J.o.y. of being served and of serving others.
This is the day that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it!! That sentence is taken from Psalm 118:24. That greeting certainly can apply to everyday that we are given, but the foundation of that greeting is pointing to Jesus the Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Here is the portion of that psalm which I am referring to.
The day that is being referred to is the day of Christ, the day everything changed in time as a result of Christ making everything new. Therefore, when we arise to a new day we take those words and their meaning deep into our heart, soul and life, knowing that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We do not walk by sight, but we walk by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and that means that we are a child of God by grace through faith.
As we continue our studies in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippian congregation, we find that he is still living a joyful life in spite of his circumstances, or even in his circumstances.
KJV Philippians 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
KJV Philippians 1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
KJV Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Paul prayed for them with joy, he rejoiced when the Gospel was preached, he realized that through his ministry those who were blessed would rejoice more abundantly in Christ and told them that they would increase his joy by their being in unity.
Then in Philippians 2:9-11 the Word tells us that after His humiliation, God highly exalted Christ and gave Him a name above every other name, that at this Name every knew should bow and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Holy Spirit has lifted the hearts of the hearers to heavenly heights as He moves them from the humiliation of Christ to His exaltation. As the Apostle John wrote in his epistle, "there is no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth," is it not a much greater joy to our Father in heaven when we have come through being humbled by His Word of Truth in repentance and faith, and as a result have been lifted up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus, whereby we praise and thank Him for His love, His mercy and His forgiveness. Remember the joy that was amongst the neighbors, in heaven and in the house of the prodigal son upon the sheep being found, the coin being found and the human being being found. Luke 15.
It is now that the Apostle begins to apply that which he has written to this point. Let us read verses 12-18 and then we will go through the main points in the verses.
There is a lot in these two verses, but let it suffice for me to give an illustration to shine some light on the fear and trembling first. Is it not like a child who doesn't know how to swim, so in the water the child is deathly afraid of going under for the water has the last word. That child is deathly afraid of drowning once she has gained an understanding of the power of water.
But isn't it much different after that same child learns to swim that it now enjoys the water, but yet realizes that the water has the last word. The child respects the water, yes fears the water, but yet enjoys the water. We must never forget that God is God, we are the thankful recipient of his favor towards us, and therefore we praise Him never forgetting that He is God and we are not.
God has graced us with a new heart and a new mind which is now programmed to do those things that are pleasing in His sight, but as said earlier, there remains the susceptibility to follow the old portion or the inclinations of the flesh. He now gives some practical teachings.
He speaks of doing all things without murmuring or disputings, for being caught up in these will cause breaks in the unity and the harmony. The mindset of the world has always been dark, and as light in his world, as sons of God we shine brighter that darker it gets. Let us remember that Jesus said that "You are the light of the world," and He did not say, be or try to be the light of the world. That is an important distinction to remember.
Paul again demonstrates that his joy in life does not come from earthly and happy circumstances or situations, but it comes from knowing that they are holding fast to the Word of life, Christ and His Gospel. What else can bring life to one who is dead, but the Wonderful Words of Life that are in Christ Jesus. "Believe your sins forgiven through the Name and Shed Blood of Jesus Christ." That last thing Paul wanted was that the Word of Life that he had preached would have fallen upon deaf ears or unreceptive hearts. He did not care about himself as he elaborates on in the next verses. He was a bulldog for the gospel, for he cared more about the eternal salvation of the souls of man than anything else, even his own……What did I just write? Please read the following verses….
ESV Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Let us note how Paul again demonstrates that he does not care about himself, having the mind of Christ for others. J.o.y. He would gladly go to his physical death if it would be of spiritual benefit to his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, and in that he would rejoice with them as he went that way. But note that he assumed that same attitude of heart and mind into them, when he spoke of their having the same joy that he possesses. This cannot be overemphasized, as it is the mortar that holds a relationship together: The mortar of love, love which is described in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.
May the Lord grow us in the knowledge and experience of what His love has done, is doing and is able to do through us for the benefit of others.
In closing, let us return to the three thesis statements that we made at the beginning of this series through Philippians. J.o.y.
Joy is a reality that is ours through the knowledge that God has reconciled us to Himself through the cross, by His gracious gift we trust in that reality, and even if circumstances change in our lives, our relationship with Him now and forever cannot be shaken.
Christian joy is shared, it is confident and it is increasing.
May the Lord bless our meditations in the Truth, in Jesus Christ through the power of His Word as revealed by His Spirit.