Day 21 – Philippians 4:8-13

Wed 3^rd June  –  Read Philippians 4:8-13

V8:  As he draws to a close, he exhorts them to hold on to the good things that are ours in Christ, and let these things fill our minds and hearts – above all, surely God’s Word and its application to us. So much else can fill our minds, especially in times of difficulty, but Paul calls us to let the good things, the pure things, fill us.

V9: He asks them to heed his teaching and follow His example. This is not arrogance, but in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 11:1. The examples to follow are those godly men and women who are most like Christ, and teach us to live out His Word ( “practice these things”) and so know the presence of ” the God of peace” with us.

V10: Paul’s joy is not for their gifts to him for their own sake, but for the evidence these give of their love and concern for him – which he knows was always there, but until now they had no way of expressing it. Do we show our love for those who minister to us, or for fellow believers in need, in real and practical ways?

V11: He does not say this out of a sense of need, rather he has learned in Christ the secret of contentment in any and every condition, for it rests not on what we have, but on the God we know. One of the old Puritans wrote a book with the challenging title ” The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” – do we know such ?

V12:  Paul is able to trust and rejoice in the Lord whether in a time of abundance or ( humanly ) one of need. He has known both, and with Christ in his heart can rest content in either. Can we say that?

V13: For the source of his contentment, his ability to accept all things without complaint, is His Saviour. His strength, his joy, his peace ( all bound together in these verses ) is in Christ alone.