March 30, 2020
My local church published an article to help its congregants be reminded of who our God is and how strong and mighty He is. As the world shifts around us and the chaos ensues, we need something we can always hold on to. We need something that will not be shaken. Something that will not be blown by the shifting times. We need something stable, something sure, something certain, something that will never ever change. So, we turn to our unshakeable God.
During this time, we are reminded of how we need to hold on to God, who is our refuge, fortress, and stronghold. He is the only thing that will not be shaken during this time.
So, my church put together a reading plan and devotional plan for this time (since websites change over time, you can find a downloadable copy below). In an effort to stay with that, I will use this resource as a way to track our devotionals over the next 30 days. Since today is day one, we will look at Philippians 1:3-6. The text reads:
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (NASB)
Key takeaways:
- Be thankful – Every time God reminds you of fellow believers or the church or pastors, be thankful for them. Tell them and tell God.
- Pray often – not discussed too much here but try to have active and constant communication with God. Set alarms, set reminders to pray, and pray often. It does not have to be formal or long. Just a simple prayer. God wants to hear from you and is listening
- Be generous – as the Philippians were generous and supportive of Paul, try as best as you can to be supportive and generous of others in your community that needs help. Generosity and helping others is just one way we can live out the gospel message. This does not necessarily have to be money. It can be shopping for an elderly couple in need; providing tech support to small churches that are not familiar with streaming their services; or helping in any number of other ways.
- God’s plan – God does not change, and His plan will continue. God foresaw and knew of our current situation. God began a work in you and will continue working in you. Let Him work. Ask Him what or how He wants you to know or learn or grow through this. Our plans may change. The way we do business may have been changed. Everything around us may be changing. But God never changes[7] and nothing can deter Him from accomplishing His plan. God loves you and is working in you. He will not leave you or forget you. He is continually building you up and working in you to be the person He wants you to be. Let the hardships transform your life into something better. Do not let bitterness or anger take over that the hardship is wasted.
Deeper Discussion on these verses:
Verse 3: In the first few verses, Paul reveals his great love for the Philippians and how he thinks of them often. In verse 3, the tense of the Greek verb indicates that Paul was continually thankful to God for the Philippian Christians. This is such a great reminder for each of us to be thankful and grateful for the community we have. That community can include family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and church family. We can easily get focused on the bad and seeing all of the things that are going wrong, that we forget to be thankful and grateful for all that we have and the protection God has given us. The phrase in verse 3, “in all my remembrance of you,” which others translate as “upon every remembrance of you” (NKJV) or “every time I remember you” (NIV), shows that every time God brought the Philippians to Paul’s mind, he gave thanks. From some 800 miles away, being a prisoner in Rome, Paul shows that his love and interest in them had not diminished but that he continually thanks God for them every time he thinks of them.
The prominent theme of Philippians is joy and is seen in verse 4. Joy filled Paul’s prayers for the Philippians even when he interceded for their needs. This is the first of five uses of the Greek word for joy in the letter (v. 25; 2:2, 29; 4:1). Paul uses the Greek word for rejoice nine times in this letter (v. 18; 2:17 (twice), 18 (twice), 28; 3:1; 4:4 (twice)).[1]
Verse 4: It is important to see also in verse 4 that Paul did not exclude any of the Philippians in his prayer (“for you all”). Paul joyfully sought God on their behalf. Hardships can make us either better or bitter. Paul’s imprisonment shows how it made him better.
Verse 5: In verse 5, Paul uses an interesting word that challenges us to a deeper relationship with Christ. The word “participation” (also translated “partnership” and “fellowship”)[2] can be used as a commercial term for a joint-partnership in a business venture in which all parties actively participate to ensure the success of the business. In the Christian community, the word also has a meaning that expresses intimacy with Christ (1 Cor 1:9) and other believers (2 Cor 8:4; 1 John 1:7). During that time, it was also a favorite expression to describe the marital relationship as the most intimate between human beings.[3] In this case, it could truly be Paul using the word fellowship to refer to the financial contributions the Philippians had given Paul “from the first day until now” (cf. 4:14-15).[4] Meaning, this is their active “participation” with Paul in the gospel by means of the financial support they sent to Paul. The Philippians gave of themselves to Paul and in turn to the cause of Christ for which Paul labored.
Short aside: This word, koinonia, in Philippians (fellowship [1:5; 2:1; 3:10], partakers [1:7], and shared [4:15]) highlight the Philippians’ active involvement in Paul’s own ministry. By supporting Paul, the Philippians had become partners with him to further the Gospel. Paul illustrates the concept of “participating” or “fellowship” with Jesus (2:5-11), Timothy (2:19-23), Epaphroditus (2:25-30), and Euodia and Syntyche (4:2, 3).
Verse 6: In verse 6, Paul shows how he had become convinced some time in the past that God would complete His good work among the Philippians, and his confidence remained unshaken. The perfect tense of the Greek word translated confident or “being confident” (pepoithos) indicates that Paul had come to a settled conviction earlier and that he was still confident it was true. He was confident that God would certainly continue on to complete the good work (salvation) He had begun in them.
The “you” is a plural pronoun, meaning that the good work that God was doing was taking place “among” the believers rather than “in” any isolated believer.[5]
The “until” (achri) can also be translated as “as far as.” It expresses progress toward a goal and indicates that a time is coming when God will completely finish His work among the Philippian Christians.
The good work mentioned earlier could also include the Philippians fellowship and sharing of their resources with Paul and would continue in the present and will continue until Christ returns (“day of Jesus Christ”; cf. Phil 2:16). Though Paul did not know when that day would occur,[6] he did know that God would continue the work He had begun in His own children.
Footnotes:
[1] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1545. Also, some see different counts: “Joy” (chara) is used four times (Phil. 1:4, 25; 2:2; 4:1); “rejoice” (chairō) occurs eight times (1:18 [twice]; 2:17–18; 3:1, 4:4 [twice], 10); and “glad” occurs thrice (2:17–18, 28). (In 1:26 the word “joy” is a different Greek word; there it is the word “glad,” “boast,” or “glory,” [kauchēma], which also occurs in 2:16 and 3:3.) from Robert P. Lightener, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 647.
[2] Κοινωνία (koinonia)– with one of four meanings being: “close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship” from BDAG. Can also mean: attitude of good will that manifests an interest in a close relationship, generosity, fellow-feeling, altruism. Or sign of fellowship, proof of brotherly unity, even gift, contribution
[3] BDAG. Also see: Isocr. 3, 40; BGU 1051, 9 [I a.d.]; 1052, 7; POxy 1473, 33; 3 Macc 4:6; Jos., Ant. 1, 304; Did., Gen 235, 18. But s. also Diod S 10, 8, 2 ἡ τοῦ βίου κ.=the common type or bond of life that unites the Pythagoreans.
[4] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1545. See also note 7 from NET Bible, page 2292.
[5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1545
[6] Discussion about eschatology is refrained from this post. This post and study is about what we can learn through these current hardships and how we can focus our total lives on Christ.
[7] Mal 3:6 – “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Also Numbers 23:19 – “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (ESV)