Read Philippians 4:4-9

Fairness, gentleness, moderation, and especially praise. Paul piles on the admonitions thick and fast. “Rejoice!” he cries twice. With such a great Savior what else can we do? Be gentle, the presence of the Lord is near. Then comes his list of actions for problem solving. Instead of being anxious, Paul says do three things: First, pray. Second, think through what you want, and ask the Lord for it. Don’t be vague. Let your supplication and petition reflect definite needs and orderly requests. Third, thanksgiving. God helped you the last time. Thank him in advance for what he is going to do now, trusting him to carry you through. The result is the appearance of our old friend, the peace of God. Paul uses a military term. Imagine it, the peace of God pulling guard duty marching around your heart, out there in any kind of weather, just to help you.

The last thing Paul asks of us is extremely difficult. Master your thoughts. Keep your mind on the high road. Choose to refuse to worry and the peace of God will follow. Paul uses himself as an example. Noble thoughts are not enough. You have seen my lifestyle, he says. You have seen how I handled problems and dealt with adversity and injustice. Do what I did, and you will discover the same secret of success I found. The “God of peace will be with you.”

Read Philippians 4:1-3

Paul loved his friends. “My joy and my crown,” he calls his Philippian friends. He finishes the first three chapters of his letter with a bang. All that I’ve just said teaches you how to live the Christian life, he says.

Then he turns to a disagreement between two women in the church. Their names, Euodia and Synthche, mean “Prosperous Journey” and “Good Fortune,” respectively. Word of their differences had come to Paul’s attention. Why did he take time for something like that? It was probably just some petty quarrel. Wasn’t Paul concerned with great theological principles?

François Fénelon, seventeen century French bishop and author, likened care in the details of the Christian life to management of money. No one takes our piety seriously, he said, “when our behaviour seems irregular and weak in detail.” Using a financial metaphor, he says we ruin ourselves spiritually more in incidental expenses than in great extravagances.

What Paul recommends has a modern ring to it. He asks a trusted friend—“loyal yokefellow”—to act as mediator to help these women resolve their differences, not take sides. Why? They should remember their common relation to Christ. They are Christian sisters, parts of Christ’s body, the church. Paul reminds them that they worked with him to build up the faith. Paul wants them to do so again.

Does this sound like anything you ever heard of in a 21st century church?

Read Philippians 3:17-21

Paul is weeping. Why? For the pagans around him? No, for persons who, under the guise of freedom in Christ, live in self-indulgence.

Paul has been warning about legalism, making the Christian life into nothing but self-satisfied external creeds and ritual. Now he warns of the other extreme, confusing liberty with license. You can’t do that, Paul pleads. There is a freedom and vitality in life in Christ. But that does not mean that the Christian is free to live in sin, disregarding God’s law. You cannot live that way and escape the judgment of God. It broke Paul’s heart to see people professing Christ with their lips and denying him with their lives.

Although he knows he isn’t perfect, Paul is comfortable with saying, “Follow my example.” What you are shows in your daily lifestyle. The Christian life is not externals. It is a personal knowledge of Christ. It is submission to his will, obedience from a sincere heart. Your citizenship is in heaven, Paul says. Even though you have never seen it, your names are enrolled there as citizens even while your feet are firmly planted on earth. The Philippians would have appreciated that idea. Philippi was a Roman colony. They had never seen Rome, but they enjoyed the rights and privileges of its citizens. They lived under the protection of its laws. Heaven’s laws govern us; we owe the Lord our first allegiance, Paul says.

Read Philippians 3:12-16

Paul’s writing is filled with athletic figures of speech. He describes himself here as a runner.

How far would the track star get if he had his lunch in one hand, a bucket of sand in the other, and a pack of clothes on his back? “That’s silly,” we say. Yet are we ever in danger of letting our religion become a self-satisfied performance of external rites, a spiritual “bucket of sand,” while subscribing to some creed? Paul says that won’t do. What are some characteristics of the serious athlete?

First, singleness of purpose. Paul says forgetting everything in the past, he does one thing: strains toward following Christ. Olympic athletes in training do nothing else. The training devours their entire lives. Paul says following Christ consumes him.

Second, any serious runner strips for the race. Paul says the earnest Christian frees himself from encumbering weights like old grudges, indulging bad tempers, harmful habits, or the selfishness that would prevent our learning more about Christ.

Third, the runner demonstrates ceaseless activity. In the language of the foot race, Paul pushes forward, pressing toward his goal, God’s high calling, the offer of salvation.

At Roman races it was customary to set the prize in a conspicuous place near the finish line. The sight of it urged competitors on. Do we see Jesus only, calling us to perfection in Christ and eternal life in heaven? Are we up for the race?

Read Philippians 3:1-11

Sometimes young people rebel against their family’s moral standards and social position. But they are pretty vague about replacing the old with new life goals and purposes.

Paul did not rebel against his impeccable Jewish roots so much as he moved beyond them. Jews were—and still are—justifiably proud of their heritage. Paul spells his out for us here, tracing his ancestry over thousands of years back to Benjamin, beloved youngest son of Jacob and his much-loved wife Rachel. There’s nothing wrong with that. But, Paul says, look forward. If you turn back to examine every step, you will make little progress forward.

Paul has grown. He sees his religious orthodoxy, social position, family connections, are all rubbish, garbage, compared with knowing Christ. Christ’s resurrection power, sharing his sufferings, dying to self and turning his life over to Christ in commitment that comes not from following regulations but through faith in Christ. That’s real life, says Paul.

In one of his most sublime passages, Paul says nothing—nothing—compares in life to gaining Christ. If you are proud of your religious activities, if church ceremonies are all you have, you’ve missed it. Glory in your knowledge of Christ and do your best to increase that friendship. And in the end, says Paul, you can have a realistic hope of gaining heaven and dwelling with Christ eternally. Then, as Paul keeps saying, you can truly “Rejoice in the Lord.”