highlighted all the privileges he possessed and all the achievements he could boast about. ‘What an admirable person’ you could say. But all of them sink into nothing and disappear completely from the scene as soon as he meets the Lord Jesus and sees His magnificent excellencies.

By this encounter Paul sees that he as the ‘best human being’ is the greatest sinner and that all the good things and all the achievements counted nothing before God. On the other hand he gets to know what he received in Christ, all the profit it brings him. He spreads out this gain largely before the Philippians. He lays before them his personal profit and loss account. He writes off what was profit before, and turns it into a loss of income. The only additional entry that stands against this loss is Christ.

The profit is not simply written off. He thought over it and came to the conclusion that all these gains could not be compared to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. They aggrandize man and minimize Christ. Whoever meets the Lord really is inspired by only one desire: to glorify Christ. If this is your desire too, you will give up all what interferes with it. This desire will be indicated not only at the moment of your repentance but it will run through the whole of your future life.

It is noticeable that Paul here constantly uses the ‘I’ form. He tells his personal story, and narrates his experiences and desires. You can apply this to yourself only if you are filled with the same desire. What he says is either far from you or is quite near. You cannot be neutrally interested in the zealousness of this man. The fact that you are still reading this means that, at any rate, you want to come close to what drove him. So it is with me too. I am quite jealous of him and I know that this is a legitimate jealousy.

Philippians 3:8. In Philippians 3:8-11 Paul gives you and me in a long sentence an insight into his character and his motives. Thus we become familiar with his desires and his pursuits. In summary he means that he has three desires: to know Christ, to gain Christ, and to be found in Christ.

Paul did not give up all to regret later and to pull some things back (cf. Hebrews 11:15-16). He was filled with Christ and therefore he looked at all that prevented him from knowing Christ more, as ”loss”. There is nothing more valuable than the knowledge of His Person! He considered all his own righteousness as something filthy (Isaiah 64:6). It did not matter whether it was a good social position, or a noble family, or a circle of men among whom he enjoyed prestige, or intellectual knowledge. He puts aside everything a person can boast of.

His goal is clear. It is about “the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord”. He testifies here to his personal relationship with Christ, my Lord. At the same time he acknowledged the authority of Christ over his life by calling Him my Lord. In the light of this Person he saw all the privileges not only as harmful but even as “rubbish”. Do you find it difficult to dispose of “rubbish”? It costs dearly sometimes to handle as rubbish things which have a certain value to you although you know that it is detrimental to keep it. Nevertheless, to dispose of rubbish is not a sacrifice.

It is one thing to look at all as loss and it is another thing to suffer loss for all. Paul experienced both. He found out that his privileges were harmful if he wanted to know Christ better. He did not remain with that knowledge. He really gave all up all. He did not do it as a kind of self-flagellation. Such acts will never bring spiritual benefits and they do not bring you to a greater knowledge of Christ.

Knowing Christ results in a desire to gain Christ. By this, of course, he does not mean an effort to be saved. He is saved, and that is by faith alone and not by any achievement of his own. What Paul is saying here is what someone says who is engaged in a race and wants to win it. He wants to be conformed to Christ as much as possible. He wants Christ to become more and more visible in his life. He talks about that in the next verse.

Philippians 3:9. To all his excellent merits he could have added further that he gave up all his privileges. But even through all this his view of Christ would be more unclear. He just wanted a different and maximum profit: Christ Himself. He wanted to possess Him completely, as the One Who gave meaning and direction to his life. He wanted to “be found in Him” so that all that he was and all that would be visible in his life would be a clear image of Christ. Should anybody see him whether man or God he should perceive only Christ and nothing of Paul.

Therefore his own righteousness had no meaning for him anymore. Imagine he thought that he would be able to maintain himself irreproachable before God and men, what would that mean then? His ‘I’ would be great. But he says, ‘I do not want that at all. It would not be more than a human righteousness, and that is not what I want.’

Do you know why Paul thought so? It is because he had met Christ and it is because Christ is the content of his life. Faith in Him has given Paul the “righteousness which [comes] from God”. Paul has seen how relative and meaningless all is what is of men, even of the most exalted people who are of high standing. He found out the eternal values of all that is of God, and of all whose origin is God.

The righteousness which has God as its source has become his portion, not on the basis of his achievements but by faith. He received the righteousness which is from God, because he put his faith in what the Lord Jesus had done for him on the cross, and therefore he did not place any value on his own efforts any more.

Philippians 3:10. That does not make him a reckless Christian, someone who pays due attention to his own righteousness. No, he desires the daily practical fellowship with Christ in order to know Him as good as possible. You may know Him as a new convert; nevertheless if you live with Him day by day and experience Him every day you can know Him better and better. You will learn how He thinks about you and how He expects that you should live. What’s more: you get to know Him better and better in the place He now occupies in heaven, and you see more and more of His glories.

When you are busy with Him in His glory, you also learn more of the “power of His resurrection” (Ephesians 1:19-20). It is the power by which you walk on the earth. By this power you will, so to speak, pass through death and can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

However, a walk in the power of His resurrection does not make you immune to the suffering that is your portion if you are faithful to the Lord. With the mind of Paul you do not accept suffering as something from which you can not escape. No, Paul sought after all means to be like the Lord Jesus. Fellowship with Him also included suffering. ‘All right’, Paul says, ‘I like to suffer, because that deepens my fellowship with Him.’

“Fellowship of His sufferings” is to have a share in the suffering that the Lord experienced during His life time on the earth, namely, to pass through ridicule and shame and to feel the pain by hearing and seeing sin. Even in his death Paul wanted to be like his Lord. A person says this if he has no more interest on the earth than only Christ. It was enough for him that the servant becomes like his Master (Matthew 10:25).

Paul followed Christ on the path of suffering not in fear like His disciples in their days (Mark 10:32). He wanted to undergo sufferings, not for the sake of suffering, but in order to partake of Christ’s sufferings. That is why he did not go away sad like the rich young man who leaned on the advantages of the flesh (Matthew 19:22). After all, he has wholeheartedly renounced all these things, and in this sense there is nothing that still binds him to the earth.

Philippians 3:11. Paul not only carried his cross after the Lord Jesus, but he also wanted to die on it. Whatever the cost, and however painful the way might be, he wanted full fellowship with Christ on the way that led to his resurrection. His whole aim was to be like the lord Jesus in all, and be on the way He went, to reach Him in glory. Did the Lord Jesus suffer? Then he also wanted to suffer. Did the Lord die? Then he also wanted to die as a martyr in the service of his Lord. Did the Lord rise from the dead and go into heaven? Then he also wanted to rise from the dead and go to Him.

How exactly it would be in his case, he did not know. Certainly, he did not doubt this fact. Note, that it does not say ‘resurrection from death’ but “from the dead”. That literally means a ‘resurrection out of the dead’. Even so the Lord Jesus also resurrected out of the dead, while all others remained in death.

The great desire of Paul to be in complete identification with Christ shows how much he was attached to Christ. I sincerely hope that this is your desire too. In the following passage you will hear more about it, so that your desire is aroused still more to follow Paul with regard to the one goal for his life.

Now read Philippians 3:7-11 again.

Reflection: How can you gain Christ?

1 Thessalonians 5:2

One Thing

Philippians 3:12. Paul was not yet so far as he wished. His desire to be like the Lord Jesus was not yet fulfilled. He still lived on the earth, and that meant that he had not yet reached perfection. As long as a man lives on the earth the process of becoming perfect and of being like the Lord Jesus is not finished. Precisely for this reason, someone who has known the Lord Jesus continues to pursue after and strive for that perfection. He will never be content to sit back with folded hands behind his head and think: Well I am now where I wanted to be and I am perfectly identical with Christ. That would be great pride and a terrible mistake. This thinking would reveal a tremendous lack of self-knowledge.

On the other hand Paul teaches here to seek for perfection diligently as if perfection can be achieved on earth. There is a wrong teaching which says that you can be perfect on earth, and also you can reach a state of sinlessness. Do not be deceived by that. That is impossible. Every sincere child of God should strive for the utmost in his life to be like Christ. If Christ Jesus has really laid hold of you, as He did of Paul, then you will not desire anything else.

Think of your life before you knew Christ. Perhaps you were a bit like Paul. You were full of zeal doing (religious) work or study. You thought that you pleased God with all your strivings until you realized that you only did it for yourself. Christ came into your life; Someone fully different from what you were. His zeal was entirely focused on God. He never did anything for Himself. His life consisted solely of service to others. He finally gave up His life for that.

The death He died was not only the crowing act of a fully consecrated life, but it was also the reconciliation for everyone who recognizes himself as a sinner – even for you. So you have learned to love Him, and He has become the content of your life. He has laid hold of you. You have come under the spell of His love. His embracing love has overwhelmed you. You feel safe and secure through and through. He is there for you. You also want to be wholly for Him. You want to be like Him, not only a little bit, for you cannot be content with that. In this respect it is as someone once wrote ‘contentment is the grave of progress’. No, you want to be quite like Him; and perfectly like Him.

Just a side note. It is good to remember that the word perfection has three meanings: 1. You are perfect before God in Christ through His work (Hebrews 10:14). Every believer has this perfection the moment he confesses his sins and accepts in faith the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 2. Then there is the perfection which we receive when we are with the Lord Jesus, when our body partakes of the redemption, and the flesh is no more there. This verse is about that. 3.

Then there is the perfection we can achieve on the earth and that has to do with our spiritual growth. That is the perfection in the sense of maturity, fully grown. That is perfection which is at issue in Philippians 3:15. It can be said, for example, that the fathers in Christ (1 John 2:13-14) are perfect in that sense. They have nothing else but Christ in their life.

Philippians 3:13. To exclude every misunderstanding Paul emphasizes once again that he knows very well that he is not there yet. He is not leaning back idly content even now while imprisoned. He does not think that his work is done and also does not think that the process of his spiritual education is finished. Despite all the years of his work for the Lord and his incessant action in that work he considered the process of becoming like the Lord Jesus as not complete yet. With unflagging energy he reaches out for what lies ahead.

The secret of his power is his focus on “but one thing”. That is a secret which only a few know, unfortunately. Many people are not satisfied with but one thing. They think that to be narrow-minded. They argue that we must have a wider field vision; they ask: ‘Is there not much more to enjoy?’ Yes, but the moment you want to add something to Christ, in order to pay attention to it, you are no more content with the one thing. The one thing excludes everything else. What is your choice? The decision is not difficult if you understand that this one thing alone gives perfect satisfaction to life. All that you add lessens the satisfaction. What is your preference?

For Paul it was not a question. He makes clear how we can pursue after that one thing. First he forgot “what [lies] behind” him. He did not think of all his privileges. He did not even think of all the work he had done, of all the journeys he had made, and of the places where he had preached the gospel or of the many believers whom he had served. When you work for the Lord – and who does not do that? – it is dangerous to look back in order to assess the results of the work. That is the moment you stop looking at the goal. Paul had not kept a list of his spiritual progress.

By the way, “forgetting what [lies] behind” doesn’t mean that we should forget who we were. Paul didn’t do that. He never forgot that he was the greatest of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:13; cf. 2 Peter 1:9). Instead of being busy with the way that was already behind him he was “reaching forward to what [lies] ahead”.

Philippians 3:14. He presents himself here as someone who takes part in a race. Without looking up or looking back he runs as fast as he can in the direction of the goal which he uninterruptedly keeps an eye on. He is concerned with the prize which is related to the calling of God. God had called him heavenward. Then you must not look at your interest on earth. We will pay attention to the Christians who do that in Philippians 3:19. When you are called by God it is His purpose to bring you to heaven where you can enjoy in Christ Jesus all the blessings His heart longs to shower upon you. You will not want to miss this prize for anything in this world, right?

Philippians 3:15. Perhaps you acknowledge that it should be so in your life. But you feel yourself in a field of tension. It is difficult for you to really give up everything and focus only on the one goal. There are believers in whose life everything revolves around Christ. Those are the mature ones Philippians 3:15 speaks about in its first part. Paul includes himself in this. The word “us” shows that. The mature ones are those who in their Christian experience have come to the point where nothing is interesting to the heart but the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

How many beautiful things are here on the earth but they all fade away and nothing compares with His beauty. Some people may call it extremism or fanaticism. In any case it is radical. A Christian who grew up this way is characterized by the mind which is in conformity to the mind of Christ. Christ also had only one goal – the glorification of the Father. This prompted Him to do the will of the Father which brought forth all the imaginable blessings.

In the second part of Phil 3:15 another group of believers is addressed. Paul speaks to them as “you” who ”have a different attitude” in anything. By this he does not mean unspiritual or carnal believers. He means believers who have not yet learned that mind of Christ; for God nothing really has any value except the Lord Jesus. An example of such believers is found in the weak about whom Paul speaks in contrast to the strong (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1).

Both groups are spiritually minded believers. He makes clear there that the one weak in faith does not know the full Christian freedom that is given to him in Christ. Such believers think that they still have to do with certain ordinances. God observes the sincerity in such persons and He is patient toward their spiritual development. At the right time He will reveal what is the real issue for Him by removing the veil that still covers the eyes of their understanding. Then they will be able to see things as they really are.

This difference in the spiritual development, this otherwise mindedness, does not have to disturb a happy fellowship. These are things we can leave to the Lord. In such cases we must not try to force our brethren to fall in line with our views. God Himself will teach them (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

Philippians 3:16. When anyone does not focus all his interests on Christ, then we ourselves must not wait till it happens. We need to proceed together provided that everyone walks according to the light he received. Light that is received evokes the desire for more light. It does not make passive, but encourages to a closer fellowship with Christ with the desire for greater likeness to Him.

From the moment you have accepted Christ, you have started to grow spiritually. The stage that you have now reached, on the one hand is the result of God’s work in you, and on the other hand, it is your commitment (Philippians 2:13). Well, you are inspired to continue along this path. You need not do it alone. You can do that with others who have also come to know Christ and want to live for Him alone.

Now read Philippians 3:12-16 again.

Reflection: Are there other interests that you pursue after apart from ‘one thing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:3

One Thing

Philippians 3:12. Paul was not yet so far as he wished. His desire to be like the Lord Jesus was not yet fulfilled. He still lived on the earth, and that meant that he had not yet reached perfection. As long as a man lives on the earth the process of becoming perfect and of being like the Lord Jesus is not finished. Precisely for this reason, someone who has known the Lord Jesus continues to pursue after and strive for that perfection. He will never be content to sit back with folded hands behind his head and think: Well I am now where I wanted to be and I am perfectly identical with Christ. That would be great pride and a terrible mistake. This thinking would reveal a tremendous lack of self-knowledge.

On the other hand Paul teaches here to seek for perfection diligently as if perfection can be achieved on earth. There is a wrong teaching which says that you can be perfect on earth, and also you can reach a state of sinlessness. Do not be deceived by that. That is impossible. Every sincere child of God should strive for the utmost in his life to be like Christ. If Christ Jesus has really laid hold of you, as He did of Paul, then you will not desire anything else.

Think of your life before you knew Christ. Perhaps you were a bit like Paul. You were full of zeal doing (religious) work or study. You thought that you pleased God with all your strivings until you realized that you only did it for yourself. Christ came into your life; Someone fully different from what you were. His zeal was entirely focused on God. He never did anything for Himself. His life consisted solely of service to others. He finally gave up His life for that.

The death He died was not only the crowing act of a fully consecrated life, but it was also the reconciliation for everyone who recognizes himself as a sinner – even for you. So you have learned to love Him, and He has become the content of your life. He has laid hold of you. You have come under the spell of His love. His embracing love has overwhelmed you. You feel safe and secure through and through. He is there for you. You also want to be wholly for Him. You want to be like Him, not only a little bit, for you cannot be content with that. In this respect it is as someone once wrote ‘contentment is the grave of progress’. No, you want to be quite like Him; and perfectly like Him.

Just a side note. It is good to remember that the word perfection has three meanings: 1. You are perfect before God in Christ through His work (Hebrews 10:14). Every believer has this perfection the moment he confesses his sins and accepts in faith the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 2. Then there is the perfection which we receive when we are with the Lord Jesus, when our body partakes of the redemption, and the flesh is no more there. This verse is about that. 3.

Then there is the perfection we can achieve on the earth and that has to do with our spiritual growth. That is the perfection in the sense of maturity, fully grown. That is perfection which is at issue in Philippians 3:15. It can be said, for example, that the fathers in Christ (1 John 2:13-14) are perfect in that sense. They have nothing else but Christ in their life.

Philippians 3:13. To exclude every misunderstanding Paul emphasizes once again that he knows very well that he is not there yet. He is not leaning back idly content even now while imprisoned. He does not think that his work is done and also does not think that the process of his spiritual education is finished. Despite all the years of his work for the Lord and his incessant action in that work he considered the process of becoming like the Lord Jesus as not complete yet. With unflagging energy he reaches out for what lies ahead.

The secret of his power is his focus on “but one thing”. That is a secret which only a few know, unfortunately. Many people are not satisfied with but one thing. They think that to be narrow-minded. They argue that we must have a wider field vision; they ask: ‘Is there not much more to enjoy?’ Yes, but the moment you want to add something to Christ, in order to pay attention to it, you are no more content with the one thing. The one thing excludes everything else. What is your choice? The decision is not difficult if you understand that this one thing alone gives perfect satisfaction to life. All that you add lessens the satisfaction. What is your preference?

For Paul it was not a question. He makes clear how we can pursue after that one thing. First he forgot “what [lies] behind” him. He did not think of all his privileges. He did not even think of all the work he had done, of all the journeys he had made, and of the places where he had preached the gospel or of the many believers whom he had served. When you work for the Lord – and who does not do that? – it is dangerous to look back in order to assess the results of the work. That is the moment you stop looking at the goal. Paul had not kept a list of his spiritual progress.

By the way, “forgetting what [lies] behind” doesn’t mean that we should forget who we were. Paul didn’t do that. He never forgot that he was the greatest of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:13; cf. 2 Peter 1:9). Instead of being busy with the way that was already behind him he was “reaching forward to what [lies] ahead”.

Philippians 3:14. He presents himself here as someone who takes part in a race. Without looking up or looking back he runs as fast as he can in the direction of the goal which he uninterruptedly keeps an eye on. He is concerned with the prize which is related to the calling of God. God had called him heavenward. Then you must not look at your interest on earth. We will pay attention to the Christians who do that in Philippians 3:19. When you are called by God it is His purpose to bring you to heaven where you can enjoy in Christ Jesus all the blessings His heart longs to shower upon you. You will not want to miss this prize for anything in this world, right?

Philippians 3:15. Perhaps you acknowledge that it should be so in your life. But you feel yourself in a field of tension. It is difficult for you to really give up everything and focus only on the one goal. There are believers in whose life everything revolves around Christ. Those are the mature ones Philippians 3:15 speaks about in its first part. Paul includes himself in this. The word “us” shows that. The mature ones are those who in their Christian experience have come to the point where nothing is interesting to the heart but the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

How many beautiful things are here on the earth but they all fade away and nothing compares with His beauty. Some people may call it extremism or fanaticism. In any case it is radical. A Christian who grew up this way is characterized by the mind which is in conformity to the mind of Christ. Christ also had only one goal – the glorification of the Father. This prompted Him to do the will of the Father which brought forth all the imaginable blessings.

In the second part of Phil 3:15 another group of believers is addressed. Paul speaks to them as “you” who ”have a different attitude” in anything. By this he does not mean unspiritual or carnal believers. He means believers who have not yet learned that mind of Christ; for God nothing really has any value except the Lord Jesus. An example of such believers is found in the weak about whom Paul speaks in contrast to the strong (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1).

Both groups are spiritually minded believers. He makes clear there that the one weak in faith does not know the full Christian freedom that is given to him in Christ. Such believers think that they still have to do with certain ordinances. God observes the sincerity in such persons and He is patient toward their spiritual development. At the right time He will reveal what is the real issue for Him by removing the veil that still covers the eyes of their understanding. Then they will be able to see things as they really are.

This difference in the spiritual development, this otherwise mindedness, does not have to disturb a happy fellowship. These are things we can leave to the Lord. In such cases we must not try to force our brethren to fall in line with our views. God Himself will teach them (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

Philippians 3:16. When anyone does not focus all his interests on Christ, then we ourselves must not wait till it happens. We need to proceed together provided that everyone walks according to the light he received. Light that is received evokes the desire for more light. It does not make passive, but encourages to a closer fellowship with Christ with the desire for greater likeness to Him.

From the moment you have accepted Christ, you have started to grow spiritually. The stage that you have now reached, on the one hand is the result of God’s work in you, and on the other hand, it is your commitment (Philippians 2:13). Well, you are inspired to continue along this path. You need not do it alone. You can do that with others who have also come to know Christ and want to live for Him alone.

Now read Philippians 3:12-16 again.

Reflection: Are there other interests that you pursue after apart from ‘one thing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:4

One Thing

Philippians 3:12. Paul was not yet so far as he wished. His desire to be like the Lord Jesus was not yet fulfilled. He still lived on the earth, and that meant that he had not yet reached perfection. As long as a man lives on the earth the process of becoming perfect and of being like the Lord Jesus is not finished. Precisely for this reason, someone who has known the Lord Jesus continues to pursue after and strive for that perfection. He will never be content to sit back with folded hands behind his head and think: Well I am now where I wanted to be and I am perfectly identical with Christ. That would be great pride and a terrible mistake. This thinking would reveal a tremendous lack of self-knowledge.

On the other hand Paul teaches here to seek for perfection diligently as if perfection can be achieved on earth. There is a wrong teaching which says that you can be perfect on earth, and also you can reach a state of sinlessness. Do not be deceived by that. That is impossible. Every sincere child of God should strive for the utmost in his life to be like Christ. If Christ Jesus has really laid hold of you, as He did of Paul, then you will not desire anything else.

Think of your life before you knew Christ. Perhaps you were a bit like Paul. You were full of zeal doing (religious) work or study. You thought that you pleased God with all your strivings until you realized that you only did it for yourself. Christ came into your life; Someone fully different from what you were. His zeal was entirely focused on God. He never did anything for Himself. His life consisted solely of service to others. He finally gave up His life for that.

The death He died was not only the crowing act of a fully consecrated life, but it was also the reconciliation for everyone who recognizes himself as a sinner – even for you. So you have learned to love Him, and He has become the content of your life. He has laid hold of you. You have come under the spell of His love. His embracing love has overwhelmed you. You feel safe and secure through and through. He is there for you. You also want to be wholly for Him. You want to be like Him, not only a little bit, for you cannot be content with that. In this respect it is as someone once wrote ‘contentment is the grave of progress’. No, you want to be quite like Him; and perfectly like Him.

Just a side note. It is good to remember that the word perfection has three meanings: 1. You are perfect before God in Christ through His work (Hebrews 10:14). Every believer has this perfection the moment he confesses his sins and accepts in faith the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 2. Then there is the perfection which we receive when we are with the Lord Jesus, when our body partakes of the redemption, and the flesh is no more there. This verse is about that. 3.

Then there is the perfection we can achieve on the earth and that has to do with our spiritual growth. That is the perfection in the sense of maturity, fully grown. That is perfection which is at issue in Philippians 3:15. It can be said, for example, that the fathers in Christ (1 John 2:13-14) are perfect in that sense. They have nothing else but Christ in their life.

Philippians 3:13. To exclude every misunderstanding Paul emphasizes once again that he knows very well that he is not there yet. He is not leaning back idly content even now while imprisoned. He does not think that his work is done and also does not think that the process of his spiritual education is finished. Despite all the years of his work for the Lord and his incessant action in that work he considered the process of becoming like the Lord Jesus as not complete yet. With unflagging energy he reaches out for what lies ahead.

The secret of his power is his focus on “but one thing”. That is a secret which only a few know, unfortunately. Many people are not satisfied with but one thing. They think that to be narrow-minded. They argue that we must have a wider field vision; they ask: ‘Is there not much more to enjoy?’ Yes, but the moment you want to add something to Christ, in order to pay attention to it, you are no more content with the one thing. The one thing excludes everything else. What is your choice? The decision is not difficult if you understand that this one thing alone gives perfect satisfaction to life. All that you add lessens the satisfaction. What is your preference?

For Paul it was not a question. He makes clear how we can pursue after that one thing. First he forgot “what [lies] behind” him. He did not think of all his privileges. He did not even think of all the work he had done, of all the journeys he had made, and of the places where he had preached the gospel or of the many believers whom he had served. When you work for the Lord – and who does not do that? – it is dangerous to look back in order to assess the results of the work. That is the moment you stop looking at the goal. Paul had not kept a list of his spiritual progress.

By the way, “forgetting what [lies] behind” doesn’t mean that we should forget who we were. Paul didn’t do that. He never forgot that he was the greatest of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:13; cf. 2 Peter 1:9). Instead of being busy with the way that was already behind him he was “reaching forward to what [lies] ahead”.

Philippians 3:14. He presents himself here as someone who takes part in a race. Without looking up or looking back he runs as fast as he can in the direction of the goal which he uninterruptedly keeps an eye on. He is concerned with the prize which is related to the calling of God. God had called him heavenward. Then you must not look at your interest on earth. We will pay attention to the Christians who do that in Philippians 3:19. When you are called by God it is His purpose to bring you to heaven where you can enjoy in Christ Jesus all the blessings His heart longs to shower upon you. You will not want to miss this prize for anything in this world, right?

Philippians 3:15. Perhaps you acknowledge that it should be so in your life. But you feel yourself in a field of tension. It is difficult for you to really give up everything and focus only on the one goal. There are believers in whose life everything revolves around Christ. Those are the mature ones Philippians 3:15 speaks about in its first part. Paul includes himself in this. The word “us” shows that. The mature ones are those who in their Christian experience have come to the point where nothing is interesting to the heart but the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

How many beautiful things are here on the earth but they all fade away and nothing compares with His beauty. Some people may call it extremism or fanaticism. In any case it is radical. A Christian who grew up this way is characterized by the mind which is in conformity to the mind of Christ. Christ also had only one goal – the glorification of the Father. This prompted Him to do the will of the Father which brought forth all the imaginable blessings.

In the second part of Phil 3:15 another group of believers is addressed. Paul speaks to them as “you” who ”have a different attitude” in anything. By this he does not mean unspiritual or carnal believers. He means believers who have not yet learned that mind of Christ; for God nothing really has any value except the Lord Jesus. An example of such believers is found in the weak about whom Paul speaks in contrast to the strong (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1).

Both groups are spiritually minded believers. He makes clear there that the one weak in faith does not know the full Christian freedom that is given to him in Christ. Such believers think that they still have to do with certain ordinances. God observes the sincerity in such persons and He is patient toward their spiritual development. At the right time He will reveal what is the real issue for Him by removing the veil that still covers the eyes of their understanding. Then they will be able to see things as they really are.

This difference in the spiritual development, this otherwise mindedness, does not have to disturb a happy fellowship. These are things we can leave to the Lord. In such cases we must not try to force our brethren to fall in line with our views. God Himself will teach them (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

Philippians 3:16. When anyone does not focus all his interests on Christ, then we ourselves must not wait till it happens. We need to proceed together provided that everyone walks according to the light he received. Light that is received evokes the desire for more light. It does not make passive, but encourages to a closer fellowship with Christ with the desire for greater likeness to Him.

From the moment you have accepted Christ, you have started to grow spiritually. The stage that you have now reached, on the one hand is the result of God’s work in you, and on the other hand, it is your commitment (Philippians 2:13). Well, you are inspired to continue along this path. You need not do it alone. You can do that with others who have also come to know Christ and want to live for Him alone.

Now read Philippians 3:12-16 again.

Reflection: Are there other interests that you pursue after apart from ‘one thing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:5

One Thing

Philippians 3:12. Paul was not yet so far as he wished. His desire to be like the Lord Jesus was not yet fulfilled. He still lived on the earth, and that meant that he had not yet reached perfection. As long as a man lives on the earth the process of becoming perfect and of being like the Lord Jesus is not finished. Precisely for this reason, someone who has known the Lord Jesus continues to pursue after and strive for that perfection. He will never be content to sit back with folded hands behind his head and think: Well I am now where I wanted to be and I am perfectly identical with Christ. That would be great pride and a terrible mistake. This thinking would reveal a tremendous lack of self-knowledge.

On the other hand Paul teaches here to seek for perfection diligently as if perfection can be achieved on earth. There is a wrong teaching which says that you can be perfect on earth, and also you can reach a state of sinlessness. Do not be deceived by that. That is impossible. Every sincere child of God should strive for the utmost in his life to be like Christ. If Christ Jesus has really laid hold of you, as He did of Paul, then you will not desire anything else.

Think of your life before you knew Christ. Perhaps you were a bit like Paul. You were full of zeal doing (religious) work or study. You thought that you pleased God with all your strivings until you realized that you only did it for yourself. Christ came into your life; Someone fully different from what you were. His zeal was entirely focused on God. He never did anything for Himself. His life consisted solely of service to others. He finally gave up His life for that.

The death He died was not only the crowing act of a fully consecrated life, but it was also the reconciliation for everyone who recognizes himself as a sinner – even for you. So you have learned to love Him, and He has become the content of your life. He has laid hold of you. You have come under the spell of His love. His embracing love has overwhelmed you. You feel safe and secure through and through. He is there for you. You also want to be wholly for Him. You want to be like Him, not only a little bit, for you cannot be content with that. In this respect it is as someone once wrote ‘contentment is the grave of progress’. No, you want to be quite like Him; and perfectly like Him.

Just a side note. It is good to remember that the word perfection has three meanings: 1. You are perfect before God in Christ through His work (Hebrews 10:14). Every believer has this perfection the moment he confesses his sins and accepts in faith the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 2. Then there is the perfection which we receive when we are with the Lord Jesus, when our body partakes of the redemption, and the flesh is no more there. This verse is about that. 3.

Then there is the perfection we can achieve on the earth and that has to do with our spiritual growth. That is the perfection in the sense of maturity, fully grown. That is perfection which is at issue in Philippians 3:15. It can be said, for example, that the fathers in Christ (1 John 2:13-14) are perfect in that sense. They have nothing else but Christ in their life.

Philippians 3:13. To exclude every misunderstanding Paul emphasizes once again that he knows very well that he is not there yet. He is not leaning back idly content even now while imprisoned. He does not think that his work is done and also does not think that the process of his spiritual education is finished. Despite all the years of his work for the Lord and his incessant action in that work he considered the process of becoming like the Lord Jesus as not complete yet. With unflagging energy he reaches out for what lies ahead.

The secret of his power is his focus on “but one thing”. That is a secret which only a few know, unfortunately. Many people are not satisfied with but one thing. They think that to be narrow-minded. They argue that we must have a wider field vision; they ask: ‘Is there not much more to enjoy?’ Yes, but the moment you want to add something to Christ, in order to pay attention to it, you are no more content with the one thing. The one thing excludes everything else. What is your choice? The decision is not difficult if you understand that this one thing alone gives perfect satisfaction to life. All that you add lessens the satisfaction. What is your preference?

For Paul it was not a question. He makes clear how we can pursue after that one thing. First he forgot “what [lies] behind” him. He did not think of all his privileges. He did not even think of all the work he had done, of all the journeys he had made, and of the places where he had preached the gospel or of the many believers whom he had served. When you work for the Lord – and who does not do that? – it is dangerous to look back in order to assess the results of the work. That is the moment you stop looking at the goal. Paul had not kept a list of his spiritual progress.

By the way, “forgetting what [lies] behind” doesn’t mean that we should forget who we were. Paul didn’t do that. He never forgot that he was the greatest of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:13; cf. 2 Peter 1:9). Instead of being busy with the way that was already behind him he was “reaching forward to what [lies] ahead”.

Philippians 3:14. He presents himself here as someone who takes part in a race. Without looking up or looking back he runs as fast as he can in the direction of the goal which he uninterruptedly keeps an eye on. He is concerned with the prize which is related to the calling of God. God had called him heavenward. Then you must not look at your interest on earth. We will pay attention to the Christians who do that in Philippians 3:19. When you are called by God it is His purpose to bring you to heaven where you can enjoy in Christ Jesus all the blessings His heart longs to shower upon you. You will not want to miss this prize for anything in this world, right?

Philippians 3:15. Perhaps you acknowledge that it should be so in your life. But you feel yourself in a field of tension. It is difficult for you to really give up everything and focus only on the one goal. There are believers in whose life everything revolves around Christ. Those are the mature ones Philippians 3:15 speaks about in its first part. Paul includes himself in this. The word “us” shows that. The mature ones are those who in their Christian experience have come to the point where nothing is interesting to the heart but the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

How many beautiful things are here on the earth but they all fade away and nothing compares with His beauty. Some people may call it extremism or fanaticism. In any case it is radical. A Christian who grew up this way is characterized by the mind which is in conformity to the mind of Christ. Christ also had only one goal – the glorification of the Father. This prompted Him to do the will of the Father which brought forth all the imaginable blessings.

In the second part of Phil 3:15 another group of believers is addressed. Paul speaks to them as “you” who ”have a different attitude” in anything. By this he does not mean unspiritual or carnal believers. He means believers who have not yet learned that mind of Christ; for God nothing really has any value except the Lord Jesus. An example of such believers is found in the weak about whom Paul speaks in contrast to the strong (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1).

Both groups are spiritually minded believers. He makes clear there that the one weak in faith does not know the full Christian freedom that is given to him in Christ. Such believers think that they still have to do with certain ordinances. God observes the sincerity in such persons and He is patient toward their spiritual development. At the right time He will reveal what is the real issue for Him by removing the veil that still covers the eyes of their understanding. Then they will be able to see things as they really are.

This difference in the spiritual development, this otherwise mindedness, does not have to disturb a happy fellowship. These are things we can leave to the Lord. In such cases we must not try to force our brethren to fall in line with our views. God Himself will teach them (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

Philippians 3:16. When anyone does not focus all his interests on Christ, then we ourselves must not wait till it happens. We need to proceed together provided that everyone walks according to the light he received. Light that is received evokes the desire for more light. It does not make passive, but encourages to a closer fellowship with Christ with the desire for greater likeness to Him.

From the moment you have accepted Christ, you have started to grow spiritually. The stage that you have now reached, on the one hand is the result of God’s work in you, and on the other hand, it is your commitment (Philippians 2:13). Well, you are inspired to continue along this path. You need not do it alone. You can do that with others who have also come to know Christ and want to live for Him alone.

Now read Philippians 3:12-16 again.

Reflection: Are there other interests that you pursue after apart from ‘one thing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:6

One Thing

Philippians 3:12. Paul was not yet so far as he wished. His desire to be like the Lord Jesus was not yet fulfilled. He still lived on the earth, and that meant that he had not yet reached perfection. As long as a man lives on the earth the process of becoming perfect and of being like the Lord Jesus is not finished. Precisely for this reason, someone who has known the Lord Jesus continues to pursue after and strive for that perfection. He will never be content to sit back with folded hands behind his head and think: Well I am now where I wanted to be and I am perfectly identical with Christ. That would be great pride and a terrible mistake. This thinking would reveal a tremendous lack of self-knowledge.

On the other hand Paul teaches here to seek for perfection diligently as if perfection can be achieved on earth. There is a wrong teaching which says that you can be perfect on earth, and also you can reach a state of sinlessness. Do not be deceived by that. That is impossible. Every sincere child of God should strive for the utmost in his life to be like Christ. If Christ Jesus has really laid hold of you, as He did of Paul, then you will not desire anything else.

Think of your life before you knew Christ. Perhaps you were a bit like Paul. You were full of zeal doing (religious) work or study. You thought that you pleased God with all your strivings until you realized that you only did it for yourself. Christ came into your life; Someone fully different from what you were. His zeal was entirely focused on God. He never did anything for Himself. His life consisted solely of service to others. He finally gave up His life for that.

The death He died was not only the crowing act of a fully consecrated life, but it was also the reconciliation for everyone who recognizes himself as a sinner – even for you. So you have learned to love Him, and He has become the content of your life. He has laid hold of you. You have come under the spell of His love. His embracing love has overwhelmed you. You feel safe and secure through and through. He is there for you. You also want to be wholly for Him. You want to be like Him, not only a little bit, for you cannot be content with that. In this respect it is as someone once wrote ‘contentment is the grave of progress’. No, you want to be quite like Him; and perfectly like Him.

Just a side note. It is good to remember that the word perfection has three meanings: 1. You are perfect before God in Christ through His work (Hebrews 10:14). Every believer has this perfection the moment he confesses his sins and accepts in faith the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 2. Then there is the perfection which we receive when we are with the Lord Jesus, when our body partakes of the redemption, and the flesh is no more there. This verse is about that. 3.

Then there is the perfection we can achieve on the earth and that has to do with our spiritual growth. That is the perfection in the sense of maturity, fully grown. That is perfection which is at issue in Philippians 3:15. It can be said, for example, that the fathers in Christ (1 John 2:13-14) are perfect in that sense. They have nothing else but Christ in their life.

Philippians 3:13. To exclude every misunderstanding Paul emphasizes once again that he knows very well that he is not there yet. He is not leaning back idly content even now while imprisoned. He does not think that his work is done and also does not think that the process of his spiritual education is finished. Despite all the years of his work for the Lord and his incessant action in that work he considered the process of becoming like the Lord Jesus as not complete yet. With unflagging energy he reaches out for what lies ahead.

The secret of his power is his focus on “but one thing”. That is a secret which only a few know, unfortunately. Many people are not satisfied with but one thing. They think that to be narrow-minded. They argue that we must have a wider field vision; they ask: ‘Is there not much more to enjoy?’ Yes, but the moment you want to add something to Christ, in order to pay attention to it, you are no more content with the one thing. The one thing excludes everything else. What is your choice? The decision is not difficult if you understand that this one thing alone gives perfect satisfaction to life. All that you add lessens the satisfaction. What is your preference?

For Paul it was not a question. He makes clear how we can pursue after that one thing. First he forgot “what [lies] behind” him. He did not think of all his privileges. He did not even think of all the work he had done, of all the journeys he had made, and of the places where he had preached the gospel or of the many believers whom he had served. When you work for the Lord – and who does not do that? – it is dangerous to look back in order to assess the results of the work. That is the moment you stop looking at the goal. Paul had not kept a list of his spiritual progress.

By the way, “forgetting what [lies] behind” doesn’t mean that we should forget who we were. Paul didn’t do that. He never forgot that he was the greatest of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:13; cf. 2 Peter 1:9). Instead of being busy with the way that was already behind him he was “reaching forward to what [lies] ahead”.

Philippians 3:14. He presents himself here as someone who takes part in a race. Without looking up or looking back he runs as fast as he can in the direction of the goal which he uninterruptedly keeps an eye on. He is concerned with the prize which is related to the calling of God. God had called him heavenward. Then you must not look at your interest on earth. We will pay attention to the Christians who do that in Philippians 3:19. When you are called by God it is His purpose to bring you to heaven where you can enjoy in Christ Jesus all the blessings His heart longs to shower upon you. You will not want to miss this prize for anything in this world, right?

Philippians 3:15. Perhaps you acknowledge that it should be so in your life. But you feel yourself in a field of tension. It is difficult for you to really give up everything and focus only on the one goal. There are believers in whose life everything revolves around Christ. Those are the mature ones Philippians 3:15 speaks about in its first part. Paul includes himself in this. The word “us” shows that. The mature ones are those who in their Christian experience have come to the point where nothing is interesting to the heart but the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

How many beautiful things are here on the earth but they all fade away and nothing compares with His beauty. Some people may call it extremism or fanaticism. In any case it is radical. A Christian who grew up this way is characterized by the mind which is in conformity to the mind of Christ. Christ also had only one goal – the glorification of the Father. This prompted Him to do the will of the Father which brought forth all the imaginable blessings.

In the second part of Phil 3:15 another group of believers is addressed. Paul speaks to them as “you” who ”have a different attitude” in anything. By this he does not mean unspiritual or carnal believers. He means believers who have not yet learned that mind of Christ; for God nothing really has any value except the Lord Jesus. An example of such believers is found in the weak about whom Paul speaks in contrast to the strong (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1).

Both groups are spiritually minded believers. He makes clear there that the one weak in faith does not know the full Christian freedom that is given to him in Christ. Such believers think that they still have to do with certain ordinances. God observes the sincerity in such persons and He is patient toward their spiritual development. At the right time He will reveal what is the real issue for Him by removing the veil that still covers the eyes of their understanding. Then they will be able to see things as they really are.

This difference in the spiritual development, this otherwise mindedness, does not have to disturb a happy fellowship. These are things we can leave to the Lord. In such cases we must not try to force our brethren to fall in line with our views. God Himself will teach them (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

Philippians 3:16. When anyone does not focus all his interests on Christ, then we ourselves must not wait till it happens. We need to proceed together provided that everyone walks according to the light he received. Light that is received evokes the desire for more light. It does not make passive, but encourages to a closer fellowship with Christ with the desire for greater likeness to Him.

From the moment you have accepted Christ, you have started to grow spiritually. The stage that you have now reached, on the one hand is the result of God’s work in you, and on the other hand, it is your commitment (Philippians 2:13). Well, you are inspired to continue along this path. You need not do it alone. You can do that with others who have also come to know Christ and want to live for Him alone.

Now read Philippians 3:12-16 again.

Reflection: Are there other interests that you pursue after apart from ‘one thing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:7

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17. A good example is worth a lot. As a young Christian you need orientation. It is a blessing if you know people who set the right examples for what the Bible expects of you. Paul presents himself together with Timothy as “a pattern” – they are “us” in this verse. That is not pride but it is conviction. He was following Christ Who was his Example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

He calls upon the Philippians to “join in following” his example. The word “join” is important. An attentive reader will notice that this is a gentle exhortation to be like-minded. When you do anything together, look at the same example together and follow it, you forget about the unpleasant traits of the others. The Philippians were fortunate that they had many whom they could take as examples. When they looked at their lives they saw the same thing as in Paul. They were all people whose only goal was to gain Christ.

Were there many then? I don’t think so, like there are not many today. By the way, do you realize that you on your part are an example for others? Can others follow you because they see that Christ is all that matters in your life?

Philippians 3:18. Do you know what kind of people we have a plenty of? Of people who walk as “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. With this qualification Paul points out a third group of Christians besides the two he points out in Philippians 3:15. Between the two groups and this third group there is a big difference. Group one and group two love the Lord Jesus from the heart and want to be in tune with Him in their lives.

They put into practice what they know of Him. With the second group however their knowledge is certainly limited but still they want to live for Him whatever be the cost. The third group is completely different. They are certainly people with mouths full of biblical truth and may be they can even say wonderful things about the Lord Jesus. But they do not reckon with Him in their everyday life.

Here they are portrayed not as enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has a crucial significance for the life of a Christian. It is the radical separation between you and the world (Galatians 6:12; 14). The more you know of the cross, the more you will give up every connection with the world to be bound the stronger with Christ. An enemy of the cross of Christ is someone who wants to have all the joys and the wealth of Christendom but not its burdens. He is someone who wants to follow Christ indeed but without taking up the cross (Luke 14:27).

If you live according to the meaning of the cross, the world has nothing more to offer you. You have settled up with it. The world however does not allow with impunity that you do not like it at all anymore and that you condemn it. It will cause shame to you. If you do not like that and try to stay on friendly terms with the world you are an enemy of the cross. You do not give up Christ really, but you do not come out for Him, since you know that you will be laughed at.

It is not the first time Paul is talking about those people. He has spoken many times about them. He reacts to them differently from the people he has in mind at the beginning of this chapter. Those persons he simply exposes for their evil intentions to undermine his work. Maybe the people here still believe, but they do not live accordingly.

When he writes about it he cannot hold back his tears. He is not the kind of person who says that ‘men do not cry’. He speaks more often about his feelings (Acts 20:31; 2 Corinthians 2:4). Emotion is an essential part of a human being. This does not change when someone becomes a Christian. Faith must not be guided by emotions but be accompanied by it. The Word of God is the foundation of faith. The feelings arise because Paul states that Christians deviate from the path of God shown by the Word of God.

This category of Christians is a wrong model, and they are therefore a threat to others. They act as if they are sure of heaven, but at the same time they enjoy life on earth to the fullest. Isn’t this a wonderful way of being a Christian? Do not be deceived by this kind of a lifestyle! I think this is why Paul has said it many times before and he says it again. They are not a good example.

Philippians 3:19. Heaven does not wait at the end of such life but only “destruction” in hell. The broad way, the way on which many walk along, is that which leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The question whether it is about the true Christians or about the Christians in name, i.e. who are not born again, does not matter. It is about what you confess. If you confess to be a Christian it will be seen in your life. If you live for Christ your testimony is true. If you do not live for Him your confession is a lie. I do not assume the latter as your statement; for otherwise you would not read this book. But these verses are also applicable to you and me as confessors of Christ.

He who lives as an enemy of the cross lives for himself, for his own “appetite”, literally “belly” (Romans 16:18). His life is for the satisfaction of all kinds of physical needs like food and drink, and often also for fulfilling sexual passions (1 Corinthians 6:13). It is certainly not only the immoral behavior that is meant here but it is a complete surrender to the things which God has given. It doesn’t seem that they did something evil that required punishment. It is about good citizens, people who give their due to everyone. However, they do everything for themselves. They put all kinds of earthly things first. Their life is not about Christ.

The result of such an attitude is that they find their glory in what is shame. For example you can see even Christians who subscribe to the idea that man is descended from ape. They regard it as an honor that human science has brought this to light. They boast of such follies. All this is the consequence if people are focused on earthly things. Their thoughts are filled with earthly prosperity. Their efforts are aimed at making their life on earth as long and as comfortable as possible.

Philippians 3:20. Indeed such an attitude of life fits well with the citizen of the world but not with a citizen of heaven. Since you came to know Christ you are a stranger and sojourner on earth (1 Peter 2:11). Your real home is heaven. As long as you are here in an environment in which you have no part you should live in this consciousness.

The Philippians are a good example for this situation. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor. It was far from Rome, but the citizens of this city had to live as citizens of Rome to hold up the name of Rome. We live in the midst of the people of this world but we must hold high the name of heaven. We live as ambassadors of our true homeland in a foreign country. Our conduct should reflect the life of our homeland. At the same time we adhere to the rules of the country in which we reside temporarily as long as these rules do not conflict with our citizenship in heaven. It is not fitting to participate in the politics of the country in which we are strangers. That would mean a denial of our heavenly citizenship.

Our hearts are so full of our homeland that we long to move in there. That is why we expect the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is the goal toward which we travel, Who promised to come soon (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:20). Paul calls Him “Savior” here. Now you may be thinking: Do I not know Him so already? He is my Savior, my Redeemer, Who has redeemed me from my sins.

Philippians 3:21. Sure, but there is one aspect of salvation which is not yet complete and that is the salvation of our body (Romans 8:23). When the Lord Jesus comes to take the church to be with Him you get a glorified body. In this body you will know no more sadness, no more pain and no more fatigue. The body you now have corresponds to a situation where sin has left its scars, on which the curse of sin rests. It is “the body of our humble state”, the body in which we live here on the earth.

By the way, this is not a flattering expression in a world in which ‘body care’ is important. The body is glorified here. You also must not fall into the other extreme and say that the body is not important. For the believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 19). Therefore, handle it responsibly.

For all those who belong to Him, the coming of the Lord Jesus for the church is the end of all imperfection of the earthly body. Then the body you will receive is similar to His body (1 John 3:2). The slightest trace, every remembrance of the imperfection of life that we literally experience in our body on earth is removed. This unimaginable change is brought about by the Lord Jesus. He is the only One capable of doing it. He will do so with the same power He has to subdue all things to Himself. He is the Almighty God.

Think again: the innumerable departed believers of all ages who died or were killed in all kinds of ways – burned, beheaded, cut into pieces or torn and eaten by lions. He knows to bring together all the scattered molecules, and again make them into the human being they once were. The unbelievers receive a body fit to live in hell forever and ever. The believers will receive a body with which they will be in heaven forever to praise Him forever and ever.

Now read Philippians 3:17-21 again.

Reflection: What does it mean to you to expect the Lord Jesus as Savior?

1 Thessalonians 5:8

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17. A good example is worth a lot. As a young Christian you need orientation. It is a blessing if you know people who set the right examples for what the Bible expects of you. Paul presents himself together with Timothy as “a pattern” – they are “us” in this verse. That is not pride but it is conviction. He was following Christ Who was his Example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

He calls upon the Philippians to “join in following” his example. The word “join” is important. An attentive reader will notice that this is a gentle exhortation to be like-minded. When you do anything together, look at the same example together and follow it, you forget about the unpleasant traits of the others. The Philippians were fortunate that they had many whom they could take as examples. When they looked at their lives they saw the same thing as in Paul. They were all people whose only goal was to gain Christ.

Were there many then? I don’t think so, like there are not many today. By the way, do you realize that you on your part are an example for others? Can others follow you because they see that Christ is all that matters in your life?

Philippians 3:18. Do you know what kind of people we have a plenty of? Of people who walk as “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. With this qualification Paul points out a third group of Christians besides the two he points out in Philippians 3:15. Between the two groups and this third group there is a big difference. Group one and group two love the Lord Jesus from the heart and want to be in tune with Him in their lives.

They put into practice what they know of Him. With the second group however their knowledge is certainly limited but still they want to live for Him whatever be the cost. The third group is completely different. They are certainly people with mouths full of biblical truth and may be they can even say wonderful things about the Lord Jesus. But they do not reckon with Him in their everyday life.

Here they are portrayed not as enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has a crucial significance for the life of a Christian. It is the radical separation between you and the world (Galatians 6:12; 14). The more you know of the cross, the more you will give up every connection with the world to be bound the stronger with Christ. An enemy of the cross of Christ is someone who wants to have all the joys and the wealth of Christendom but not its burdens. He is someone who wants to follow Christ indeed but without taking up the cross (Luke 14:27).

If you live according to the meaning of the cross, the world has nothing more to offer you. You have settled up with it. The world however does not allow with impunity that you do not like it at all anymore and that you condemn it. It will cause shame to you. If you do not like that and try to stay on friendly terms with the world you are an enemy of the cross. You do not give up Christ really, but you do not come out for Him, since you know that you will be laughed at.

It is not the first time Paul is talking about those people. He has spoken many times about them. He reacts to them differently from the people he has in mind at the beginning of this chapter. Those persons he simply exposes for their evil intentions to undermine his work. Maybe the people here still believe, but they do not live accordingly.

When he writes about it he cannot hold back his tears. He is not the kind of person who says that ‘men do not cry’. He speaks more often about his feelings (Acts 20:31; 2 Corinthians 2:4). Emotion is an essential part of a human being. This does not change when someone becomes a Christian. Faith must not be guided by emotions but be accompanied by it. The Word of God is the foundation of faith. The feelings arise because Paul states that Christians deviate from the path of God shown by the Word of God.

This category of Christians is a wrong model, and they are therefore a threat to others. They act as if they are sure of heaven, but at the same time they enjoy life on earth to the fullest. Isn’t this a wonderful way of being a Christian? Do not be deceived by this kind of a lifestyle! I think this is why Paul has said it many times before and he says it again. They are not a good example.

Philippians 3:19. Heaven does not wait at the end of such life but only “destruction” in hell. The broad way, the way on which many walk along, is that which leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The question whether it is about the true Christians or about the Christians in name, i.e. who are not born again, does not matter. It is about what you confess. If you confess to be a Christian it will be seen in your life. If you live for Christ your testimony is true. If you do not live for Him your confession is a lie. I do not assume the latter as your statement; for otherwise you would not read this book. But these verses are also applicable to you and me as confessors of Christ.

He who lives as an enemy of the cross lives for himself, for his own “appetite”, literally “belly” (Romans 16:18). His life is for the satisfaction of all kinds of physical needs like food and drink, and often also for fulfilling sexual passions (1 Corinthians 6:13). It is certainly not only the immoral behavior that is meant here but it is a complete surrender to the things which God has given. It doesn’t seem that they did something evil that required punishment. It is about good citizens, people who give their due to everyone. However, they do everything for themselves. They put all kinds of earthly things first. Their life is not about Christ.

The result of such an attitude is that they find their glory in what is shame. For example you can see even Christians who subscribe to the idea that man is descended from ape. They regard it as an honor that human science has brought this to light. They boast of such follies. All this is the consequence if people are focused on earthly things. Their thoughts are filled with earthly prosperity. Their efforts are aimed at making their life on earth as long and as comfortable as possible.

Philippians 3:20. Indeed such an attitude of life fits well with the citizen of the world but not with a citizen of heaven. Since you came to know Christ you are a stranger and sojourner on earth (1 Peter 2:11). Your real home is heaven. As long as you are here in an environment in which you have no part you should live in this consciousness.

The Philippians are a good example for this situation. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor. It was far from Rome, but the citizens of this city had to live as citizens of Rome to hold up the name of Rome. We live in the midst of the people of this world but we must hold high the name of heaven. We live as ambassadors of our true homeland in a foreign country. Our conduct should reflect the life of our homeland. At the same time we adhere to the rules of the country in which we reside temporarily as long as these rules do not conflict with our citizenship in heaven. It is not fitting to participate in the politics of the country in which we are strangers. That would mean a denial of our heavenly citizenship.

Our hearts are so full of our homeland that we long to move in there. That is why we expect the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is the goal toward which we travel, Who promised to come soon (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:20). Paul calls Him “Savior” here. Now you may be thinking: Do I not know Him so already? He is my Savior, my Redeemer, Who has redeemed me from my sins.

Philippians 3:21. Sure, but there is one aspect of salvation which is not yet complete and that is the salvation of our body (Romans 8:23). When the Lord Jesus comes to take the church to be with Him you get a glorified body. In this body you will know no more sadness, no more pain and no more fatigue. The body you now have corresponds to a situation where sin has left its scars, on which the curse of sin rests. It is “the body of our humble state”, the body in which we live here on the earth.

By the way, this is not a flattering expression in a world in which ‘body care’ is important. The body is glorified here. You also must not fall into the other extreme and say that the body is not important. For the believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 19). Therefore, handle it responsibly.

For all those who belong to Him, the coming of the Lord Jesus for the church is the end of all imperfection of the earthly body. Then the body you will receive is similar to His body (1 John 3:2). The slightest trace, every remembrance of the imperfection of life that we literally experience in our body on earth is removed. This unimaginable change is brought about by the Lord Jesus. He is the only One capable of doing it. He will do so with the same power He has to subdue all things to Himself. He is the Almighty God.

Think again: the innumerable departed believers of all ages who died or were killed in all kinds of ways – burned, beheaded, cut into pieces or torn and eaten by lions. He knows to bring together all the scattered molecules, and again make them into the human being they once were. The unbelievers receive a body fit to live in hell forever and ever. The believers will receive a body with which they will be in heaven forever to praise Him forever and ever.

Now read Philippians 3:17-21 again.

Reflection: What does it mean to you to expect the Lord Jesus as Savior?

1 Thessalonians 5:9

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17. A good example is worth a lot. As a young Christian you need orientation. It is a blessing if you know people who set the right examples for what the Bible expects of you. Paul presents himself together with Timothy as “a pattern” – they are “us” in this verse. That is not pride but it is conviction. He was following Christ Who was his Example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

He calls upon the Philippians to “join in following” his example. The word “join” is important. An attentive reader will notice that this is a gentle exhortation to be like-minded. When you do anything together, look at the same example together and follow it, you forget about the unpleasant traits of the others. The Philippians were fortunate that they had many whom they could take as examples. When they looked at their lives they saw the same thing as in Paul. They were all people whose only goal was to gain Christ.

Were there many then? I don’t think so, like there are not many today. By the way, do you realize that you on your part are an example for others? Can others follow you because they see that Christ is all that matters in your life?

Philippians 3:18. Do you know what kind of people we have a plenty of? Of people who walk as “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. With this qualification Paul points out a third group of Christians besides the two he points out in Philippians 3:15. Between the two groups and this third group there is a big difference. Group one and group two love the Lord Jesus from the heart and want to be in tune with Him in their lives.

They put into practice what they know of Him. With the second group however their knowledge is certainly limited but still they want to live for Him whatever be the cost. The third group is completely different. They are certainly people with mouths full of biblical truth and may be they can even say wonderful things about the Lord Jesus. But they do not reckon with Him in their everyday life.

Here they are portrayed not as enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has a crucial significance for the life of a Christian. It is the radical separation between you and the world (Galatians 6:12; 14). The more you know of the cross, the more you will give up every connection with the world to be bound the stronger with Christ. An enemy of the cross of Christ is someone who wants to have all the joys and the wealth of Christendom but not its burdens. He is someone who wants to follow Christ indeed but without taking up the cross (Luke 14:27).

If you live according to the meaning of the cross, the world has nothing more to offer you. You have settled up with it. The world however does not allow with impunity that you do not like it at all anymore and that you condemn it. It will cause shame to you. If you do not like that and try to stay on friendly terms with the world you are an enemy of the cross. You do not give up Christ really, but you do not come out for Him, since you know that you will be laughed at.

It is not the first time Paul is talking about those people. He has spoken many times about them. He reacts to them differently from the people he has in mind at the beginning of this chapter. Those persons he simply exposes for their evil intentions to undermine his work. Maybe the people here still believe, but they do not live accordingly.

When he writes about it he cannot hold back his tears. He is not the kind of person who says that ‘men do not cry’. He speaks more often about his feelings (Acts 20:31; 2 Corinthians 2:4). Emotion is an essential part of a human being. This does not change when someone becomes a Christian. Faith must not be guided by emotions but be accompanied by it. The Word of God is the foundation of faith. The feelings arise because Paul states that Christians deviate from the path of God shown by the Word of God.

This category of Christians is a wrong model, and they are therefore a threat to others. They act as if they are sure of heaven, but at the same time they enjoy life on earth to the fullest. Isn’t this a wonderful way of being a Christian? Do not be deceived by this kind of a lifestyle! I think this is why Paul has said it many times before and he says it again. They are not a good example.

Philippians 3:19. Heaven does not wait at the end of such life but only “destruction” in hell. The broad way, the way on which many walk along, is that which leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The question whether it is about the true Christians or about the Christians in name, i.e. who are not born again, does not matter. It is about what you confess. If you confess to be a Christian it will be seen in your life. If you live for Christ your testimony is true. If you do not live for Him your confession is a lie. I do not assume the latter as your statement; for otherwise you would not read this book. But these verses are also applicable to you and me as confessors of Christ.

He who lives as an enemy of the cross lives for himself, for his own “appetite”, literally “belly” (Romans 16:18). His life is for the satisfaction of all kinds of physical needs like food and drink, and often also for fulfilling sexual passions (1 Corinthians 6:13). It is certainly not only the immoral behavior that is meant here but it is a complete surrender to the things which God has given. It doesn’t seem that they did something evil that required punishment. It is about good citizens, people who give their due to everyone. However, they do everything for themselves. They put all kinds of earthly things first. Their life is not about Christ.

The result of such an attitude is that they find their glory in what is shame. For example you can see even Christians who subscribe to the idea that man is descended from ape. They regard it as an honor that human science has brought this to light. They boast of such follies. All this is the consequence if people are focused on earthly things. Their thoughts are filled with earthly prosperity. Their efforts are aimed at making their life on earth as long and as comfortable as possible.

Philippians 3:20. Indeed such an attitude of life fits well with the citizen of the world but not with a citizen of heaven. Since you came to know Christ you are a stranger and sojourner on earth (1 Peter 2:11). Your real home is heaven. As long as you are here in an environment in which you have no part you should live in this consciousness.

The Philippians are a good example for this situation. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor. It was far from Rome, but the citizens of this city had to live as citizens of Rome to hold up the name of Rome. We live in the midst of the people of this world but we must hold high the name of heaven. We live as ambassadors of our true homeland in a foreign country. Our conduct should reflect the life of our homeland. At the same time we adhere to the rules of the country in which we reside temporarily as long as these rules do not conflict with our citizenship in heaven. It is not fitting to participate in the politics of the country in which we are strangers. That would mean a denial of our heavenly citizenship.

Our hearts are so full of our homeland that we long to move in there. That is why we expect the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is the goal toward which we travel, Who promised to come soon (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:20). Paul calls Him “Savior” here. Now you may be thinking: Do I not know Him so already? He is my Savior, my Redeemer, Who has redeemed me from my sins.

Philippians 3:21. Sure, but there is one aspect of salvation which is not yet complete and that is the salvation of our body (Romans 8:23). When the Lord Jesus comes to take the church to be with Him you get a glorified body. In this body you will know no more sadness, no more pain and no more fatigue. The body you now have corresponds to a situation where sin has left its scars, on which the curse of sin rests. It is “the body of our humble state”, the body in which we live here on the earth.

By the way, this is not a flattering expression in a world in which ‘body care’ is important. The body is glorified here. You also must not fall into the other extreme and say that the body is not important. For the believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 19). Therefore, handle it responsibly.

For all those who belong to Him, the coming of the Lord Jesus for the church is the end of all imperfection of the earthly body. Then the body you will receive is similar to His body (1 John 3:2). The slightest trace, every remembrance of the imperfection of life that we literally experience in our body on earth is removed. This unimaginable change is brought about by the Lord Jesus. He is the only One capable of doing it. He will do so with the same power He has to subdue all things to Himself. He is the Almighty God.

Think again: the innumerable departed believers of all ages who died or were killed in all kinds of ways – burned, beheaded, cut into pieces or torn and eaten by lions. He knows to bring together all the scattered molecules, and again make them into the human being they once were. The unbelievers receive a body fit to live in hell forever and ever. The believers will receive a body with which they will be in heaven forever to praise Him forever and ever.

Now read Philippians 3:17-21 again.

Reflection: What does it mean to you to expect the Lord Jesus as Savior?

1 Thessalonians 5:10

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17. A good example is worth a lot. As a young Christian you need orientation. It is a blessing if you know people who set the right examples for what the Bible expects of you. Paul presents himself together with Timothy as “a pattern” – they are “us” in this verse. That is not pride but it is conviction. He was following Christ Who was his Example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

He calls upon the Philippians to “join in following” his example. The word “join” is important. An attentive reader will notice that this is a gentle exhortation to be like-minded. When you do anything together, look at the same example together and follow it, you forget about the unpleasant traits of the others. The Philippians were fortunate that they had many whom they could take as examples. When they looked at their lives they saw the same thing as in Paul. They were all people whose only goal was to gain Christ.

Were there many then? I don’t think so, like there are not many today. By the way, do you realize that you on your part are an example for others? Can others follow you because they see that Christ is all that matters in your life?

Philippians 3:18. Do you know what kind of people we have a plenty of? Of people who walk as “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. With this qualification Paul points out a third group of Christians besides the two he points out in Philippians 3:15. Between the two groups and this third group there is a big difference. Group one and group two love the Lord Jesus from the heart and want to be in tune with Him in their lives.

They put into practice what they know of Him. With the second group however their knowledge is certainly limited but still they want to live for Him whatever be the cost. The third group is completely different. They are certainly people with mouths full of biblical truth and may be they can even say wonderful things about the Lord Jesus. But they do not reckon with Him in their everyday life.

Here they are portrayed not as enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has a crucial significance for the life of a Christian. It is the radical separation between you and the world (Galatians 6:12; 14). The more you know of the cross, the more you will give up every connection with the world to be bound the stronger with Christ. An enemy of the cross of Christ is someone who wants to have all the joys and the wealth of Christendom but not its burdens. He is someone who wants to follow Christ indeed but without taking up the cross (Luke 14:27).

If you live according to the meaning of the cross, the world has nothing more to offer you. You have settled up with it. The world however does not allow with impunity that you do not like it at all anymore and that you condemn it. It will cause shame to you. If you do not like that and try to stay on friendly terms with the world you are an enemy of the cross. You do not give up Christ really, but you do not come out for Him, since you know that you will be laughed at.

It is not the first time Paul is talking about those people. He has spoken many times about them. He reacts to them differently from the people he has in mind at the beginning of this chapter. Those persons he simply exposes for their evil intentions to undermine his work. Maybe the people here still believe, but they do not live accordingly.

When he writes about it he cannot hold back his tears. He is not the kind of person who says that ‘men do not cry’. He speaks more often about his feelings (Acts 20:31; 2 Corinthians 2:4). Emotion is an essential part of a human being. This does not change when someone becomes a Christian. Faith must not be guided by emotions but be accompanied by it. The Word of God is the foundation of faith. The feelings arise because Paul states that Christians deviate from the path of God shown by the Word of God.

This category of Christians is a wrong model, and they are therefore a threat to others. They act as if they are sure of heaven, but at the same time they enjoy life on earth to the fullest. Isn’t this a wonderful way of being a Christian? Do not be deceived by this kind of a lifestyle! I think this is why Paul has said it many times before and he says it again. They are not a good example.

Philippians 3:19. Heaven does not wait at the end of such life but only “destruction” in hell. The broad way, the way on which many walk along, is that which leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The question whether it is about the true Christians or about the Christians in name, i.e. who are not born again, does not matter. It is about what you confess. If you confess to be a Christian it will be seen in your life. If you live for Christ your testimony is true. If you do not live for Him your confession is a lie. I do not assume the latter as your statement; for otherwise you would not read this book. But these verses are also applicable to you and me as confessors of Christ.

He who lives as an enemy of the cross lives for himself, for his own “appetite”, literally “belly” (Romans 16:18). His life is for the satisfaction of all kinds of physical needs like food and drink, and often also for fulfilling sexual passions (1 Corinthians 6:13). It is certainly not only the immoral behavior that is meant here but it is a complete surrender to the things which God has given. It doesn’t seem that they did something evil that required punishment. It is about good citizens, people who give their due to everyone. However, they do everything for themselves. They put all kinds of earthly things first. Their life is not about Christ.

The result of such an attitude is that they find their glory in what is shame. For example you can see even Christians who subscribe to the idea that man is descended from ape. They regard it as an honor that human science has brought this to light. They boast of such follies. All this is the consequence if people are focused on earthly things. Their thoughts are filled with earthly prosperity. Their efforts are aimed at making their life on earth as long and as comfortable as possible.

Philippians 3:20. Indeed such an attitude of life fits well with the citizen of the world but not with a citizen of heaven. Since you came to know Christ you are a stranger and sojourner on earth (1 Peter 2:11). Your real home is heaven. As long as you are here in an environment in which you have no part you should live in this consciousness.

The Philippians are a good example for this situation. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor. It was far from Rome, but the citizens of this city had to live as citizens of Rome to hold up the name of Rome. We live in the midst of the people of this world but we must hold high the name of heaven. We live as ambassadors of our true homeland in a foreign country. Our conduct should reflect the life of our homeland. At the same time we adhere to the rules of the country in which we reside temporarily as long as these rules do not conflict with our citizenship in heaven. It is not fitting to participate in the politics of the country in which we are strangers. That would mean a denial of our heavenly citizenship.

Our hearts are so full of our homeland that we long to move in there. That is why we expect the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is the goal toward which we travel, Who promised to come soon (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:20). Paul calls Him “Savior” here. Now you may be thinking: Do I not know Him so already? He is my Savior, my Redeemer, Who has redeemed me from my sins.

Philippians 3:21. Sure, but there is one aspect of salvation which is not yet complete and that is the salvation of our body (Romans 8:23). When the Lord Jesus comes to take the church to be with Him you get a glorified body. In this body you will know no more sadness, no more pain and no more fatigue. The body you now have corresponds to a situation where sin has left its scars, on which the curse of sin rests. It is “the body of our humble state”, the body in which we live here on the earth.

By the way, this is not a flattering expression in a world in which ‘body care’ is important. The body is glorified here. You also must not fall into the other extreme and say that the body is not important. For the believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 19). Therefore, handle it responsibly.

For all those who belong to Him, the coming of the Lord Jesus for the church is the end of all imperfection of the earthly body. Then the body you will receive is similar to His body (1 John 3:2). The slightest trace, every remembrance of the imperfection of life that we literally experience in our body on earth is removed. This unimaginable change is brought about by the Lord Jesus. He is the only One capable of doing it. He will do so with the same power He has to subdue all things to Himself. He is the Almighty God.

Think again: the innumerable departed believers of all ages who died or were killed in all kinds of ways – burned, beheaded, cut into pieces or torn and eaten by lions. He knows to bring together all the scattered molecules, and again make them into the human being they once were. The unbelievers receive a body fit to live in hell forever and ever. The believers will receive a body with which they will be in heaven forever to praise Him forever and ever.

Now read Philippians 3:17-21 again.

Reflection: What does it mean to you to expect the Lord Jesus as Savior?

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17. A good example is worth a lot. As a young Christian you need orientation. It is a blessing if you know people who set the right examples for what the Bible expects of you. Paul presents himself together with Timothy as “a pattern” – they are “us” in this verse. That is not pride but it is conviction. He was following Christ Who was his Example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

He calls upon the Philippians to “join in following” his example. The word “join” is important. An attentive reader will notice that this is a gentle exhortation to be like-minded. When you do anything together, look at the same example together and follow it, you forget about the unpleasant traits of the others. The Philippians were fortunate that they had many whom they could take as examples. When they looked at their lives they saw the same thing as in Paul. They were all people whose only goal was to gain Christ.

Were there many then? I don’t think so, like there are not many today. By the way, do you realize that you on your part are an example for others? Can others follow you because they see that Christ is all that matters in your life?

Philippians 3:18. Do you know what kind of people we have a plenty of? Of people who walk as “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. With this qualification Paul points out a third group of Christians besides the two he points out in Philippians 3:15. Between the two groups and this third group there is a big difference. Group one and group two love the Lord Jesus from the heart and want to be in tune with Him in their lives.

They put into practice what they know of Him. With the second group however their knowledge is certainly limited but still they want to live for Him whatever be the cost. The third group is completely different. They are certainly people with mouths full of biblical truth and may be they can even say wonderful things about the Lord Jesus. But they do not reckon with Him in their everyday life.

Here they are portrayed not as enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has a crucial significance for the life of a Christian. It is the radical separation between you and the world (Galatians 6:12; 14). The more you know of the cross, the more you will give up every connection with the world to be bound the stronger with Christ. An enemy of the cross of Christ is someone who wants to have all the joys and the wealth of Christendom but not its burdens. He is someone who wants to follow Christ indeed but without taking up the cross (Luke 14:27).

If you live according to the meaning of the cross, the world has nothing more to offer you. You have settled up with it. The world however does not allow with impunity that you do not like it at all anymore and that you condemn it. It will cause shame to you. If you do not like that and try to stay on friendly terms with the world you are an enemy of the cross. You do not give up Christ really, but you do not come out for Him, since you know that you will be laughed at.

It is not the first time Paul is talking about those people. He has spoken many times about them. He reacts to them differently from the people he has in mind at the beginning of this chapter. Those persons he simply exposes for their evil intentions to undermine his work. Maybe the people here still believe, but they do not live accordingly.

When he writes about it he cannot hold back his tears. He is not the kind of person who says that ‘men do not cry’. He speaks more often about his feelings (Acts 20:31; 2 Corinthians 2:4). Emotion is an essential part of a human being. This does not change when someone becomes a Christian. Faith must not be guided by emotions but be accompanied by it. The Word of God is the foundation of faith. The feelings arise because Paul states that Christians deviate from the path of God shown by the Word of God.

This category of Christians is a wrong model, and they are therefore a threat to others. They act as if they are sure of heaven, but at the same time they enjoy life on earth to the fullest. Isn’t this a wonderful way of being a Christian? Do not be deceived by this kind of a lifestyle! I think this is why Paul has said it many times before and he says it again. They are not a good example.

Philippians 3:19. Heaven does not wait at the end of such life but only “destruction” in hell. The broad way, the way on which many walk along, is that which leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The question whether it is about the true Christians or about the Christians in name, i.e. who are not born again, does not matter. It is about what you confess. If you confess to be a Christian it will be seen in your life. If you live for Christ your testimony is true. If you do not live for Him your confession is a lie. I do not assume the latter as your statement; for otherwise you would not read this book. But these verses are also applicable to you and me as confessors of Christ.

He who lives as an enemy of the cross lives for himself, for his own “appetite”, literally “belly” (Romans 16:18). His life is for the satisfaction of all kinds of physical needs like food and drink, and often also for fulfilling sexual passions (1 Corinthians 6:13). It is certainly not only the immoral behavior that is meant here but it is a complete surrender to the things which God has given. It doesn’t seem that they did something evil that required punishment. It is about good citizens, people who give their due to everyone. However, they do everything for themselves. They put all kinds of earthly things first. Their life is not about Christ.

The result of such an attitude is that they find their glory in what is shame. For example you can see even Christians who subscribe to the idea that man is descended from ape. They regard it as an honor that human science has brought this to light. They boast of such follies. All this is the consequence if people are focused on earthly things. Their thoughts are filled with earthly prosperity. Their efforts are aimed at making their life on earth as long and as comfortable as possible.

Philippians 3:20. Indeed such an attitude of life fits well with the citizen of the world but not with a citizen of heaven. Since you came to know Christ you are a stranger and sojourner on earth (1 Peter 2:11). Your real home is heaven. As long as you are here in an environment in which you have no part you should live in this consciousness.

The Philippians are a good example for this situation. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor. It was far from Rome, but the citizens of this city had to live as citizens of Rome to hold up the name of Rome. We live in the midst of the people of this world but we must hold high the name of heaven. We live as ambassadors of our true homeland in a foreign country. Our conduct should reflect the life of our homeland. At the same time we adhere to the rules of the country in which we reside temporarily as long as these rules do not conflict with our citizenship in heaven. It is not fitting to participate in the politics of the country in which we are strangers. That would mean a denial of our heavenly citizenship.

Our hearts are so full of our homeland that we long to move in there. That is why we expect the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is the goal toward which we travel, Who promised to come soon (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:20). Paul calls Him “Savior” here. Now you may be thinking: Do I not know Him so already? He is my Savior, my Redeemer, Who has redeemed me from my sins.

Philippians 3:21. Sure, but there is one aspect of salvation which is not yet complete and that is the salvation of our body (Romans 8:23). When the Lord Jesus comes to take the church to be with Him you get a glorified body. In this body you will know no more sadness, no more pain and no more fatigue. The body you now have corresponds to a situation where sin has left its scars, on which the curse of sin rests. It is “the body of our humble state”, the body in which we live here on the earth.

By the way, this is not a flattering expression in a world in which ‘body care’ is important. The body is glorified here. You also must not fall into the other extreme and say that the body is not important. For the believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 19). Therefore, handle it responsibly.

For all those who belong to Him, the coming of the Lord Jesus for the church is the end of all imperfection of the earthly body. Then the body you will receive is similar to His body (1 John 3:2). The slightest trace, every remembrance of the imperfection of life that we literally experience in our body on earth is removed. This unimaginable change is brought about by the Lord Jesus. He is the only One capable of doing it. He will do so with the same power He has to subdue all things to Himself. He is the Almighty God.

Think again: the innumerable departed believers of all ages who died or were killed in all kinds of ways – burned, beheaded, cut into pieces or torn and eaten by lions. He knows to bring together all the scattered molecules, and again make them into the human being they once were. The unbelievers receive a body fit to live in hell forever and ever. The believers will receive a body with which they will be in heaven forever to praise Him forever and ever.

Now read Philippians 3:17-21 again.

Reflection: What does it mean to you to expect the Lord Jesus as Savior?

1 Thessalonians 5:13

Of the Same Mind and Joy in the Lord

In this last chapter Paul shows you how it is possible to stand above all circumstances. Not like the Stoics whose highest ideal was to live without expressing any emotion. No, Paul knew the greatest joy in the manner of life he presents. He wants you to partake of this joy in this chapter.

Philippians 4:1. First, however, he still has a few exhortations. He begins with the word “therefore” and a most cordial way of addressing the Philippians. The word ‘therefore’ refers to the two preceding chapters. If you have understood something of what is presented of Christ then you have discovered the basis on which you can stand firm. It is a conclusion: you find your spiritual strength in Christ alone. You will discover that, if you look for things outside of Christ, you will begin to wander. You will be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13-14) unless everything in your life is focused on Christ.

Paul loved those people and he longed to be with them. When he thought of them he gets very happy. This special relationship with them arose as they had come to faith through his ministry. He could bring them to the Lord Jesus as a crowning achievement of his work. They will decorate him at the coming of the Lord. He wished however, that they also would be this decoration in their practical life by their like-mindedness.

Philippians 4:2. But there was something to be corrected especially with the two sisters who disagreed. He is not reticent; he calls each of them by name. Both sisters hear their name with the words “I urge” to listen. This shows that both were equally considered responsible for the lack of unanimity. Paul thus avoids any appearance of partiality or favoritism.

He doesn’t seek a fleshly compromise for a solution, but he exhorts them to be like-minded “in the Lord’”. His point is that the Lord must regain His authority over their lives in the things about which they were in disagreement. The cause of the disagreement is not stated. Therefore we can make use of this situation for a wider application.

It can happen that you become jealous of a brother with whom you do a work for the Lord and who gets more honor than you, at least that’s how you feel it. When sisters prepare something for a love meal they can be jealous of one another if people take more from the dish of another sister. Disagreement arises suddenly. On the other hand if like-mindedness in the Lord is present, then everyone thinks: ‘My work is for the Lord.’ Then people’s appreciation is no longer the standard, but the Lord’s.

Philippians 4:3. It is always sad when difficulties arise in a relationship between two believers when they undertake a work for the Lord. Paul himself had this problem with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). He knew these two women. They must have been powerful in the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they offered Paul a place in their homes to lodge during his ministry trip (cf. 2 Kings 4:8). Anyway, the two women identified themselves with Paul and with the gospel he preached, and were not ashamed. Maybe they served him with their belongings as the other women who had served the Lord in this way (Luke 8:3).

It hurts Paul when he thinks of these two special women. A fracture in their relationship is unbearable to him. This fracture must be healed. Paul askes his “true companion” – probably Epaphroditus through whom he sent this letter – to help. Companion literally means ‘yokemate’. This makes it clear that it is about someone with whom Paul carried the yoke in the preaching of the gospel faithfully and unanimously. That was not a heavy yoke but a joyous one to carry. Also the word ‘true’ or ‘faithful’ deserves special attention. In each work the Lord assigns, faithfulness is the most important ingredient (1 Corinthians 4:2). This is what the Lord rewards, and not the magnitude of the talent (Matthew 25:21; 23).

Besides these two women there were also other workers who labored with Paul in the preaching of the gospel. Of these he particularly mentions Clement. All of them helped in the preaching of the gospel in the territory of the enemy. They had to stand against resistance. This can sometimes be so severe that the servants can despair of themselves or of their service. Then this encouragement of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome comes to cheer them up.

With a few words he raises up the discouraged servants above the circumstances by reminding them that their “names are in the book of life” (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27). This is the book of God’s counsels in which His chosen ones are written.

Philippians 4:4. The assurance of being in it is again a reason for his call to “rejoice in the Lord”. And even if you have success in your ministry, the greatest joy is not your success, but the fact that your name is written in heaven. So says the Lord at least to His disciples when they come back delighted to tell the results of their ministry (Luke 10:20).

The sadness Paul had in view of the many people who called themselves Christians (Philippians 3:18) could not take away his own joy in the Lord. He could always rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord he found a source of continuous joy that gave him solace in the midst of pain and sadness. The call to rejoice does not come from someone in heaven surrounded by nothing but joy, but from someone imprisoned awaiting trial. That is why this appeal is compelling and an exhortation that works.

If to rejoice is possible for him, then it is always possible for us whatever the circumstances be. Our joy does not have to be affected by adversity (Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:11; John 17:13). Paul lets them hear his encouragement to rejoice, not only once, but he says it again. You do not hear an impulsive man who says something to feel sorry for it a little later. Convinced by his own experience that it is possible, he emphasizes his call by saying it again.

To be a joyful Christian does not mean to run around with a big smile or to say ‘hallelujah’ again and again. Joy rests in the heart. Of course that will radiate, but not in the sense of: ‘The bigger the laugh, the greater the joy.’ Here it is important to look deeper than the surface (Proverbs 14:13). Your joy will be consistently pure and stable as long as Christ alone is the source of your joy.

Philippians 4:5. This joy benefits others with whom you are associated. If the Lord alone is your source, your love for others will be pure also. You will be known as a ‘gentle’ person by all people. All will agree that you are someone who does not insist on his rights. Undoubtedly some will appreciate this, and others will say that you are mad, but anyway it will be known to all.

Here, to “be known” by your gentleness, means that it will be noticed and experienced, but not because you talk about it. You must not promote your own qualities. Leave that to others (Proverbs 27:2). Gentleness means that you know how to accommodate to circumstances and that you do not insist on your rights (James 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). If you think you have the rights, you will then want something from the world and rely on it (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The temptation to claim our rights prematurely threatens us constantly. To overcome this Paul advises us again to go to Lord. In Him we see Someone Who never claimed His rights. He never went ahead of God’s plan in taking His kingdom during His life time, although He was King (John 18:36-37). Paul once made use of his rights, but that served the purpose of God and not his own interests (Acts 16:37).

A guest who lodges somewhere will always be gentle. After all we are citizens of heaven, and on the earth we are pilgrims and strangers (Philippians 3:20). When it is very difficult, and you are inclined to insist on your rights for yourself, then you should know that “the Lord is near”. You should know that He will come soon and will give you what you are entitled to and restore whatever you gave up while on earth.

That the Lord is near also means that He is near to you at this very moment (Psalms 145:18). His nearness now and His soon coming preserve you from being troubled by things down here or preoccupied with yourself.

Now read Philippians 4:1-5 again.

Reflection: Do people, whom you have to do with, know you as a gentle person?

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Of the Same Mind and Joy in the Lord

In this last chapter Paul shows you how it is possible to stand above all circumstances. Not like the Stoics whose highest ideal was to live without expressing any emotion. No, Paul knew the greatest joy in the manner of life he presents. He wants you to partake of this joy in this chapter.

Philippians 4:1. First, however, he still has a few exhortations. He begins with the word “therefore” and a most cordial way of addressing the Philippians. The word ‘therefore’ refers to the two preceding chapters. If you have understood something of what is presented of Christ then you have discovered the basis on which you can stand firm. It is a conclusion: you find your spiritual strength in Christ alone. You will discover that, if you look for things outside of Christ, you will begin to wander. You will be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13-14) unless everything in your life is focused on Christ.

Paul loved those people and he longed to be with them. When he thought of them he gets very happy. This special relationship with them arose as they had come to faith through his ministry. He could bring them to the Lord Jesus as a crowning achievement of his work. They will decorate him at the coming of the Lord. He wished however, that they also would be this decoration in their practical life by their like-mindedness.

Philippians 4:2. But there was something to be corrected especially with the two sisters who disagreed. He is not reticent; he calls each of them by name. Both sisters hear their name with the words “I urge” to listen. This shows that both were equally considered responsible for the lack of unanimity. Paul thus avoids any appearance of partiality or favoritism.

He doesn’t seek a fleshly compromise for a solution, but he exhorts them to be like-minded “in the Lord’”. His point is that the Lord must regain His authority over their lives in the things about which they were in disagreement. The cause of the disagreement is not stated. Therefore we can make use of this situation for a wider application.

It can happen that you become jealous of a brother with whom you do a work for the Lord and who gets more honor than you, at least that’s how you feel it. When sisters prepare something for a love meal they can be jealous of one another if people take more from the dish of another sister. Disagreement arises suddenly. On the other hand if like-mindedness in the Lord is present, then everyone thinks: ‘My work is for the Lord.’ Then people’s appreciation is no longer the standard, but the Lord’s.

Philippians 4:3. It is always sad when difficulties arise in a relationship between two believers when they undertake a work for the Lord. Paul himself had this problem with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). He knew these two women. They must have been powerful in the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they offered Paul a place in their homes to lodge during his ministry trip (cf. 2 Kings 4:8). Anyway, the two women identified themselves with Paul and with the gospel he preached, and were not ashamed. Maybe they served him with their belongings as the other women who had served the Lord in this way (Luke 8:3).

It hurts Paul when he thinks of these two special women. A fracture in their relationship is unbearable to him. This fracture must be healed. Paul askes his “true companion” – probably Epaphroditus through whom he sent this letter – to help. Companion literally means ‘yokemate’. This makes it clear that it is about someone with whom Paul carried the yoke in the preaching of the gospel faithfully and unanimously. That was not a heavy yoke but a joyous one to carry. Also the word ‘true’ or ‘faithful’ deserves special attention. In each work the Lord assigns, faithfulness is the most important ingredient (1 Corinthians 4:2). This is what the Lord rewards, and not the magnitude of the talent (Matthew 25:21; 23).

Besides these two women there were also other workers who labored with Paul in the preaching of the gospel. Of these he particularly mentions Clement. All of them helped in the preaching of the gospel in the territory of the enemy. They had to stand against resistance. This can sometimes be so severe that the servants can despair of themselves or of their service. Then this encouragement of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome comes to cheer them up.

With a few words he raises up the discouraged servants above the circumstances by reminding them that their “names are in the book of life” (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27). This is the book of God’s counsels in which His chosen ones are written.

Philippians 4:4. The assurance of being in it is again a reason for his call to “rejoice in the Lord”. And even if you have success in your ministry, the greatest joy is not your success, but the fact that your name is written in heaven. So says the Lord at least to His disciples when they come back delighted to tell the results of their ministry (Luke 10:20).

The sadness Paul had in view of the many people who called themselves Christians (Philippians 3:18) could not take away his own joy in the Lord. He could always rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord he found a source of continuous joy that gave him solace in the midst of pain and sadness. The call to rejoice does not come from someone in heaven surrounded by nothing but joy, but from someone imprisoned awaiting trial. That is why this appeal is compelling and an exhortation that works.

If to rejoice is possible for him, then it is always possible for us whatever the circumstances be. Our joy does not have to be affected by adversity (Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:11; John 17:13). Paul lets them hear his encouragement to rejoice, not only once, but he says it again. You do not hear an impulsive man who says something to feel sorry for it a little later. Convinced by his own experience that it is possible, he emphasizes his call by saying it again.

To be a joyful Christian does not mean to run around with a big smile or to say ‘hallelujah’ again and again. Joy rests in the heart. Of course that will radiate, but not in the sense of: ‘The bigger the laugh, the greater the joy.’ Here it is important to look deeper than the surface (Proverbs 14:13). Your joy will be consistently pure and stable as long as Christ alone is the source of your joy.

Philippians 4:5. This joy benefits others with whom you are associated. If the Lord alone is your source, your love for others will be pure also. You will be known as a ‘gentle’ person by all people. All will agree that you are someone who does not insist on his rights. Undoubtedly some will appreciate this, and others will say that you are mad, but anyway it will be known to all.

Here, to “be known” by your gentleness, means that it will be noticed and experienced, but not because you talk about it. You must not promote your own qualities. Leave that to others (Proverbs 27:2). Gentleness means that you know how to accommodate to circumstances and that you do not insist on your rights (James 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). If you think you have the rights, you will then want something from the world and rely on it (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The temptation to claim our rights prematurely threatens us constantly. To overcome this Paul advises us again to go to Lord. In Him we see Someone Who never claimed His rights. He never went ahead of God’s plan in taking His kingdom during His life time, although He was King (John 18:36-37). Paul once made use of his rights, but that served the purpose of God and not his own interests (Acts 16:37).

A guest who lodges somewhere will always be gentle. After all we are citizens of heaven, and on the earth we are pilgrims and strangers (Philippians 3:20). When it is very difficult, and you are inclined to insist on your rights for yourself, then you should know that “the Lord is near”. You should know that He will come soon and will give you what you are entitled to and restore whatever you gave up while on earth.

That the Lord is near also means that He is near to you at this very moment (Psalms 145:18). His nearness now and His soon coming preserve you from being troubled by things down here or preoccupied with yourself.

Now read Philippians 4:1-5 again.

Reflection: Do people, whom you have to do with, know you as a gentle person?

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Of the Same Mind and Joy in the Lord

In this last chapter Paul shows you how it is possible to stand above all circumstances. Not like the Stoics whose highest ideal was to live without expressing any emotion. No, Paul knew the greatest joy in the manner of life he presents. He wants you to partake of this joy in this chapter.

Philippians 4:1. First, however, he still has a few exhortations. He begins with the word “therefore” and a most cordial way of addressing the Philippians. The word ‘therefore’ refers to the two preceding chapters. If you have understood something of what is presented of Christ then you have discovered the basis on which you can stand firm. It is a conclusion: you find your spiritual strength in Christ alone. You will discover that, if you look for things outside of Christ, you will begin to wander. You will be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13-14) unless everything in your life is focused on Christ.

Paul loved those people and he longed to be with them. When he thought of them he gets very happy. This special relationship with them arose as they had come to faith through his ministry. He could bring them to the Lord Jesus as a crowning achievement of his work. They will decorate him at the coming of the Lord. He wished however, that they also would be this decoration in their practical life by their like-mindedness.

Philippians 4:2. But there was something to be corrected especially with the two sisters who disagreed. He is not reticent; he calls each of them by name. Both sisters hear their name with the words “I urge” to listen. This shows that both were equally considered responsible for the lack of unanimity. Paul thus avoids any appearance of partiality or favoritism.

He doesn’t seek a fleshly compromise for a solution, but he exhorts them to be like-minded “in the Lord’”. His point is that the Lord must regain His authority over their lives in the things about which they were in disagreement. The cause of the disagreement is not stated. Therefore we can make use of this situation for a wider application.

It can happen that you become jealous of a brother with whom you do a work for the Lord and who gets more honor than you, at least that’s how you feel it. When sisters prepare something for a love meal they can be jealous of one another if people take more from the dish of another sister. Disagreement arises suddenly. On the other hand if like-mindedness in the Lord is present, then everyone thinks: ‘My work is for the Lord.’ Then people’s appreciation is no longer the standard, but the Lord’s.

Philippians 4:3. It is always sad when difficulties arise in a relationship between two believers when they undertake a work for the Lord. Paul himself had this problem with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). He knew these two women. They must have been powerful in the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they offered Paul a place in their homes to lodge during his ministry trip (cf. 2 Kings 4:8). Anyway, the two women identified themselves with Paul and with the gospel he preached, and were not ashamed. Maybe they served him with their belongings as the other women who had served the Lord in this way (Luke 8:3).

It hurts Paul when he thinks of these two special women. A fracture in their relationship is unbearable to him. This fracture must be healed. Paul askes his “true companion” – probably Epaphroditus through whom he sent this letter – to help. Companion literally means ‘yokemate’. This makes it clear that it is about someone with whom Paul carried the yoke in the preaching of the gospel faithfully and unanimously. That was not a heavy yoke but a joyous one to carry. Also the word ‘true’ or ‘faithful’ deserves special attention. In each work the Lord assigns, faithfulness is the most important ingredient (1 Corinthians 4:2). This is what the Lord rewards, and not the magnitude of the talent (Matthew 25:21; 23).

Besides these two women there were also other workers who labored with Paul in the preaching of the gospel. Of these he particularly mentions Clement. All of them helped in the preaching of the gospel in the territory of the enemy. They had to stand against resistance. This can sometimes be so severe that the servants can despair of themselves or of their service. Then this encouragement of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome comes to cheer them up.

With a few words he raises up the discouraged servants above the circumstances by reminding them that their “names are in the book of life” (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27). This is the book of God’s counsels in which His chosen ones are written.

Philippians 4:4. The assurance of being in it is again a reason for his call to “rejoice in the Lord”. And even if you have success in your ministry, the greatest joy is not your success, but the fact that your name is written in heaven. So says the Lord at least to His disciples when they come back delighted to tell the results of their ministry (Luke 10:20).

The sadness Paul had in view of the many people who called themselves Christians (Philippians 3:18) could not take away his own joy in the Lord. He could always rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord he found a source of continuous joy that gave him solace in the midst of pain and sadness. The call to rejoice does not come from someone in heaven surrounded by nothing but joy, but from someone imprisoned awaiting trial. That is why this appeal is compelling and an exhortation that works.

If to rejoice is possible for him, then it is always possible for us whatever the circumstances be. Our joy does not have to be affected by adversity (Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:11; John 17:13). Paul lets them hear his encouragement to rejoice, not only once, but he says it again. You do not hear an impulsive man who says something to feel sorry for it a little later. Convinced by his own experience that it is possible, he emphasizes his call by saying it again.

To be a joyful Christian does not mean to run around with a big smile or to say ‘hallelujah’ again and again. Joy rests in the heart. Of course that will radiate, but not in the sense of: ‘The bigger the laugh, the greater the joy.’ Here it is important to look deeper than the surface (Proverbs 14:13). Your joy will be consistently pure and stable as long as Christ alone is the source of your joy.

Philippians 4:5. This joy benefits others with whom you are associated. If the Lord alone is your source, your love for others will be pure also. You will be known as a ‘gentle’ person by all people. All will agree that you are someone who does not insist on his rights. Undoubtedly some will appreciate this, and others will say that you are mad, but anyway it will be known to all.

Here, to “be known” by your gentleness, means that it will be noticed and experienced, but not because you talk about it. You must not promote your own qualities. Leave that to others (Proverbs 27:2). Gentleness means that you know how to accommodate to circumstances and that you do not insist on your rights (James 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). If you think you have the rights, you will then want something from the world and rely on it (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The temptation to claim our rights prematurely threatens us constantly. To overcome this Paul advises us again to go to Lord. In Him we see Someone Who never claimed His rights. He never went ahead of God’s plan in taking His kingdom during His life time, although He was King (John 18:36-37). Paul once made use of his rights, but that served the purpose of God and not his own interests (Acts 16:37).

A guest who lodges somewhere will always be gentle. After all we are citizens of heaven, and on the earth we are pilgrims and strangers (Philippians 3:20). When it is very difficult, and you are inclined to insist on your rights for yourself, then you should know that “the Lord is near”. You should know that He will come soon and will give you what you are entitled to and restore whatever you gave up while on earth.

That the Lord is near also means that He is near to you at this very moment (Psalms 145:18). His nearness now and His soon coming preserve you from being troubled by things down here or preoccupied with yourself.

Now read Philippians 4:1-5 again.

Reflection: Do people, whom you have to do with, know you as a gentle person?

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Of the Same Mind and Joy in the Lord

In this last chapter Paul shows you how it is possible to stand above all circumstances. Not like the Stoics whose highest ideal was to live without expressing any emotion. No, Paul knew the greatest joy in the manner of life he presents. He wants you to partake of this joy in this chapter.

Philippians 4:1. First, however, he still has a few exhortations. He begins with the word “therefore” and a most cordial way of addressing the Philippians. The word ‘therefore’ refers to the two preceding chapters. If you have understood something of what is presented of Christ then you have discovered the basis on which you can stand firm. It is a conclusion: you find your spiritual strength in Christ alone. You will discover that, if you look for things outside of Christ, you will begin to wander. You will be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13-14) unless everything in your life is focused on Christ.

Paul loved those people and he longed to be with them. When he thought of them he gets very happy. This special relationship with them arose as they had come to faith through his ministry. He could bring them to the Lord Jesus as a crowning achievement of his work. They will decorate him at the coming of the Lord. He wished however, that they also would be this decoration in their practical life by their like-mindedness.

Philippians 4:2. But there was something to be corrected especially with the two sisters who disagreed. He is not reticent; he calls each of them by name. Both sisters hear their name with the words “I urge” to listen. This shows that both were equally considered responsible for the lack of unanimity. Paul thus avoids any appearance of partiality or favoritism.

He doesn’t seek a fleshly compromise for a solution, but he exhorts them to be like-minded “in the Lord’”. His point is that the Lord must regain His authority over their lives in the things about which they were in disagreement. The cause of the disagreement is not stated. Therefore we can make use of this situation for a wider application.

It can happen that you become jealous of a brother with whom you do a work for the Lord and who gets more honor than you, at least that’s how you feel it. When sisters prepare something for a love meal they can be jealous of one another if people take more from the dish of another sister. Disagreement arises suddenly. On the other hand if like-mindedness in the Lord is present, then everyone thinks: ‘My work is for the Lord.’ Then people’s appreciation is no longer the standard, but the Lord’s.

Philippians 4:3. It is always sad when difficulties arise in a relationship between two believers when they undertake a work for the Lord. Paul himself had this problem with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). He knew these two women. They must have been powerful in the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they offered Paul a place in their homes to lodge during his ministry trip (cf. 2 Kings 4:8). Anyway, the two women identified themselves with Paul and with the gospel he preached, and were not ashamed. Maybe they served him with their belongings as the other women who had served the Lord in this way (Luke 8:3).

It hurts Paul when he thinks of these two special women. A fracture in their relationship is unbearable to him. This fracture must be healed. Paul askes his “true companion” – probably Epaphroditus through whom he sent this letter – to help. Companion literally means ‘yokemate’. This makes it clear that it is about someone with whom Paul carried the yoke in the preaching of the gospel faithfully and unanimously. That was not a heavy yoke but a joyous one to carry. Also the word ‘true’ or ‘faithful’ deserves special attention. In each work the Lord assigns, faithfulness is the most important ingredient (1 Corinthians 4:2). This is what the Lord rewards, and not the magnitude of the talent (Matthew 25:21; 23).

Besides these two women there were also other workers who labored with Paul in the preaching of the gospel. Of these he particularly mentions Clement. All of them helped in the preaching of the gospel in the territory of the enemy. They had to stand against resistance. This can sometimes be so severe that the servants can despair of themselves or of their service. Then this encouragement of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome comes to cheer them up.

With a few words he raises up the discouraged servants above the circumstances by reminding them that their “names are in the book of life” (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27). This is the book of God’s counsels in which His chosen ones are written.

Philippians 4:4. The assurance of being in it is again a reason for his call to “rejoice in the Lord”. And even if you have success in your ministry, the greatest joy is not your success, but the fact that your name is written in heaven. So says the Lord at least to His disciples when they come back delighted to tell the results of their ministry (Luke 10:20).

The sadness Paul had in view of the many people who called themselves Christians (Philippians 3:18) could not take away his own joy in the Lord. He could always rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord he found a source of continuous joy that gave him solace in the midst of pain and sadness. The call to rejoice does not come from someone in heaven surrounded by nothing but joy, but from someone imprisoned awaiting trial. That is why this appeal is compelling and an exhortation that works.

If to rejoice is possible for him, then it is always possible for us whatever the circumstances be. Our joy does not have to be affected by adversity (Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:11; John 17:13). Paul lets them hear his encouragement to rejoice, not only once, but he says it again. You do not hear an impulsive man who says something to feel sorry for it a little later. Convinced by his own experience that it is possible, he emphasizes his call by saying it again.

To be a joyful Christian does not mean to run around with a big smile or to say ‘hallelujah’ again and again. Joy rests in the heart. Of course that will radiate, but not in the sense of: ‘The bigger the laugh, the greater the joy.’ Here it is important to look deeper than the surface (Proverbs 14:13). Your joy will be consistently pure and stable as long as Christ alone is the source of your joy.

Philippians 4:5. This joy benefits others with whom you are associated. If the Lord alone is your source, your love for others will be pure also. You will be known as a ‘gentle’ person by all people. All will agree that you are someone who does not insist on his rights. Undoubtedly some will appreciate this, and others will say that you are mad, but anyway it will be known to all.

Here, to “be known” by your gentleness, means that it will be noticed and experienced, but not because you talk about it. You must not promote your own qualities. Leave that to others (Proverbs 27:2). Gentleness means that you know how to accommodate to circumstances and that you do not insist on your rights (James 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). If you think you have the rights, you will then want something from the world and rely on it (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The temptation to claim our rights prematurely threatens us constantly. To overcome this Paul advises us again to go to Lord. In Him we see Someone Who never claimed His rights. He never went ahead of God’s plan in taking His kingdom during His life time, although He was King (John 18:36-37). Paul once made use of his rights, but that served the purpose of God and not his own interests (Acts 16:37).

A guest who lodges somewhere will always be gentle. After all we are citizens of heaven, and on the earth we are pilgrims and strangers (Philippians 3:20). When it is very difficult, and you are inclined to insist on your rights for yourself, then you should know that “the Lord is near”. You should know that He will come soon and will give you what you are entitled to and restore whatever you gave up while on earth.

That the Lord is near also means that He is near to you at this very moment (Psalms 145:18). His nearness now and His soon coming preserve you from being troubled by things down here or preoccupied with yourself.

Now read Philippians 4:1-5 again.

Reflection: Do people, whom you have to do with, know you as a gentle person?

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Of the Same Mind and Joy in the Lord

In this last chapter Paul shows you how it is possible to stand above all circumstances. Not like the Stoics whose highest ideal was to live without expressing any emotion. No, Paul knew the greatest joy in the manner of life he presents. He wants you to partake of this joy in this chapter.

Philippians 4:1. First, however, he still has a few exhortations. He begins with the word “therefore” and a most cordial way of addressing the Philippians. The word ‘therefore’ refers to the two preceding chapters. If you have understood something of what is presented of Christ then you have discovered the basis on which you can stand firm. It is a conclusion: you find your spiritual strength in Christ alone. You will discover that, if you look for things outside of Christ, you will begin to wander. You will be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13-14) unless everything in your life is focused on Christ.

Paul loved those people and he longed to be with them. When he thought of them he gets very happy. This special relationship with them arose as they had come to faith through his ministry. He could bring them to the Lord Jesus as a crowning achievement of his work. They will decorate him at the coming of the Lord. He wished however, that they also would be this decoration in their practical life by their like-mindedness.

Philippians 4:2. But there was something to be corrected especially with the two sisters who disagreed. He is not reticent; he calls each of them by name. Both sisters hear their name with the words “I urge” to listen. This shows that both were equally considered responsible for the lack of unanimity. Paul thus avoids any appearance of partiality or favoritism.

He doesn’t seek a fleshly compromise for a solution, but he exhorts them to be like-minded “in the Lord’”. His point is that the Lord must regain His authority over their lives in the things about which they were in disagreement. The cause of the disagreement is not stated. Therefore we can make use of this situation for a wider application.

It can happen that you become jealous of a brother with whom you do a work for the Lord and who gets more honor than you, at least that’s how you feel it. When sisters prepare something for a love meal they can be jealous of one another if people take more from the dish of another sister. Disagreement arises suddenly. On the other hand if like-mindedness in the Lord is present, then everyone thinks: ‘My work is for the Lord.’ Then people’s appreciation is no longer the standard, but the Lord’s.

Philippians 4:3. It is always sad when difficulties arise in a relationship between two believers when they undertake a work for the Lord. Paul himself had this problem with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). He knew these two women. They must have been powerful in the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they offered Paul a place in their homes to lodge during his ministry trip (cf. 2 Kings 4:8). Anyway, the two women identified themselves with Paul and with the gospel he preached, and were not ashamed. Maybe they served him with their belongings as the other women who had served the Lord in this way (Luke 8:3).

It hurts Paul when he thinks of these two special women. A fracture in their relationship is unbearable to him. This fracture must be healed. Paul askes his “true companion” – probably Epaphroditus through whom he sent this letter – to help. Companion literally means ‘yokemate’. This makes it clear that it is about someone with whom Paul carried the yoke in the preaching of the gospel faithfully and unanimously. That was not a heavy yoke but a joyous one to carry. Also the word ‘true’ or ‘faithful’ deserves special attention. In each work the Lord assigns, faithfulness is the most important ingredient (1 Corinthians 4:2). This is what the Lord rewards, and not the magnitude of the talent (Matthew 25:21; 23).

Besides these two women there were also other workers who labored with Paul in the preaching of the gospel. Of these he particularly mentions Clement. All of them helped in the preaching of the gospel in the territory of the enemy. They had to stand against resistance. This can sometimes be so severe that the servants can despair of themselves or of their service. Then this encouragement of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome comes to cheer them up.

With a few words he raises up the discouraged servants above the circumstances by reminding them that their “names are in the book of life” (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27). This is the book of God’s counsels in which His chosen ones are written.

Philippians 4:4. The assurance of being in it is again a reason for his call to “rejoice in the Lord”. And even if you have success in your ministry, the greatest joy is not your success, but the fact that your name is written in heaven. So says the Lord at least to His disciples when they come back delighted to tell the results of their ministry (Luke 10:20).

The sadness Paul had in view of the many people who called themselves Christians (Philippians 3:18) could not take away his own joy in the Lord. He could always rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord he found a source of continuous joy that gave him solace in the midst of pain and sadness. The call to rejoice does not come from someone in heaven surrounded by nothing but joy, but from someone imprisoned awaiting trial. That is why this appeal is compelling and an exhortation that works.

If to rejoice is possible for him, then it is always possible for us whatever the circumstances be. Our joy does not have to be affected by adversity (Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:11; John 17:13). Paul lets them hear his encouragement to rejoice, not only once, but he says it again. You do not hear an impulsive man who says something to feel sorry for it a little later. Convinced by his own experience that it is possible, he emphasizes his call by saying it again.

To be a joyful Christian does not mean to run around with a big smile or to say ‘hallelujah’ again and again. Joy rests in the heart. Of course that will radiate, but not in the sense of: ‘The bigger the laugh, the greater the joy.’ Here it is important to look deeper than the surface (Proverbs 14:13). Your joy will be consistently pure and stable as long as Christ alone is the source of your joy.

Philippians 4:5. This joy benefits others with whom you are associated. If the Lord alone is your source, your love for others will be pure also. You will be known as a ‘gentle’ person by all people. All will agree that you are someone who does not insist on his rights. Undoubtedly some will appreciate this, and others will say that you are mad, but anyway it will be known to all.

Here, to “be known” by your gentleness, means that it will be noticed and experienced, but not because you talk about it. You must not promote your own qualities. Leave that to others (Proverbs 27:2). Gentleness means that you know how to accommodate to circumstances and that you do not insist on your rights (James 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). If you think you have the rights, you will then want something from the world and rely on it (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The temptation to claim our rights prematurely threatens us constantly. To overcome this Paul advises us again to go to Lord. In Him we see Someone Who never claimed His rights. He never went ahead of God’s plan in taking His kingdom during His life time, although He was King (John 18:36-37). Paul once made use of his rights, but that served the purpose of God and not his own interests (Acts 16:37).

A guest who lodges somewhere will always be gentle. After all we are citizens of heaven, and on the earth we are pilgrims and strangers (Philippians 3:20). When it is very difficult, and you are inclined to insist on your rights for yourself, then you should know that “the Lord is near”. You should know that He will come soon and will give you what you are entitled to and restore whatever you gave up while on earth.

That the Lord is near also means that He is near to you at this very moment (Psalms 145:18). His nearness now and His soon coming preserve you from being troubled by things down here or preoccupied with yourself.

Now read Philippians 4:1-5 again.

Reflection: Do people, whom you have to do with, know you as a gentle person?

1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Peace of God and the God of Peace

Philippians 4:6. The Lord is near! Thus we finished the last chapter. This great assurance gives us the courage for now and for the future. So we need not be anxious for anything (Matthew 6:25). God knows that we need to be reminded now and again as we are quick to be anxious. We do this because too many times we see the circumstances without including Him. Then our difficulties become greater than God and this is why it goes wrong.

“Be anxious for nothing” means we can hand over everything to Him. You need not carry anything yourself. You can cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Is this not a relief? By saying to be anxious for nothing, not all has been said, because you can let all your requests be known to God. There is no limit, there is no restriction. For God ‘nothing’ really means ‘nothing’. So there is not a thing you have to worry about. For God everything really means everything, and there is not a thing that you cannot place before Him.

Therefore, come and tell Him straight from the heart in your own words. He invites you to come to Him with “prayer and supplication”. Prayer is talking to God about all things imaginable. You can share with Him the most common everyday needs without any formality. To pray with supplication is to pray with urgency or with a strong desire. You do that when you are in trouble. You cry out not once but repeatedly.

Does this also include “thanksgiving”? Yes, because you speak to a God Who knows what is in your heart and you know what He has in His heart for you. You thank Him because you trust Him and know that He hears your prayers and supplications and that He will do something with it. You have been connected by grace to the loving and almighty God. Can you think of anything greater? Can you imagine that something that happens in the world or in your life could upset Him?

No single event can shake His throne. Always each event will fit well into the fulfillment of His plans. Therefore you can thank Him in advance when you direct your prayers to Him, for you know that He will answer you in His grace, whatever the answer may be. I think you also sometimes thank someone you trust well in advance for a favor you are sure that he will grant. You say thanks in advance for the attention and reaction. This is the way you are allowed to make all your requests known to God. You do this, of course not because He does not know it. You do this, because it relieves you, and you, free from all your worries, can continue to go your way rejoicing. What a God you have!

Do you always receive what you ask for? No? Thank God also for that. Do you really mean that you always ask only for useful things? It is as in a family. Normally a child dares to ask his father everything but the father does not give whatever the child asks. He gives only what is good and useful. The Father will give you only the good things. That is not the same as pleasant things, things that will make life a bit easier. He gives things that build up your character as a child of God, things that make your life on the earth as a Christian more and more conformed to the Lord Jesus. That is what you want, right?

Philippians 4:7. If He does not give you what you ask for, then it has to do with the purpose He has for your life. Therefore He gives something else. He gives you His own peace that will guard your heart and mind. Guard means watch over, hold captive which implies safety and security. Again this is something really very big. That is much better than when He gives what we asked for, after we have whined for a long time. Then you get what you wanted and possess what you desired. But it will not go well with your soul. You learn that from the history of Israel (Psalms 106:15).

If we put our trust in Him we receive His peace. That is why Peter could sleep quietly in prison while he knew that he would be killed (Acts 12:6). The assurance, that all the power on earth could not do any harm to him unless God allowed it, gave him peace. That also applies to you. It does not state that our hearts will keep His peace. That is something we cannot do. It is the other way around, it is something that He does. “The peace of God” is as a shield for our hearts and minds so that they are preserved.

All kinds of thoughts that make you worried and anxious can come into your heart and mind. When you have said everything to God you receive His peace and your heart and mind are preserved, that is “in Christ Jesus” indeed. Christ is presented here as a fortress where you are safe and secure. It is a great grace that even our anxieties are used to fill us with this wonderful peace!

The ‘peace of God’ by the way is something different from the ‘peace with God’. The peace with God is something which is the result of faith in the Lord Jesus as the One Who solved the problem of sin by which a sinner is reconciled to God (Romans 5:1). The peace of God is the peace that God has as the One Who is above all circumstances. It is the peace of the Lord Jesus amid the circumstances which He calls “My peace” (John 14:27; Colossians 3:15).

Philippians 4:8. If your heart is thus free from worries and the peace of God dwells in it then you can turn toward positive things. Paul puts it as a task. He assigns you to dwell or meditate on things that activate your intellectual capacity and engage yourself consciously with the things he lists here. You should meditate on these things while you are doing your daily work. That means that your thoughts are filled with these things, if you are in school and the teacher or a classmate is being bullied; or if in the workplace someone cracks a dirty joke or some obscene photos are hanging there; or if you are at home and have to clear out your dear children’s junk repeatedly.

Meditation on the things listed here cannot happen automatically. Your capacity to meditate on these things in your daily activities depends on what you read, hear and see in your free time. Your thought pattern is formed here. Therefore engage yourself with good things. Paul does not say what things you must not engage yourself with. He does not present this as a kind of law but in a way that builds up. He also does not suggest the power of positive thinking.

Whether or not you are listening to his exhortation will be shown up in your conversation and in your behavior. What you have inside of yourself will shine through. Although there can be difficulties in your life, when mishaps occur, it is still important that you engage yourself with what is good and lovely. Look especially at the Lord Jesus in Whom all these virtues are fully present.

1. If you dwell on “whatever is true”, lie has no chance. 2. “Whatever is honorable” speaks of dignity that befits what we are: kings and priests. 3. If you dwell on “whatever is right”, you will handle according to the rules of what is right, in everything honest. 4. Dwell also on “whatever is pure”. God had told Israel what animals they should eat (Leviticus 11:2-3; 9; 21-22). Those were clean animals with certain characteristics.

What you eat spiritually forms your character. We take up the character of the food that we eat. Let the Lord Jesus be your food (John 6:50-56). 5. “Whatever is lovely” means what is worthy to be loved. How do you think of your brothers and sisters? Do you see only the bad things or do you think also of the good things they have, which are worthy to be loved? With the Lord Jesus everything is graceful and worthy to be loved. 6. “Whatever is of good repute are things which should be passed on as it is good to hear.

There is no room for ill repute or gossip, or slander. 7. To dwell on “any excellence” is that you have an eye for spiritual courage to fight the good fight of faith. This is applicable both to yourself and to others. You can pull yourself down by holding the view that it is nothing at all and it is all meaningless. Then you become dejected. Remember everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus certainly makes sense. 8.

The last is “if there is anything worthy of praise”. It is important to have a spirit of praise, to consider that for which we can praise God. Despite much struggle, all weakness and failure, you have much to thank God for.

Philippians 4:9. After dwelling on how to guide our thinking, there are also things to do, the application in the practical Christian life. For that the life of Paul is a practical example. With him there were no contradictions in his way of thinking, speaking and living. He gave not only doctrinal teachings but was involved with his whole being. He does not speak from on high, but from experience. If they would follow his example they would have the “God of peace” Himself as their Companion. The peace of God and the God of peace, what would you like to possess more?

Now read Philippians 4:6-9 again.

Reflection: Mention the blessings and exhortations found in these verses.

1 Thessalonians 5:19

The Peace of God and the God of Peace

Philippians 4:6. The Lord is near! Thus we finished the last chapter. This great assurance gives us the courage for now and for the future. So we need not be anxious for anything (Matthew 6:25). God knows that we need to be reminded now and again as we are quick to be anxious. We do this because too many times we see the circumstances without including Him. Then our difficulties become greater than God and this is why it goes wrong.

“Be anxious for nothing” means we can hand over everything to Him. You need not carry anything yourself. You can cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Is this not a relief? By saying to be anxious for nothing, not all has been said, because you can let all your requests be known to God. There is no limit, there is no restriction. For God ‘nothing’ really means ‘nothing’. So there is not a thing you have to worry about. For God everything really means everything, and there is not a thing that you cannot place before Him.

Therefore, come and tell Him straight from the heart in your own words. He invites you to come to Him with “prayer and supplication”. Prayer is talking to God about all things imaginable. You can share with Him the most common everyday needs without any formality. To pray with supplication is to pray with urgency or with a strong desire. You do that when you are in trouble. You cry out not once but repeatedly.

Does this also include “thanksgiving”? Yes, because you speak to a God Who knows what is in your heart and you know what He has in His heart for you. You thank Him because you trust Him and know that He hears your prayers and supplications and that He will do something with it. You have been connected by grace to the loving and almighty God. Can you think of anything greater? Can you imagine that something that happens in the world or in your life could upset Him?

No single event can shake His throne. Always each event will fit well into the fulfillment of His plans. Therefore you can thank Him in advance when you direct your prayers to Him, for you know that He will answer you in His grace, whatever the answer may be. I think you also sometimes thank someone you trust well in advance for a favor you are sure that he will grant. You say thanks in advance for the attention and reaction. This is the way you are allowed to make all your requests known to God. You do this, of course not because He does not know it. You do this, because it relieves you, and you, free from all your worries, can continue to go your way rejoicing. What a God you have!

Do you always receive what you ask for? No? Thank God also for that. Do you really mean that you always ask only for useful things? It is as in a family. Normally a child dares to ask his father everything but the father does not give whatever the child asks. He gives only what is good and useful. The Father will give you only the good things. That is not the same as pleasant things, things that will make life a bit easier. He gives things that build up your character as a child of God, things that make your life on the earth as a Christian more and more conformed to the Lord Jesus. That is what you want, right?

Philippians 4:7. If He does not give you what you ask for, then it has to do with the purpose He has for your life. Therefore He gives something else. He gives you His own peace that will guard your heart and mind. Guard means watch over, hold captive which implies safety and security. Again this is something really very big. That is much better than when He gives what we asked for, after we have whined for a long time. Then you get what you wanted and possess what you desired. But it will not go well with your soul. You learn that from the history of Israel (Psalms 106:15).

If we put our trust in Him we receive His peace. That is why Peter could sleep quietly in prison while he knew that he would be killed (Acts 12:6). The assurance, that all the power on earth could not do any harm to him unless God allowed it, gave him peace. That also applies to you. It does not state that our hearts will keep His peace. That is something we cannot do. It is the other way around, it is something that He does. “The peace of God” is as a shield for our hearts and minds so that they are preserved.

All kinds of thoughts that make you worried and anxious can come into your heart and mind. When you have said everything to God you receive His peace and your heart and mind are preserved, that is “in Christ Jesus” indeed. Christ is presented here as a fortress where you are safe and secure. It is a great grace that even our anxieties are used to fill us with this wonderful peace!

The ‘peace of God’ by the way is something different from the ‘peace with God’. The peace with God is something which is the result of faith in the Lord Jesus as the One Who solved the problem of sin by which a sinner is reconciled to God (Romans 5:1). The peace of God is the peace that God has as the One Who is above all circumstances. It is the peace of the Lord Jesus amid the circumstances which He calls “My peace” (John 14:27; Colossians 3:15).

Philippians 4:8. If your heart is thus free from worries and the peace of God dwells in it then you can turn toward positive things. Paul puts it as a task. He assigns you to dwell or meditate on things that activate your intellectual capacity and engage yourself consciously with the things he lists here. You should meditate on these things while you are doing your daily work. That means that your thoughts are filled with these things, if you are in school and the teacher or a classmate is being bullied; or if in the workplace someone cracks a dirty joke or some obscene photos are hanging there; or if you are at home and have to clear out your dear children’s junk repeatedly.

Meditation on the things listed here cannot happen automatically. Your capacity to meditate on these things in your daily activities depends on what you read, hear and see in your free time. Your thought pattern is formed here. Therefore engage yourself with good things. Paul does not say what things you must not engage yourself with. He does not present this as a kind of law but in a way that builds up. He also does not suggest the power of positive thinking.

Whether or not you are listening to his exhortation will be shown up in your conversation and in your behavior. What you have inside of yourself will shine through. Although there can be difficulties in your life, when mishaps occur, it is still important that you engage yourself with what is good and lovely. Look especially at the Lord Jesus in Whom all these virtues are fully present.

1. If you dwell on “whatever is true”, lie has no chance. 2. “Whatever is honorable” speaks of dignity that befits what we are: kings and priests. 3. If you dwell on “whatever is right”, you will handle according to the rules of what is right, in everything honest. 4. Dwell also on “whatever is pure”. God had told Israel what animals they should eat (Leviticus 11:2-3; 9; 21-22). Those were clean animals with certain characteristics.

What you eat spiritually forms your character. We take up the character of the food that we eat. Let the Lord Jesus be your food (John 6:50-56). 5. “Whatever is lovely” means what is worthy to be loved. How do you think of your brothers and sisters? Do you see only the bad things or do you think also of the good things they have, which are worthy to be loved? With the Lord Jesus everything is graceful and worthy to be loved. 6. “Whatever is of good repute are things which should be passed on as it is good to hear.

There is no room for ill repute or gossip, or slander. 7. To dwell on “any excellence” is that you have an eye for spiritual courage to fight the good fight of faith. This is applicable both to yourself and to others. You can pull yourself down by holding the view that it is nothing at all and it is all meaningless. Then you become dejected. Remember everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus certainly makes sense. 8.

The last is “if there is anything worthy of praise”. It is important to have a spirit of praise, to consider that for which we can praise God. Despite much struggle, all weakness and failure, you have much to thank God for.

Philippians 4:9. After dwelling on how to guide our thinking, there are also things to do, the application in the practical Christian life. For that the life of Paul is a practical example. With him there were no contradictions in his way of thinking, speaking and living. He gave not only doctrinal teachings but was involved with his whole being. He does not speak from on high, but from experience. If they would follow his example they would have the “God of peace” Himself as their Companion. The peace of God and the God of peace, what would you like to possess more?

Now read Philippians 4:6-9 again.

Reflection: Mention the blessings and exhortations found in these verses.

1 Thessalonians 5:20

The Peace of God and the God of Peace

Philippians 4:6. The Lord is near! Thus we finished the last chapter. This great assurance gives us the courage for now and for the future. So we need not be anxious for anything (Matthew 6:25). God knows that we need to be reminded now and again as we are quick to be anxious. We do this because too many times we see the circumstances without including Him. Then our difficulties become greater than God and this is why it goes wrong.

“Be anxious for nothing” means we can hand over everything to Him. You need not carry anything yourself. You can cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Is this not a relief? By saying to be anxious for nothing, not all has been said, because you can let all your requests be known to God. There is no limit, there is no restriction. For God ‘nothing’ really means ‘nothing’. So there is not a thing you have to worry about. For God everything really means everything, and there is not a thing that you cannot place before Him.

Therefore, come and tell Him straight from the heart in your own words. He invites you to come to Him with “prayer and supplication”. Prayer is talking to God about all things imaginable. You can share with Him the most common everyday needs without any formality. To pray with supplication is to pray with urgency or with a strong desire. You do that when you are in trouble. You cry out not once but repeatedly.

Does this also include “thanksgiving”? Yes, because you speak to a God Who knows what is in your heart and you know what He has in His heart for you. You thank Him because you trust Him and know that He hears your prayers and supplications and that He will do something with it. You have been connected by grace to the loving and almighty God. Can you think of anything greater? Can you imagine that something that happens in the world or in your life could upset Him?

No single event can shake His throne. Always each event will fit well into the fulfillment of His plans. Therefore you can thank Him in advance when you direct your prayers to Him, for you know that He will answer you in His grace, whatever the answer may be. I think you also sometimes thank someone you trust well in advance for a favor you are sure that he will grant. You say thanks in advance for the attention and reaction. This is the way you are allowed to make all your requests known to God. You do this, of course not because He does not know it. You do this, because it relieves you, and you, free from all your worries, can continue to go your way rejoicing. What a God you have!

Do you always receive what you ask for? No? Thank God also for that. Do you really mean that you always ask only for useful things? It is as in a family. Normally a child dares to ask his father everything but the father does not give whatever the child asks. He gives only what is good and useful. The Father will give you only the good things. That is not the same as pleasant things, things that will make life a bit easier. He gives things that build up your character as a child of God, things that make your life on the earth as a Christian more and more conformed to the Lord Jesus. That is what you want, right?

Philippians 4:7. If He does not give you what you ask for, then it has to do with the purpose He has for your life. Therefore He gives something else. He gives you His own peace that will guard your heart and mind. Guard means watch over, hold captive which implies safety and security. Again this is something really very big. That is much better than when He gives what we asked for, after we have whined for a long time. Then you get what you wanted and possess what you desired. But it will not go well with your soul. You learn that from the history of Israel (Psalms 106:15).

If we put our trust in Him we receive His peace. That is why Peter could sleep quietly in prison while he knew that he would be killed (Acts 12:6). The assurance, that all the power on earth could not do any harm to him unless God allowed it, gave him peace. That also applies to you. It does not state that our hearts will keep His peace. That is something we cannot do. It is the other way around, it is something that He does. “The peace of God” is as a shield for our hearts and minds so that they are preserved.

All kinds of thoughts that make you worried and anxious can come into your heart and mind. When you have said everything to God you receive His peace and your heart and mind are preserved, that is “in Christ Jesus” indeed. Christ is presented here as a fortress where you are safe and secure. It is a great grace that even our anxieties are used to fill us with this wonderful peace!

The ‘peace of God’ by the way is something different from the ‘peace with God’. The peace with God is something which is the result of faith in the Lord Jesus as the One Who solved the problem of sin by which a sinner is reconciled to God (Romans 5:1). The peace of God is the peace that God has as the One Who is above all circumstances. It is the peace of the Lord Jesus amid the circumstances which He calls “My peace” (John 14:27; Colossians 3:15).

Philippians 4:8. If your heart is thus free from worries and the peace of God dwells in it then you can turn toward positive things. Paul puts it as a task. He assigns you to dwell or meditate on things that activate your intellectual capacity and engage yourself consciously with the things he lists here. You should meditate on these things while you are doing your daily work. That means that your thoughts are filled with these things, if you are in school and the teacher or a classmate is being bullied; or if in the workplace someone cracks a dirty joke or some obscene photos are hanging there; or if you are at home and have to clear out your dear children’s junk repeatedly.

Meditation on the things listed here cannot happen automatically. Your capacity to meditate on these things in your daily activities depends on what you read, hear and see in your free time. Your thought pattern is formed here. Therefore engage yourself with good things. Paul does not say what things you must not engage yourself with. He does not present this as a kind of law but in a way that builds up. He also does not suggest the power of positive thinking.

Whether or not you are listening to his exhortation will be shown up in your conversation and in your behavior. What you have inside of yourself will shine through. Although there can be difficulties in your life, when mishaps occur, it is still important that you engage yourself with what is good and lovely. Look especially at the Lord Jesus in Whom all these virtues are fully present.

1. If you dwell on “whatever is true”, lie has no chance. 2. “Whatever is honorable” speaks of dignity that befits what we are: kings and priests. 3. If you dwell on “whatever is right”, you will handle according to the rules of what is right, in everything honest. 4. Dwell also on “whatever is pure”. God had told Israel what animals they should eat (Leviticus 11:2-3; 9; 21-22). Those were clean animals with certain characteristics.

What you eat spiritually forms your character. We take up the character of the food that we eat. Let the Lord Jesus be your food (John 6:50-56). 5. “Whatever is lovely” means what is worthy to be loved. How do you think of your brothers and sisters? Do you see only the bad things or do you think also of the good things they have, which are worthy to be loved? With the Lord Jesus everything is graceful and worthy to be loved. 6. “Whatever is of good repute are things which should be passed on as it is good to hear.

There is no room for ill repute or gossip, or slander. 7. To dwell on “any excellence” is that you have an eye for spiritual courage to fight the good fight of faith. This is applicable both to yourself and to others. You can pull yourself down by holding the view that it is nothing at all and it is all meaningless. Then you become dejected. Remember everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus certainly makes sense. 8.

The last is “if there is anything worthy of praise”. It is important to have a spirit of praise, to consider that for which we can praise God. Despite much struggle, all weakness and failure, you have much to thank God for.

Philippians 4:9. After dwelling on how to guide our thinking, there are also things to do, the application in the practical Christian life. For that the life of Paul is a practical example. With him there were no contradictions in his way of thinking, speaking and living. He gave not only doctrinal teachings but was involved with his whole being. He does not speak from on high, but from experience. If they would follow his example they would have the “God of peace” Himself as their Companion. The peace of God and the God of peace, what would you like to possess more?

Now read Philippians 4:6-9 again.

Reflection: Mention the blessings and exhortations found in these verses.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

The Peace of God and the God of Peace

Philippians 4:6. The Lord is near! Thus we finished the last chapter. This great assurance gives us the courage for now and for the future. So we need not be anxious for anything (Matthew 6:25). God knows that we need to be reminded now and again as we are quick to be anxious. We do this because too many times we see the circumstances without including Him. Then our difficulties become greater than God and this is why it goes wrong.

“Be anxious for nothing” means we can hand over everything to Him. You need not carry anything yourself. You can cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Is this not a relief? By saying to be anxious for nothing, not all has been said, because you can let all your requests be known to God. There is no limit, there is no restriction. For God ‘nothing’ really means ‘nothing’. So there is not a thing you have to worry about. For God everything really means everything, and there is not a thing that you cannot place before Him.

Therefore, come and tell Him straight from the heart in your own words. He invites you to come to Him with “prayer and supplication”. Prayer is talking to God about all things imaginable. You can share with Him the most common everyday needs without any formality. To pray with supplication is to pray with urgency or with a strong desire. You do that when you are in trouble. You cry out not once but repeatedly.

Does this also include “thanksgiving”? Yes, because you speak to a God Who knows what is in your heart and you know what He has in His heart for you. You thank Him because you trust Him and know that He hears your prayers and supplications and that He will do something with it. You have been connected by grace to the loving and almighty God. Can you think of anything greater? Can you imagine that something that happens in the world or in your life could upset Him?

No single event can shake His throne. Always each event will fit well into the fulfillment of His plans. Therefore you can thank Him in advance when you direct your prayers to Him, for you know that He will answer you in His grace, whatever the answer may be. I think you also sometimes thank someone you trust well in advance for a favor you are sure that he will grant. You say thanks in advance for the attention and reaction. This is the way you are allowed to make all your requests known to God. You do this, of course not because He does not know it. You do this, because it relieves you, and you, free from all your worries, can continue to go your way rejoicing. What a God you have!

Do you always receive what you ask for? No? Thank God also for that. Do you really mean that you always ask only for useful things? It is as in a family. Normally a child dares to ask his father everything but the father does not give whatever the child asks. He gives only what is good and useful. The Father will give you only the good things. That is not the same as pleasant things, things that will make life a bit easier. He gives things that build up your character as a child of God, things that make your life on the earth as a Christian more and more conformed to the Lord Jesus. That is what you want, right?

Philippians 4:7. If He does not give you what you ask for, then it has to do with the purpose He has for your life. Therefore He gives something else. He gives you His own peace that will guard your heart and mind. Guard means watch over, hold captive which implies safety and security. Again this is something really very big. That is much better than when He gives what we asked for, after we have whined for a long time. Then you get what you wanted and possess what you desired. But it will not go well with your soul. You learn that from the history of Israel (Psalms 106:15).

If we put our trust in Him we receive His peace. That is why Peter could sleep quietly in prison while he knew that he would be killed (Acts 12:6). The assurance, that all the power on earth could not do any harm to him unless God allowed it, gave him peace. That also applies to you. It does not state that our hearts will keep His peace. That is something we cannot do. It is the other way around, it is something that He does. “The peace of God” is as a shield for our hearts and minds so that they are preserved.

All kinds of thoughts that make you worried and anxious can come into your heart and mind. When you have said everything to God you receive His peace and your heart and mind are preserved, that is “in Christ Jesus” indeed. Christ is presented here as a fortress where you are safe and secure. It is a great grace that even our anxieties are used to fill us with this wonderful peace!

The ‘peace of God’ by the way is something different from the ‘peace with God’. The peace with God is something which is the result of faith in the Lord Jesus as the One Who solved the problem of sin by which a sinner is reconciled to God (Romans 5:1). The peace of God is the peace that God has as the One Who is above all circumstances. It is the peace of the Lord Jesus amid the circumstances which He calls “My peace” (John 14:27; Colossians 3:15).

Philippians 4:8. If your heart is thus free from worries and the peace of God dwells in it then you can turn toward positive things. Paul puts it as a task. He assigns you to dwell or meditate on things that activate your intellectual capacity and engage yourself consciously with the things he lists here. You should meditate on these things while you are doing your daily work. That means that your thoughts are filled with these things, if you are in school and the teacher or a classmate is being bullied; or if in the workplace someone cracks a dirty joke or some obscene photos are hanging there; or if you are at home and have to clear out your dear children’s junk repeatedly.

Meditation on the things listed here cannot happen automatically. Your capacity to meditate on these things in your daily activities depends on what you read, hear and see in your free time. Your thought pattern is formed here. Therefore engage yourself with good things. Paul does not say what things you must not engage yourself with. He does not present this as a kind of law but in a way that builds up. He also does not suggest the power of positive thinking.

Whether or not you are listening to his exhortation will be shown up in your conversation and in your behavior. What you have inside of yourself will shine through. Although there can be difficulties in your life, when mishaps occur, it is still important that you engage yourself with what is good and lovely. Look especially at the Lord Jesus in Whom all these virtues are fully present.

1. If you dwell on “whatever is true”, lie has no chance. 2. “Whatever is honorable” speaks of dignity that befits what we are: kings and priests. 3. If you dwell on “whatever is right”, you will handle according to the rules of what is right, in everything honest. 4. Dwell also on “whatever is pure”. God had told Israel what animals they should eat (Leviticus 11:2-3; 9; 21-22). Those were clean animals with certain characteristics.

What you eat spiritually forms your character. We take up the character of the food that we eat. Let the Lord Jesus be your food (John 6:50-56). 5. “Whatever is lovely” means what is worthy to be loved. How do you think of your brothers and sisters? Do you see only the bad things or do you think also of the good things they have, which are worthy to be loved? With the Lord Jesus everything is graceful and worthy to be loved. 6. “Whatever is of good repute are things which should be passed on as it is good to hear.

There is no room for ill repute or gossip, or slander. 7. To dwell on “any excellence” is that you have an eye for spiritual courage to fight the good fight of faith. This is applicable both to yourself and to others. You can pull yourself down by holding the view that it is nothing at all and it is all meaningless. Then you become dejected. Remember everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus certainly makes sense. 8.

The last is “if there is anything worthy of praise”. It is important to have a spirit of praise, to consider that for which we can praise God. Despite much struggle, all weakness and failure, you have much to thank God for.

Philippians 4:9. After dwelling on how to guide our thinking, there are also things to do, the application in the practical Christian life. For that the life of Paul is a practical example. With him there were no contradictions in his way of thinking, speaking and living. He gave not only doctrinal teachings but was involved with his whole being. He does not speak from on high, but from experience. If they would follow his example they would have the “God of peace” Himself as their Companion. The peace of God and the God of peace, what would you like to possess more?

Now read Philippians 4:6-9 again.

Reflection: Mention the blessings and exhortations found in these verses.

1 Thessalonians 5:22

All Things Through Him Who Strengthens

Philippians 4:10. The Lord was really enough for Paul. He had the peace of God in his heart and the God of peace was with him. That did not mean that he was insensitive to the attitude of the Philippian believers. The Lord indeed was with him in all his circumstances, and now Paul rejoices in the Lord about their loving care for him expressed in a special way. They thought of him once again!

His gratitude is not primarily for their gift, but for their motive. It resembles a bit of an exhortation when he says “now at last”. But that’s not so. He knew that they did think of him, but they did not have the opportunity to let him know that. But now by the coming of Epaphroditus their thoughts of the beloved apostle had literally taken hands and feet. Their gift made it clear that they were thinking of him.

Philippians 4:11. Paul hastened to add that he suffered no shortage. He did not want to give them any feeling of guilt as though they let him suffer in need with the delayed supply. He also wanted to avoid giving the impression that he depended on their gift. It is not easy to express deep gratitude and at the same time not to give the impression of being greedy (Acts 20:33). Those who learn to be content in all circumstances are not dependent on anyone. It was a long process for Paul to learn this. Now he could say that he had learned it.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: to be content and at the same time independent of people. There are people who have a lot of money and yet they are dissatisfied. It is because they never have enough as they seek to satisfy all their unquenchable desires. There are also others who have very little and yet are content. To be content literally means having enough (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). If you trust in God, you may count on God’s promise and be sure of your bread and water (Isaiah 33:16). If you are completely dependent on the Lord you are satisfied with what He sends you, whether it is deficit or abundance.

Philippians 4:12. Paul could have a say on any situation. He had been through them all and therefore he knew them all. He knew how to deal with humble means, or to be humbled. Sometimes you are in a situation where people revile you, mock you, and treat you as a malefactor or even as dirt, until at last you are reduced to nothing and there remains nothing to your credit (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24). He also knew of prosperity or get a lot of honor (Acts 14:11; Acts 28:6). He was initiated in all the situations of life as if it were the initiation in a secret. It is also a personal secret between a believer and God, that he will not be overwhelmed by all life’s situations.

He knew what it meant to be full and to be hungry. His experiences, instead of taking him far away from the Lord Jesus, brought him closer to Him. Amid all these he followed the Lord Jesus in His foot prints unlike many Christians today. Many perish either through saturation or through hunger. Both circumstances drive many away from the Lord. Agur spoke the following wise words as a prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny [You] and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

If a person is full he thinks he does not need God. In the countries of abundance in which we live this is the frightening reality. In the lives of countless people God has no place. Materialism is like a wedge between God and the believer. The Christian veneer is peeling off more and more of what still bears the name ‘Christian’. Can you imagine in this light that Agur was afraid that he would deny God? Feel free to make his prayer your prayer.

The possibility is great that you can speak on being full and on having abundance. In general we swim in prosperity and luxury. The question is what impact do they have on your life? Ask yourself honestly whether they have brought you closer to the Lord, or have they taken you away from Him. Can you have a say on hunger and on what it is to suffer need? I think this possibility is low– at least for us who live in the prosperous West. And if someone is already suffering from hunger and want, the possibility is that it is the result of debt he himself made. Loans have been made so attractive today! This passage does not speak about this kind of hunger and suffering need. Here we hear a man talking of his experience of hunger and suffering need during the course of his work for God.

If you can have a say on hunger and suffering need, then I hope that it is in this way. Then you will be able to draw support and courage here. Thus the Lord Jesus also was hungry as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). Paul followed his master not from a distance but closely. It is difficult to say something about things that you yourself have not gone through. Paul speaks in the “I” form for a reason. You can only repeat what he says if it is a reality for you, even if your experience is only a weak form of his experience.

Maybe you are employed and you get a fixed income every month. There is nothing wrong with it. However it is quite difficult in such a case to be dependent on the Lord because you are so used to what is called income security. On the other side there is a spending pattern. You can sometimes get so used to that, too, that you are no longer open to instructions from the Lord to do something special for Him with a certain amount from our income. Or don’t you recognize this?

In order not to forget the consciousness of your dependence on God it is necessary that you put aside a certain portion of your income to the Lord as soon as you receive your money. How much? You may determine that yourself after consultation with the Lord. However it is important that you do it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you are self-employed and have no fixed salary but an income that depends on your activities and your customers then you feel more the need to be dependent on the Lord. Then as a businessman you can even be more dependent on the Lord than some of the full time ministers who receive regular fixed gifts.

Philippians 4:13. Paul was not in this category. His whole faith was fixed on the Lord Who gave him strength. Through Him he was able to do all what he writes here. The power by which he was able was the result of an ongoing, constant fellowship with Christ. He lived in the knowledge that he could do nothing without the Lord Jesus (John 15:5). You can do nothing without Him, but everything with Him. He makes the big difference in everything.

In the Lord is the strength to live for His glory and without the circumstances having a negative impact. It is even so that every circumstance is an opportunity for the Lord to show what He is able to do if you live in fellowship with Him. Then your life is a testimony to His strength. Especially in difficult circumstances you can show that He means everything to you. You can express your faith in Him. But to express your faith in Him means much more while you are really stuck in trouble than when you do it when the sky is blue all around.

For example if you have no money to buy bread, you are much more likely to take your refuge in Him, than if your bank account has sufficient funds and your refrigerator is full. If we speak about spiritual truths it carries no meaning unless there is a true change in our life. The cars in the parking lots of our churches and other buildings where believers come together as well as our houses and their furnishings show where our heart is. Speaking about our dependence on Him and our desire to be with Him can in some cases seem like hypocrisy.

I presume that you are longing to experience the power of the Lord in your daily activities. Then check your life, especially the areas where the Lord does not have His full control. That can be with regard to the books you read, the movies you watch, your browsing habits on the internet, your appearance, your intelligence, your ambitions, your hobbies, your friends, your vacation, your outing, your work and even more. Have you handed all over to Him? Have you said: ‘Lord, do what you want to do with them and tell me what I should do with them’? You will notice that the strength of the Lord will start to fill your life as space is created for it.

Philippians 4:14. After sharing his personal spiritual experiences with them he lets them know that he very much appreciates what they had done for him. They had done a good work (cf. Mark 14:6). It was not so much the gift itself that gave so much joy to Paul but rather the love for him and their attachment to him the gift spoke of.

By that they shared in his distress (Hebrews 10:34) and were not ashamed of it (2 Timothy 1:8; 16). That meant a great encouragement for him. Here you see again the intertwining of his strength in the Lord, through which he could do all things, with the strength encouragement of the fellow believers gives. Also you may know that you do not stand alone. The Lord and His people are around you.

Now read Philippians 4:10-14 again.

Reflection: What can you apply to yourself and what have you learnt more of the Lord from these verses?

1 Thessalonians 5:23

All Things Through Him Who Strengthens

Philippians 4:10. The Lord was really enough for Paul. He had the peace of God in his heart and the God of peace was with him. That did not mean that he was insensitive to the attitude of the Philippian believers. The Lord indeed was with him in all his circumstances, and now Paul rejoices in the Lord about their loving care for him expressed in a special way. They thought of him once again!

His gratitude is not primarily for their gift, but for their motive. It resembles a bit of an exhortation when he says “now at last”. But that’s not so. He knew that they did think of him, but they did not have the opportunity to let him know that. But now by the coming of Epaphroditus their thoughts of the beloved apostle had literally taken hands and feet. Their gift made it clear that they were thinking of him.

Philippians 4:11. Paul hastened to add that he suffered no shortage. He did not want to give them any feeling of guilt as though they let him suffer in need with the delayed supply. He also wanted to avoid giving the impression that he depended on their gift. It is not easy to express deep gratitude and at the same time not to give the impression of being greedy (Acts 20:33). Those who learn to be content in all circumstances are not dependent on anyone. It was a long process for Paul to learn this. Now he could say that he had learned it.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: to be content and at the same time independent of people. There are people who have a lot of money and yet they are dissatisfied. It is because they never have enough as they seek to satisfy all their unquenchable desires. There are also others who have very little and yet are content. To be content literally means having enough (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). If you trust in God, you may count on God’s promise and be sure of your bread and water (Isaiah 33:16). If you are completely dependent on the Lord you are satisfied with what He sends you, whether it is deficit or abundance.

Philippians 4:12. Paul could have a say on any situation. He had been through them all and therefore he knew them all. He knew how to deal with humble means, or to be humbled. Sometimes you are in a situation where people revile you, mock you, and treat you as a malefactor or even as dirt, until at last you are reduced to nothing and there remains nothing to your credit (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24). He also knew of prosperity or get a lot of honor (Acts 14:11; Acts 28:6). He was initiated in all the situations of life as if it were the initiation in a secret. It is also a personal secret between a believer and God, that he will not be overwhelmed by all life’s situations.

He knew what it meant to be full and to be hungry. His experiences, instead of taking him far away from the Lord Jesus, brought him closer to Him. Amid all these he followed the Lord Jesus in His foot prints unlike many Christians today. Many perish either through saturation or through hunger. Both circumstances drive many away from the Lord. Agur spoke the following wise words as a prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny [You] and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

If a person is full he thinks he does not need God. In the countries of abundance in which we live this is the frightening reality. In the lives of countless people God has no place. Materialism is like a wedge between God and the believer. The Christian veneer is peeling off more and more of what still bears the name ‘Christian’. Can you imagine in this light that Agur was afraid that he would deny God? Feel free to make his prayer your prayer.

The possibility is great that you can speak on being full and on having abundance. In general we swim in prosperity and luxury. The question is what impact do they have on your life? Ask yourself honestly whether they have brought you closer to the Lord, or have they taken you away from Him. Can you have a say on hunger and on what it is to suffer need? I think this possibility is low– at least for us who live in the prosperous West. And if someone is already suffering from hunger and want, the possibility is that it is the result of debt he himself made. Loans have been made so attractive today! This passage does not speak about this kind of hunger and suffering need. Here we hear a man talking of his experience of hunger and suffering need during the course of his work for God.

If you can have a say on hunger and suffering need, then I hope that it is in this way. Then you will be able to draw support and courage here. Thus the Lord Jesus also was hungry as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). Paul followed his master not from a distance but closely. It is difficult to say something about things that you yourself have not gone through. Paul speaks in the “I” form for a reason. You can only repeat what he says if it is a reality for you, even if your experience is only a weak form of his experience.

Maybe you are employed and you get a fixed income every month. There is nothing wrong with it. However it is quite difficult in such a case to be dependent on the Lord because you are so used to what is called income security. On the other side there is a spending pattern. You can sometimes get so used to that, too, that you are no longer open to instructions from the Lord to do something special for Him with a certain amount from our income. Or don’t you recognize this?

In order not to forget the consciousness of your dependence on God it is necessary that you put aside a certain portion of your income to the Lord as soon as you receive your money. How much? You may determine that yourself after consultation with the Lord. However it is important that you do it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you are self-employed and have no fixed salary but an income that depends on your activities and your customers then you feel more the need to be dependent on the Lord. Then as a businessman you can even be more dependent on the Lord than some of the full time ministers who receive regular fixed gifts.

Philippians 4:13. Paul was not in this category. His whole faith was fixed on the Lord Who gave him strength. Through Him he was able to do all what he writes here. The power by which he was able was the result of an ongoing, constant fellowship with Christ. He lived in the knowledge that he could do nothing without the Lord Jesus (John 15:5). You can do nothing without Him, but everything with Him. He makes the big difference in everything.

In the Lord is the strength to live for His glory and without the circumstances having a negative impact. It is even so that every circumstance is an opportunity for the Lord to show what He is able to do if you live in fellowship with Him. Then your life is a testimony to His strength. Especially in difficult circumstances you can show that He means everything to you. You can express your faith in Him. But to express your faith in Him means much more while you are really stuck in trouble than when you do it when the sky is blue all around.

For example if you have no money to buy bread, you are much more likely to take your refuge in Him, than if your bank account has sufficient funds and your refrigerator is full. If we speak about spiritual truths it carries no meaning unless there is a true change in our life. The cars in the parking lots of our churches and other buildings where believers come together as well as our houses and their furnishings show where our heart is. Speaking about our dependence on Him and our desire to be with Him can in some cases seem like hypocrisy.

I presume that you are longing to experience the power of the Lord in your daily activities. Then check your life, especially the areas where the Lord does not have His full control. That can be with regard to the books you read, the movies you watch, your browsing habits on the internet, your appearance, your intelligence, your ambitions, your hobbies, your friends, your vacation, your outing, your work and even more. Have you handed all over to Him? Have you said: ‘Lord, do what you want to do with them and tell me what I should do with them’? You will notice that the strength of the Lord will start to fill your life as space is created for it.

Philippians 4:14. After sharing his personal spiritual experiences with them he lets them know that he very much appreciates what they had done for him. They had done a good work (cf. Mark 14:6). It was not so much the gift itself that gave so much joy to Paul but rather the love for him and their attachment to him the gift spoke of.

By that they shared in his distress (Hebrews 10:34) and were not ashamed of it (2 Timothy 1:8; 16). That meant a great encouragement for him. Here you see again the intertwining of his strength in the Lord, through which he could do all things, with the strength encouragement of the fellow believers gives. Also you may know that you do not stand alone. The Lord and His people are around you.

Now read Philippians 4:10-14 again.

Reflection: What can you apply to yourself and what have you learnt more of the Lord from these verses?

1 Thessalonians 5:24

All Things Through Him Who Strengthens

Philippians 4:10. The Lord was really enough for Paul. He had the peace of God in his heart and the God of peace was with him. That did not mean that he was insensitive to the attitude of the Philippian believers. The Lord indeed was with him in all his circumstances, and now Paul rejoices in the Lord about their loving care for him expressed in a special way. They thought of him once again!

His gratitude is not primarily for their gift, but for their motive. It resembles a bit of an exhortation when he says “now at last”. But that’s not so. He knew that they did think of him, but they did not have the opportunity to let him know that. But now by the coming of Epaphroditus their thoughts of the beloved apostle had literally taken hands and feet. Their gift made it clear that they were thinking of him.

Philippians 4:11. Paul hastened to add that he suffered no shortage. He did not want to give them any feeling of guilt as though they let him suffer in need with the delayed supply. He also wanted to avoid giving the impression that he depended on their gift. It is not easy to express deep gratitude and at the same time not to give the impression of being greedy (Acts 20:33). Those who learn to be content in all circumstances are not dependent on anyone. It was a long process for Paul to learn this. Now he could say that he had learned it.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: to be content and at the same time independent of people. There are people who have a lot of money and yet they are dissatisfied. It is because they never have enough as they seek to satisfy all their unquenchable desires. There are also others who have very little and yet are content. To be content literally means having enough (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). If you trust in God, you may count on God’s promise and be sure of your bread and water (Isaiah 33:16). If you are completely dependent on the Lord you are satisfied with what He sends you, whether it is deficit or abundance.

Philippians 4:12. Paul could have a say on any situation. He had been through them all and therefore he knew them all. He knew how to deal with humble means, or to be humbled. Sometimes you are in a situation where people revile you, mock you, and treat you as a malefactor or even as dirt, until at last you are reduced to nothing and there remains nothing to your credit (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24). He also knew of prosperity or get a lot of honor (Acts 14:11; Acts 28:6). He was initiated in all the situations of life as if it were the initiation in a secret. It is also a personal secret between a believer and God, that he will not be overwhelmed by all life’s situations.

He knew what it meant to be full and to be hungry. His experiences, instead of taking him far away from the Lord Jesus, brought him closer to Him. Amid all these he followed the Lord Jesus in His foot prints unlike many Christians today. Many perish either through saturation or through hunger. Both circumstances drive many away from the Lord. Agur spoke the following wise words as a prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny [You] and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

If a person is full he thinks he does not need God. In the countries of abundance in which we live this is the frightening reality. In the lives of countless people God has no place. Materialism is like a wedge between God and the believer. The Christian veneer is peeling off more and more of what still bears the name ‘Christian’. Can you imagine in this light that Agur was afraid that he would deny God? Feel free to make his prayer your prayer.

The possibility is great that you can speak on being full and on having abundance. In general we swim in prosperity and luxury. The question is what impact do they have on your life? Ask yourself honestly whether they have brought you closer to the Lord, or have they taken you away from Him. Can you have a say on hunger and on what it is to suffer need? I think this possibility is low– at least for us who live in the prosperous West. And if someone is already suffering from hunger and want, the possibility is that it is the result of debt he himself made. Loans have been made so attractive today! This passage does not speak about this kind of hunger and suffering need. Here we hear a man talking of his experience of hunger and suffering need during the course of his work for God.

If you can have a say on hunger and suffering need, then I hope that it is in this way. Then you will be able to draw support and courage here. Thus the Lord Jesus also was hungry as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). Paul followed his master not from a distance but closely. It is difficult to say something about things that you yourself have not gone through. Paul speaks in the “I” form for a reason. You can only repeat what he says if it is a reality for you, even if your experience is only a weak form of his experience.

Maybe you are employed and you get a fixed income every month. There is nothing wrong with it. However it is quite difficult in such a case to be dependent on the Lord because you are so used to what is called income security. On the other side there is a spending pattern. You can sometimes get so used to that, too, that you are no longer open to instructions from the Lord to do something special for Him with a certain amount from our income. Or don’t you recognize this?

In order not to forget the consciousness of your dependence on God it is necessary that you put aside a certain portion of your income to the Lord as soon as you receive your money. How much? You may determine that yourself after consultation with the Lord. However it is important that you do it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you are self-employed and have no fixed salary but an income that depends on your activities and your customers then you feel more the need to be dependent on the Lord. Then as a businessman you can even be more dependent on the Lord than some of the full time ministers who receive regular fixed gifts.

Philippians 4:13. Paul was not in this category. His whole faith was fixed on the Lord Who gave him strength. Through Him he was able to do all what he writes here. The power by which he was able was the result of an ongoing, constant fellowship with Christ. He lived in the knowledge that he could do nothing without the Lord Jesus (John 15:5). You can do nothing without Him, but everything with Him. He makes the big difference in everything.

In the Lord is the strength to live for His glory and without the circumstances having a negative impact. It is even so that every circumstance is an opportunity for the Lord to show what He is able to do if you live in fellowship with Him. Then your life is a testimony to His strength. Especially in difficult circumstances you can show that He means everything to you. You can express your faith in Him. But to express your faith in Him means much more while you are really stuck in trouble than when you do it when the sky is blue all around.

For example if you have no money to buy bread, you are much more likely to take your refuge in Him, than if your bank account has sufficient funds and your refrigerator is full. If we speak about spiritual truths it carries no meaning unless there is a true change in our life. The cars in the parking lots of our churches and other buildings where believers come together as well as our houses and their furnishings show where our heart is. Speaking about our dependence on Him and our desire to be with Him can in some cases seem like hypocrisy.

I presume that you are longing to experience the power of the Lord in your daily activities. Then check your life, especially the areas where the Lord does not have His full control. That can be with regard to the books you read, the movies you watch, your browsing habits on the internet, your appearance, your intelligence, your ambitions, your hobbies, your friends, your vacation, your outing, your work and even more. Have you handed all over to Him? Have you said: ‘Lord, do what you want to do with them and tell me what I should do with them’? You will notice that the strength of the Lord will start to fill your life as space is created for it.

Philippians 4:14. After sharing his personal spiritual experiences with them he lets them know that he very much appreciates what they had done for him. They had done a good work (cf. Mark 14:6). It was not so much the gift itself that gave so much joy to Paul but rather the love for him and their attachment to him the gift spoke of.

By that they shared in his distress (Hebrews 10:34) and were not ashamed of it (2 Timothy 1:8; 16). That meant a great encouragement for him. Here you see again the intertwining of his strength in the Lord, through which he could do all things, with the strength encouragement of the fellow believers gives. Also you may know that you do not stand alone. The Lord and His people are around you.

Now read Philippians 4:10-14 again.

Reflection: What can you apply to yourself and what have you learnt more of the Lord from these verses?

1 Thessalonians 5:25

All Things Through Him Who Strengthens

Philippians 4:10. The Lord was really enough for Paul. He had the peace of God in his heart and the God of peace was with him. That did not mean that he was insensitive to the attitude of the Philippian believers. The Lord indeed was with him in all his circumstances, and now Paul rejoices in the Lord about their loving care for him expressed in a special way. They thought of him once again!

His gratitude is not primarily for their gift, but for their motive. It resembles a bit of an exhortation when he says “now at last”. But that’s not so. He knew that they did think of him, but they did not have the opportunity to let him know that. But now by the coming of Epaphroditus their thoughts of the beloved apostle had literally taken hands and feet. Their gift made it clear that they were thinking of him.

Philippians 4:11. Paul hastened to add that he suffered no shortage. He did not want to give them any feeling of guilt as though they let him suffer in need with the delayed supply. He also wanted to avoid giving the impression that he depended on their gift. It is not easy to express deep gratitude and at the same time not to give the impression of being greedy (Acts 20:33). Those who learn to be content in all circumstances are not dependent on anyone. It was a long process for Paul to learn this. Now he could say that he had learned it.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: to be content and at the same time independent of people. There are people who have a lot of money and yet they are dissatisfied. It is because they never have enough as they seek to satisfy all their unquenchable desires. There are also others who have very little and yet are content. To be content literally means having enough (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). If you trust in God, you may count on God’s promise and be sure of your bread and water (Isaiah 33:16). If you are completely dependent on the Lord you are satisfied with what He sends you, whether it is deficit or abundance.

Philippians 4:12. Paul could have a say on any situation. He had been through them all and therefore he knew them all. He knew how to deal with humble means, or to be humbled. Sometimes you are in a situation where people revile you, mock you, and treat you as a malefactor or even as dirt, until at last you are reduced to nothing and there remains nothing to your credit (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24). He also knew of prosperity or get a lot of honor (Acts 14:11; Acts 28:6). He was initiated in all the situations of life as if it were the initiation in a secret. It is also a personal secret between a believer and God, that he will not be overwhelmed by all life’s situations.

He knew what it meant to be full and to be hungry. His experiences, instead of taking him far away from the Lord Jesus, brought him closer to Him. Amid all these he followed the Lord Jesus in His foot prints unlike many Christians today. Many perish either through saturation or through hunger. Both circumstances drive many away from the Lord. Agur spoke the following wise words as a prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny [You] and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

If a person is full he thinks he does not need God. In the countries of abundance in which we live this is the frightening reality. In the lives of countless people God has no place. Materialism is like a wedge between God and the believer. The Christian veneer is peeling off more and more of what still bears the name ‘Christian’. Can you imagine in this light that Agur was afraid that he would deny God? Feel free to make his prayer your prayer.

The possibility is great that you can speak on being full and on having abundance. In general we swim in prosperity and luxury. The question is what impact do they have on your life? Ask yourself honestly whether they have brought you closer to the Lord, or have they taken you away from Him. Can you have a say on hunger and on what it is to suffer need? I think this possibility is low– at least for us who live in the prosperous West. And if someone is already suffering from hunger and want, the possibility is that it is the result of debt he himself made. Loans have been made so attractive today! This passage does not speak about this kind of hunger and suffering need. Here we hear a man talking of his experience of hunger and suffering need during the course of his work for God.

If you can have a say on hunger and suffering need, then I hope that it is in this way. Then you will be able to draw support and courage here. Thus the Lord Jesus also was hungry as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). Paul followed his master not from a distance but closely. It is difficult to say something about things that you yourself have not gone through. Paul speaks in the “I” form for a reason. You can only repeat what he says if it is a reality for you, even if your experience is only a weak form of his experience.

Maybe you are employed and you get a fixed income every month. There is nothing wrong with it. However it is quite difficult in such a case to be dependent on the Lord because you are so used to what is called income security. On the other side there is a spending pattern. You can sometimes get so used to that, too, that you are no longer open to instructions from the Lord to do something special for Him with a certain amount from our income. Or don’t you recognize this?

In order not to forget the consciousness of your dependence on God it is necessary that you put aside a certain portion of your income to the Lord as soon as you receive your money. How much? You may determine that yourself after consultation with the Lord. However it is important that you do it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you are self-employed and have no fixed salary but an income that depends on your activities and your customers then you feel more the need to be dependent on the Lord. Then as a businessman you can even be more dependent on the Lord than some of the full time ministers who receive regular fixed gifts.

Philippians 4:13. Paul was not in this category. His whole faith was fixed on the Lord Who gave him strength. Through Him he was able to do all what he writes here. The power by which he was able was the result of an ongoing, constant fellowship with Christ. He lived in the knowledge that he could do nothing without the Lord Jesus (John 15:5). You can do nothing without Him, but everything with Him. He makes the big difference in everything.

In the Lord is the strength to live for His glory and without the circumstances having a negative impact. It is even so that every circumstance is an opportunity for the Lord to show what He is able to do if you live in fellowship with Him. Then your life is a testimony to His strength. Especially in difficult circumstances you can show that He means everything to you. You can express your faith in Him. But to express your faith in Him means much more while you are really stuck in trouble than when you do it when the sky is blue all around.

For example if you have no money to buy bread, you are much more likely to take your refuge in Him, than if your bank account has sufficient funds and your refrigerator is full. If we speak about spiritual truths it carries no meaning unless there is a true change in our life. The cars in the parking lots of our churches and other buildings where believers come together as well as our houses and their furnishings show where our heart is. Speaking about our dependence on Him and our desire to be with Him can in some cases seem like hypocrisy.

I presume that you are longing to experience the power of the Lord in your daily activities. Then check your life, especially the areas where the Lord does not have His full control. That can be with regard to the books you read, the movies you watch, your browsing habits on the internet, your appearance, your intelligence, your ambitions, your hobbies, your friends, your vacation, your outing, your work and even more. Have you handed all over to Him? Have you said: ‘Lord, do what you want to do with them and tell me what I should do with them’? You will notice that the strength of the Lord will start to fill your life as space is created for it.

Philippians 4:14. After sharing his personal spiritual experiences with them he lets them know that he very much appreciates what they had done for him. They had done a good work (cf. Mark 14:6). It was not so much the gift itself that gave so much joy to Paul but rather the love for him and their attachment to him the gift spoke of.

By that they shared in his distress (Hebrews 10:34) and were not ashamed of it (2 Timothy 1:8; 16). That meant a great encouragement for him. Here you see again the intertwining of his strength in the Lord, through which he could do all things, with the strength encouragement of the fellow believers gives. Also you may know that you do not stand alone. The Lord and His people are around you.

Now read Philippians 4:10-14 again.

Reflection: What can you apply to yourself and what have you learnt more of the Lord from these verses?

1 Thessalonians 5:26

All Things Through Him Who Strengthens

Philippians 4:10. The Lord was really enough for Paul. He had the peace of God in his heart and the God of peace was with him. That did not mean that he was insensitive to the attitude of the Philippian believers. The Lord indeed was with him in all his circumstances, and now Paul rejoices in the Lord about their loving care for him expressed in a special way. They thought of him once again!

His gratitude is not primarily for their gift, but for their motive. It resembles a bit of an exhortation when he says “now at last”. But that’s not so. He knew that they did think of him, but they did not have the opportunity to let him know that. But now by the coming of Epaphroditus their thoughts of the beloved apostle had literally taken hands and feet. Their gift made it clear that they were thinking of him.

Philippians 4:11. Paul hastened to add that he suffered no shortage. He did not want to give them any feeling of guilt as though they let him suffer in need with the delayed supply. He also wanted to avoid giving the impression that he depended on their gift. It is not easy to express deep gratitude and at the same time not to give the impression of being greedy (Acts 20:33). Those who learn to be content in all circumstances are not dependent on anyone. It was a long process for Paul to learn this. Now he could say that he had learned it.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: to be content and at the same time independent of people. There are people who have a lot of money and yet they are dissatisfied. It is because they never have enough as they seek to satisfy all their unquenchable desires. There are also others who have very little and yet are content. To be content literally means having enough (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). If you trust in God, you may count on God’s promise and be sure of your bread and water (Isaiah 33:16). If you are completely dependent on the Lord you are satisfied with what He sends you, whether it is deficit or abundance.

Philippians 4:12. Paul could have a say on any situation. He had been through them all and therefore he knew them all. He knew how to deal with humble means, or to be humbled. Sometimes you are in a situation where people revile you, mock you, and treat you as a malefactor or even as dirt, until at last you are reduced to nothing and there remains nothing to your credit (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24). He also knew of prosperity or get a lot of honor (Acts 14:11; Acts 28:6). He was initiated in all the situations of life as if it were the initiation in a secret. It is also a personal secret between a believer and God, that he will not be overwhelmed by all life’s situations.

He knew what it meant to be full and to be hungry. His experiences, instead of taking him far away from the Lord Jesus, brought him closer to Him. Amid all these he followed the Lord Jesus in His foot prints unlike many Christians today. Many perish either through saturation or through hunger. Both circumstances drive many away from the Lord. Agur spoke the following wise words as a prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny [You] and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

If a person is full he thinks he does not need God. In the countries of abundance in which we live this is the frightening reality. In the lives of countless people God has no place. Materialism is like a wedge between God and the believer. The Christian veneer is peeling off more and more of what still bears the name ‘Christian’. Can you imagine in this light that Agur was afraid that he would deny God? Feel free to make his prayer your prayer.

The possibility is great that you can speak on being full and on having abundance. In general we swim in prosperity and luxury. The question is what impact do they have on your life? Ask yourself honestly whether they have brought you closer to the Lord, or have they taken you away from Him. Can you have a say on hunger and on what it is to suffer need? I think this possibility is low– at least for us who live in the prosperous West. And if someone is already suffering from hunger and want, the possibility is that it is the result of debt he himself made. Loans have been made so attractive today! This passage does not speak about this kind of hunger and suffering need. Here we hear a man talking of his experience of hunger and suffering need during the course of his work for God.

If you can have a say on hunger and suffering need, then I hope that it is in this way. Then you will be able to draw support and courage here. Thus the Lord Jesus also was hungry as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). Paul followed his master not from a distance but closely. It is difficult to say something about things that you yourself have not gone through. Paul speaks in the “I” form for a reason. You can only repeat what he says if it is a reality for you, even if your experience is only a weak form of his experience.

Maybe you are employed and you get a fixed income every month. There is nothing wrong with it. However it is quite difficult in such a case to be dependent on the Lord because you are so used to what is called income security. On the other side there is a spending pattern. You can sometimes get so used to that, too, that you are no longer open to instructions from the Lord to do something special for Him with a certain amount from our income. Or don’t you recognize this?

In order not to forget the consciousness of your dependence on God it is necessary that you put aside a certain portion of your income to the Lord as soon as you receive your money. How much? You may determine that yourself after consultation with the Lord. However it is important that you do it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you are self-employed and have no fixed salary but an income that depends on your activities and your customers then you feel more the need to be dependent on the Lord. Then as a businessman you can even be more dependent on the Lord than some of the full time ministers who receive regular fixed gifts.

Philippians 4:13. Paul was not in this category. His whole faith was fixed on the Lord Who gave him strength. Through Him he was able to do all what he writes here. The power by which he was able was the result of an ongoing, constant fellowship with Christ. He lived in the knowledge that he could do nothing without the Lord Jesus (John 15:5). You can do nothing without Him, but everything with Him. He makes the big difference in everything.

In the Lord is the strength to live for His glory and without the circumstances having a negative impact. It is even so that every circumstance is an opportunity for the Lord to show what He is able to do if you live in fellowship with Him. Then your life is a testimony to His strength. Especially in difficult circumstances you can show that He means everything to you. You can express your faith in Him. But to express your faith in Him means much more while you are really stuck in trouble than when you do it when the sky is blue all around.

For example if you have no money to buy bread, you are much more likely to take your refuge in Him, than if your bank account has sufficient funds and your refrigerator is full. If we speak about spiritual truths it carries no meaning unless there is a true change in our life. The cars in the parking lots of our churches and other buildings where believers come together as well as our houses and their furnishings show where our heart is. Speaking about our dependence on Him and our desire to be with Him can in some cases seem like hypocrisy.

I presume that you are longing to experience the power of the Lord in your daily activities. Then check your life, especially the areas where the Lord does not have His full control. That can be with regard to the books you read, the movies you watch, your browsing habits on the internet, your appearance, your intelligence, your ambitions, your hobbies, your friends, your vacation, your outing, your work and even more. Have you handed all over to Him? Have you said: ‘Lord, do what you want to do with them and tell me what I should do with them’? You will notice that the strength of the Lord will start to fill your life as space is created for it.

Philippians 4:14. After sharing his personal spiritual experiences with them he lets them know that he very much appreciates what they had done for him. They had done a good work (cf. Mark 14:6). It was not so much the gift itself that gave so much joy to Paul but rather the love for him and their attachment to him the gift spoke of.

By that they shared in his distress (Hebrews 10:34) and were not ashamed of it (2 Timothy 1:8; 16). That meant a great encouragement for him. Here you see again the intertwining of his strength in the Lord, through which he could do all things, with the strength encouragement of the fellow believers gives. Also you may know that you do not stand alone. The Lord and His people are around you.

Now read Philippians 4:10-14 again.

Reflection: What can you apply to yourself and what have you learnt more of the Lord from these verses?

1 Thessalonians 5:27

Supply All Needs and Salutations

Philippians 4:15. You have already seen that a special bond existed between Paul and the Philippians. Paul points out that this special relationship was visible in their support for him in the beginning of the gospel. He reflects on this beginning with joy after a gap of ten or more years.

That he had accepted money from them was something special. He wanted to be self-supporting and also wanted to support those who were with him (Acts 18:3; Acts 20:34). He accepted no money from other churches, for instance from the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 11:7-10). Why did he refuse the gifts from them? Often money has relegated the servant of God to a servant of people. It can become a means by which a person who serves God can become a servant of people. People bribe and are bribed.

But Paul could not be bought for money. For instance he accepted no money from the Corinthians because it would have meant that he had stimulated their sense of honor. Those who serve God must constantly examine the motives when accepting money. Money should never tarnish the purity of the work that must be done only according to the mandate of God. Also when it is known that it is given with base motives it should not be accepted. These issues do not have a place in the relationship between Paul and the Philippians. Both the donor and the receiver did it for the Lord.

Philippians 4:16. More than once Paul received a gift from the Philippians. He also recalls the times when he was in Thessalonica. Apparently he did not accept anything from the Thessalonians also. That was a new church and he did not want to give the impression that money played a role in the preaching of the gospel. He wanted to maintain the relationship pure. There he worked for his maintenance (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and was also grateful for the gifts the Philippians sent him.

You cannot forget the manifestation of the grace of God if you keep it fresh in your mind. Otherwise it can happen to you as it happened with the Israelites. It was a wonder that the Israelites got manna day by day during the wilderness journey. But when it happened, everyday for decades, they forgot the wonder of it and began to get an aversion to God’s wonders. Such is man when he does not give the glory to God.

Philippians 4:17. Paul gives the glory to God. Primarily his point is not the benefits he himself had of the gift. He was not looking for the next gift. His emphasis is mainly what the gift would add to them. While being grateful for the gift, his main concern was about the fruit for the giver. The gift is not only for the use of the receiver. It also means the spiritual fruit for the giver to whose account the fruit is credited. He did not seek theirs but they themselves (2 Corinthians 12:14). Their material balance indeed has become smaller, but the balance in their spiritual account has increased. It is one of the principles of the kingdom of God that you will be spiritually enriched by giving your materials (2 Corinthians 9:6; Proverbs 11:25).

Philippians 4:18. To experience this you need faith which is the trust in God that He actually deals this way with what you give. Paul knows that God so works. Therefore he speaks almost in superlatives about what the Philippians had sent him through Epaphroditus. He used words such as “everything”, “full”, “abundance”. You may think: ‘That must have been a lot of money.’ But Paul does not mean that.

For sure, with the money he can manage for a time. But above all he has an abundance of gratitude in his heart. He is full of joy through this gift of love. The gift which indeed is the proof of their love was sent to him but he sees it as a sacrifice to God. And what a sacrifice! It was “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God”. It might sound too sublime a level of praise for such an earthly thing. Here a gift to someone is called a fragrant sacrifice to God. It is the same expression ‘fragrant aroma’ that is used for what the Lord Jesus brought on the cross (Ephesians 5:2). Here you can see the significance of a material sacrifice.

You can also see how very much they both belong to each other. You see the same in Hebrews 13 (Hebrews 13:15-16). There the sacrifice of praise and giving of thanks and the sharing and doing good are called in the same breath. Your giving attitude must be properly upgraded in this light.

Philippians 4:19. The Philippians had given something to Paul. I presume it was money, for it is not said what the gift consisted of. In any case they literally gave what they had and yet they suffered no loss. On the contrary it brought spiritual gain. You must know this by experience in order to understand the truth of it. Yes, this letter is the letter of Christian experience. Well, there is more experience coming.

Paul gives the Philippians something of what he had experienced himself. He has received something from the Philippians. Now he has something for them, something personal, that he wants to send as a gift. What he sends as gift is more than a wish. It is an assurance. He knew from personal experience that God would do it, and therefore he calls Him “my God”. This God Whom he knew personally through all his circumstances would provide for them.

You see, you can say this to another only if you have experienced it yourself. This God had supplied all his needs, and He would also supply all their needs. God knows all the needs of His people. He makes sure that they are supplied. For this He uses His children, and sometimes even non-believers, the ‘ravens’, as in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 17:4). Everyone and everything is available to Him and He uses everything He wants whether they are aware of it or not.

And how will God supply? Not sparsely, but according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Is there a limit? All the wealth of God is found in the glory of Christ Jesus. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things and of all that lives. Paul knows that God gives out of this wealth to those who give to another at His command. What God gives is not according to the needs of His people but according to His riches.

How blessed are you! You cannot invest your property in a better way than to give it away in this manner. What you get back for this is remarkably stable and independent of all earthly economic tides. In Malachi 3 God challenges you to trust in the promise that He will give back much more in spiritual blessing, than you give in money and goods (Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 19:17).

Philippians 4:20. Paul concludes his thanks for the gift and for the blessing that was lying in wait for the Philippians with a communal song of praise of God. He makes the Philippians one in mind with himself and wishes our God and Father the glory forever and ever. Praise is the result from some material given from one to another!

This is quite different from all the charities in this world which always revolves around people. Donation behavior is investigated, statistics compiled, begging letters are sent, and the names of donors are published together with the amounts. Everything revolves around the honor of people. Brochures are distributed in abundance to persuade people to transfer their will and money as gift for a good cause. Organizations pay for mentioning their names in the brochure hoping to get a piece of the cake.

It should not be so in the church. What is given to our God in secret, He will repay (Matthew 6:3-4) because it gives glory to Him now and for eternity. So it is, Amen!

Philippians 4:21. Paul concludes his letter with some greetings. The believers in Philippi were all equally dear to him. He had no preference. He greets every saint and among them were the two women who could not get along (Philippians 4:2). Besides being spiritually minded he was aware of his connection to every saint in Christ Jesus. This fits in with this letter in which he exhorts that everyone should esteem others better than himself (Philippians 2:3).

Philippians 4:22. There is a relationship not only between Paul and the believers in Philippi, but there is a relationship between the brethren who are with Paul and the Philippians, and between all the saints and the Philippians. Many believers had never seen each other. The greetings give expression to the inter connectedness that existed in Christ Jesus.

It is nice to read that even in Caesar’s household there were people who had heard the loving voice of God. The gospel produced fruit in that place also. We do not know what positions these saints in Caesar’s household held. In any case it should definitely be an encouragement to pray for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Philippians 4:23. Paul ends his letter to them with the wish that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their spirit. Grace is the hallmark of God. You owe everything to it and you are constantly dependent on it. It is the fountain of all the goodness in your life. It is the source of all that you are allowed to do for the Lord. Grace is here connected with the full name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is your ‘Lord’; He is ‘Jesus’ Who was on earth in humility; He is ‘Christ’ Who is now in glory. You saw it all in this letter. Paul wishes that your spirit may be constantly filled with all that is written in this letter. Then your life will be focused on one goal: the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Now read Philippians 4:15-23 again.

Reflection: Name a few things of the riches of God in glory in Christ Jesus. Praise Him that He supplies all your needs according to these riches.

1 Thessalonians 5:28

Supply All Needs and Salutations

Philippians 4:15. You have already seen that a special bond existed between Paul and the Philippians. Paul points out that this special relationship was visible in their support for him in the beginning of the gospel. He reflects on this beginning with joy after a gap of ten or more years.

That he had accepted money from them was something special. He wanted to be self-supporting and also wanted to support those who were with him (Acts 18:3; Acts 20:34). He accepted no money from other churches, for instance from the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 11:7-10). Why did he refuse the gifts from them? Often money has relegated the servant of God to a servant of people. It can become a means by which a person who serves God can become a servant of people. People bribe and are bribed.

But Paul could not be bought for money. For instance he accepted no money from the Corinthians because it would have meant that he had stimulated their sense of honor. Those who serve God must constantly examine the motives when accepting money. Money should never tarnish the purity of the work that must be done only according to the mandate of God. Also when it is known that it is given with base motives it should not be accepted. These issues do not have a place in the relationship between Paul and the Philippians. Both the donor and the receiver did it for the Lord.

Philippians 4:16. More than once Paul received a gift from the Philippians. He also recalls the times when he was in Thessalonica. Apparently he did not accept anything from the Thessalonians also. That was a new church and he did not want to give the impression that money played a role in the preaching of the gospel. He wanted to maintain the relationship pure. There he worked for his maintenance (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and was also grateful for the gifts the Philippians sent him.

You cannot forget the manifestation of the grace of God if you keep it fresh in your mind. Otherwise it can happen to you as it happened with the Israelites. It was a wonder that the Israelites got manna day by day during the wilderness journey. But when it happened, everyday for decades, they forgot the wonder of it and began to get an aversion to God’s wonders. Such is man when he does not give the glory to God.

Philippians 4:17. Paul gives the glory to God. Primarily his point is not the benefits he himself had of the gift. He was not looking for the next gift. His emphasis is mainly what the gift would add to them. While being grateful for the gift, his main concern was about the fruit for the giver. The gift is not only for the use of the receiver. It also means the spiritual fruit for the giver to whose account the fruit is credited. He did not seek theirs but they themselves (2 Corinthians 12:14). Their material balance indeed has become smaller, but the balance in their spiritual account has increased. It is one of the principles of the kingdom of God that you will be spiritually enriched by giving your materials (2 Corinthians 9:6; Proverbs 11:25).

Philippians 4:18. To experience this you need faith which is the trust in God that He actually deals this way with what you give. Paul knows that God so works. Therefore he speaks almost in superlatives about what the Philippians had sent him through Epaphroditus. He used words such as “everything”, “full”, “abundance”. You may think: ‘That must have been a lot of money.’ But Paul does not mean that.

For sure, with the money he can manage for a time. But above all he has an abundance of gratitude in his heart. He is full of joy through this gift of love. The gift which indeed is the proof of their love was sent to him but he sees it as a sacrifice to God. And what a sacrifice! It was “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God”. It might sound too sublime a level of praise for such an earthly thing. Here a gift to someone is called a fragrant sacrifice to God. It is the same expression ‘fragrant aroma’ that is used for what the Lord Jesus brought on the cross (Ephesians 5:2). Here you can see the significance of a material sacrifice.

You can also see how very much they both belong to each other. You see the same in Hebrews 13 (Hebrews 13:15-16). There the sacrifice of praise and giving of thanks and the sharing and doing good are called in the same breath. Your giving attitude must be properly upgraded in this light.

Philippians 4:19. The Philippians had given something to Paul. I presume it was money, for it is not said what the gift consisted of. In any case they literally gave what they had and yet they suffered no loss. On the contrary it brought spiritual gain. You must know this by experience in order to understand the truth of it. Yes, this letter is the letter of Christian experience. Well, there is more experience coming.

Paul gives the Philippians something of what he had experienced himself. He has received something from the Philippians. Now he has something for them, something personal, that he wants to send as a gift. What he sends as gift is more than a wish. It is an assurance. He knew from personal experience that God would do it, and therefore he calls Him “my God”. This God Whom he knew personally through all his circumstances would provide for them.

You see, you can say this to another only if you have experienced it yourself. This God had supplied all his needs, and He would also supply all their needs. God knows all the needs of His people. He makes sure that they are supplied. For this He uses His children, and sometimes even non-believers, the ‘ravens’, as in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 17:4). Everyone and everything is available to Him and He uses everything He wants whether they are aware of it or not.

And how will God supply? Not sparsely, but according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Is there a limit? All the wealth of God is found in the glory of Christ Jesus. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things and of all that lives. Paul knows that God gives out of this wealth to those who give to another at His command. What God gives is not according to the needs of His people but according to His riches.

How blessed are you! You cannot invest your property in a better way than to give it away in this manner. What you get back for this is remarkably stable and independent of all earthly economic tides. In Malachi 3 God challenges you to trust in the promise that He will give back much more in spiritual blessing, than you give in money and goods (Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 19:17).

Philippians 4:20. Paul concludes his thanks for the gift and for the blessing that was lying in wait for the Philippians with a communal song of praise of God. He makes the Philippians one in mind with himself and wishes our God and Father the glory forever and ever. Praise is the result from some material given from one to another!

This is quite different from all the charities in this world which always revolves around people. Donation behavior is investigated, statistics compiled, begging letters are sent, and the names of donors are published together with the amounts. Everything revolves around the honor of people. Brochures are distributed in abundance to persuade people to transfer their will and money as gift for a good cause. Organizations pay for mentioning their names in the brochure hoping to get a piece of the cake.

It should not be so in the church. What is given to our God in secret, He will repay (Matthew 6:3-4) because it gives glory to Him now and for eternity. So it is, Amen!

Philippians 4:21. Paul concludes his letter with some greetings. The believers in Philippi were all equally dear to him. He had no preference. He greets every saint and among them were the two women who could not get along (Philippians 4:2). Besides being spiritually minded he was aware of his connection to every saint in Christ Jesus. This fits in with this letter in which he exhorts that everyone should esteem others better than himself (Philippians 2:3).

Philippians 4:22. There is a relationship not only between Paul and the believers in Philippi, but there is a relationship between the brethren who are with Paul and the Philippians, and between all the saints and the Philippians. Many believers had never seen each other. The greetings give expression to the inter connectedness that existed in Christ Jesus.

It is nice to read that even in Caesar’s household there were people who had heard the loving voice of God. The gospel produced fruit in that place also. We do not know what positions these saints in Caesar’s household held. In any case it should definitely be an encouragement to pray for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Philippians 4:23. Paul ends his letter to them with the wish that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their spirit. Grace is the hallmark of God. You owe everything to it and you are constantly dependent on it. It is the fountain of all the goodness in your life. It is the source of all that you are allowed to do for the Lord. Grace is here connected with the full name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is your ‘Lord’; He is ‘Jesus’ Who was on earth in humility; He is ‘Christ’ Who is now in glory. You saw it all in this letter. Paul wishes that your spirit may be constantly filled with all that is written in this letter. Then your life will be focused on one goal: the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Now read Philippians 4:15-23 again.

Reflection: Name a few things of the riches of God in glory in Christ Jesus. Praise Him that He supplies all your needs according to these riches.