Click Here to Read Philippians 1:1-11

In the introduction of this letter to the Philippians, Paul identifies himself and Timothy as “servants of Jesus, the Anointed One”.  This word in Greek basically means one who is owned by another as a possession.  The New King James Version uses the word “bondservant”, which also means “slave”.  Paul isn’t just a follower of Jesus or a preacher of the gospel.  He is a slave to his master, King Jesus.  I had to think about that.  It’s easy to say, “I have given my life to Christ, I belong to him.”  But I’ll be honest, to me that has more of an endearing understanding than “I am his slave”.  Sometimes we take the phrase, “I live to serve him” as “I live to love and worship him” rather than “I live to do be his servant”. 

When he writes this letter, Paul states that he is “in chains for standing up for the truth of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:7).  I did some research, and it seems to be the most traditional school of thought that this particular imprisonment was similar to a house arrest situation.  Paul was in Rome, in chains and under Roman guard but free to still write and preach; unsure of the duration of his chains or if his ultimate fate would end in death.  And here he is trying to encourage the church in Philippi, praising God with joy for their continued support of his ministry and in the sharing of the gospel.  He never complained about his circumstances or pointed out how unfair it was that he was being treated so harshly for his obedience to Christ.  He was rejoicing that the church had received the gospel he presented to them and were living it out.  Because of this they had a special place in his heart, and he was filled with love and joy over them.

So, I had to ask myself, am I a servant of Christ?  Am I willing for any circumstance or trial I go through to be an opportunity to share and defend the gospel?  Do I reach out and encourage others even when I’m confronting a battle of my own?  Or do I face something even a little uncomfortable and whine and complain because I chose to accept and follow Jesus and that means bad things shouldn’t happen to me?  Do I have to answer that?  Well, I will tell you this: I am learning that living to serve Jesus means laying down my own agenda and expectations of how things should be.  It means that even in challenging and dark circumstances there is an opportunity for me to let the light that is in me shine.  I’m learning that it isn’t about me, it’s about Him.  While I can’t quite say that I embrace suffering the way that Paul did, I can say I am a lot more pliable today than I was a year ago.  I think it’s a process we work toward to be able to sincerely say in all things, “Not my will but thine be done.”

Even in recognizing my own shortcomings I was encouraged by this letter.  Paul told the Philippians in verse 6, “I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this gracious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!”  There is much hope for all of us!  First, he says that maturing is a process.  We are continually being formed and pruned throughout our life circumstances.  God being for us doesn’t mean we won’t ever go through trials.  But it does mean that He knows exactly how to use trials to sharpen us, to mold us, and to strip us of things that keep us distant from Him (ie: pride, fear, doubt).  And we can come out of these trials stronger, more confident, and full of faith.  Second, Paul says that the One who began the work will continue it.  The NIV translation says “…will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  I noted two things here: He will complete this process of maturity in me, and this will be an ongoing process for the rest of my life. 

Will we all face the same trials that Paul faced?  Not necessarily, but small trials give us faith to endure bigger trials, and big trials look different in all of our lives according to the purposes for which He has called us.  In all things, we are being strengthened and learning to lean on who He is and what He wants to do in those circumstances with us and through us.  And as we see what He does, it brings us to a place of thankfulness and rejoicing because more and more we are understanding that it is all about Jesus.  We are his slaves.  And understanding that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness, well, what would you prefer?  There is no place in between, they each lead to one eternity or another.  We will see later in this letter that the heavenly prize awarded us for being slaves to righteousness is what motivated Paul to rejoice and be thankful in all things he faced.    

Paul gives us another key to this maturation process and that is love.  “I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things.” (Phil. 1:9).  With the increase of love expressed within and through us we also grow in revelation of spiritual insight in all things.  Some translations say, “in knowledge and all discernment”.  Why would this be important?  Because it helps us to choose the most excellent way.  Verses 10-11 NKJV: “that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  As love grows in us it overflows into our discernment so that we look for what is pleasing in God’s eyes.  This helps us to live a life that is pure, sincere, and blameless before him because we are moved by our love for Him.  Paul discovered that if we allow God’s love to overwhelm us, any situation will end up bringing us closer to and more secure in Him, and therefore much more able and willing to be servants of Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray.

Father, we are so humbled by the example of Paul and his devotion as a servant of Jesus.  How easily we forget in the chaos of our day-to-day life that any darkness we may walk through is an opportunity for the light of Jesus to shine even brighter in us.  Forgive us for not seeing it that way.  Thank you for your continuous work in us and your faithfulness to bring us into complete perfection until the day of the unveiling of Jesus Christ.  We pray, Father, that our love would grow and increase beyond measure, bringing us into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things, that we may know what is good and pleasing to you; that we may be filled with the righteousness of Jesus for the glory of Your Name.  Amen.