And finally, ...Paul's benediction to the Philippians is found in chapter 4, verse 21-23.
Salutations: Paul, the brothers and all the rest of the 'saints' send their greetings to the Philippians. Tucked in there is a clue about the Christian movement in Rome..."especially those who belong to Caesar's household." Looks to me like Paul had been busy with more than just writing letters! Paul had been told by the Spirit that he would go to Rome. Paul was on mission, while in chains under guard, in Rome. He didn't let his circumstances or resources deter him from that mission. How often do we (I) wilt under the 'have nots' or 'can nots' when opportunities to minister come our way? Shouldn't we, as Christ followers, look for ways (even the smallest) to work for Jesus each day? This isn't about our salvation or even rewards in heaven. This is about doing something eternal with this finite life we've been given. How wonderful to come to the end (every day we get closer!) and know that how we spent our time made a difference in God's eyes.
Blessings: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

Philippians 4:19 - this one is worth memorizing! "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Shall we pull this one apart a little? It's personal: notice the word, 'my'. It's positive: God will (not may, or could - will). It's specific: all your needs. It's plentiful: "His glorious riches". And it's powerful: in Christ Jesus. That word 'according' is interesting to me. As rich and wonderful as Jesus is, that is the resource for our needs to be met. Wow!

Are you lacking abundance right now? What kind of abundance do you need? Abundant joy? Check out Psalm 36:8. Abundant life? John 10:10. Abundant grace? 2 Corinthians 9:8. Abundant power? Ephesians 3:20. Abundant acceptance? 2 Peter 1:11. Look up some of these verses. I'll bet you'll sleep better tonight. See if you can say Philippians 4:19 from memory when you close your eyes....

You gotta give a little to get a little.... If you've been studying Scripture for any length of time, you've probably picked up on this fact: Investing in others brings a high return to yourself. This is what Paul is talking about in verses 10, 14-18. Yes, he appreciated the gifts they sent via Epaphroditus, but more than that he was happy to know that they got this concept down. They thought about him, sympathized with him and then put those good intentions into action and sent something. Their motivation wasn't to receive a reward, it was to help. Yet, that's what Paul is indicating here: "I am looking forward to what may be credited to your account." ..."They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God."

I'm wondering about those "opportunities to show it" (verse 10) that come along. We who are so busy with, well, busy-ness find it easy to put these opportunities aside and depend on 'others' to do it. The meal for those new parents, the check to that missionary in Russia, the shoebox for some child who needs to hear about Jesus...it's easy to let another handle it while we cope with the business of life. But it seems to me that this must be put to the top of our list, this should be the business of our lives as Christ followers.

• Who are you helping today? Who or what should be on your prayer list that isn't?

"I have learned the secret..." Philippians 4:11-13 I can keep a secret, but this one should definitely be shared with everyone. We are in the middle of financial woes in our country, and many folks are learning to tighten belts, do without, suffer through it. Paul was no stranger to living with plenty or poverty, and even worse, but he claims he could be content no matter what his circumstances were. I wonder how many of us could make that claim. Surely, we have much - anyone of us - to be thankful for. The fact that we're citizens of this country alone is cause for thanksgiving. But Paul's point here is that we don't have to produce contentment alone - there's a secret, a help, a rescue waiting for us: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength!" Ph 4:11 Certainly an attitude of gratitude for what we do have is key. But sometimes we find ourselves in the depths of despair and finding gratitude doesn't seem to lift us. There is One who will, who gives us the strength to endure and even soar victoriously through our trouble. Paul knew to lean even more heavily when things got tough - he wasn't disappointed. He rejoiced!

• How are you coping with circumcstances today? Are you content or not?
• What can you find to be thankful about right now?
• In what area do you need Christ's strength?

Week 5 - Philippians 4:8-23

"Finally, sisters...." Paul brings us around to the bottom line in verses 8 & 9: Practically speaking, we control our joy! Here is what I see him saying: choose what you put your mind on, "think about such things", put it into practice. Then, "the God of peace will be with you." Joy!

I have grown into the habit of watching TV at night. As a cable subscriber, you pay plenty of money each month, so you'd think there would be something worth watching. Sadly this is not the case. In fact, most programming is not "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy!" This concerns me, as I see the flavor of entertainment really going, well, dark! And not dark chocolate, but gross and spooky dark. This to me is not lovely or excellent, but a waste - even a danger - for my mind. So, as Fat Tuesday approached, I decided to give up TV for Lent. I will choose 'excellent' activities to fill that time now. I will 'think about' what we've been learning in Philippians - pursuing a true knowledge of our Lord Jesus, and 'practicing' joy.

• How about you? There's plenty to worry about in a day, are you practicing joy? These two verses make an excellent prescription for worry. Choose, think, practice and the God of peace (ah, blessedness!) will be with you!

Now, Girls!
If you've been involved with church for any length of time, you've seen people disagree. Well, come on, people are involved with church! No different for the Philippians. Paul scolds two girls, Euodia and Syntyche, for some sort of disunity. Kind of interesting that their names mean sweet fragrance and easy to get along with! Whoops! These are good girls, it seems, hard workers for the cause of Christ. But somewhere along the line a disagreement occurred and the word got back to Paul. The remedy? Choose to agree in the Lord. The church was instructed to help them get there. We are responsible, as the Church, to help the cause of unity within the body of Christ. After all, it was Jesus who taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons (daughters) of God." (Matthew 5:9) This is about reminding our fellow workers of the big picture, the grand purpose, the most excellent way. Like Paul said, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." (3:8) We can give up the right to be right more easily, when we realize that it's all about Jesus.

• If you've been in a disagreement in church, how was it resolved - or was it? What did you learn from it?

I love this next little section - verses 4-7. More joy, less worry. There's a verse here everyone should know: verse 6. Got trouble? Don't worry! Take it to God, and don't forget to say 'thank You'! (This is my very rough paraphrase.) The outcome? Verse 7 - Peace. Peace that transcends understanding. Peace that guards, not only your mind, but also your heart. I'll bet Euodia and Syntyche would have loved a dose of that!

Women are notorious worriers. It's true, you know it. The last thing we would think to do in the middle of a 'situation' is to offer a prayer of thanksgiving. So, it's interesting to me that it's included in the remedy. Pondering it a bit more, if we're tuned in to what we have to be thankful for, we've tuned out - or at least, pushed to the side - the thing we're worrying about. There's the opening for peace to come in. Look at how faithful God's been in the past. Look at the good possiblities that can come out of the 'situation.' Look at Who is in charge of outcomes. One of my most favorite things about God is His sovereignty - His control over everything. I love Him for that! Why should I worry?

• What are you worried about today? Try this remedy on your knees and let us know how it turns out.

Eye on the prize!

Paul writes in verse 20 through the end of the chapter some words that thrill me! My citizenship is in heaven! Hallelujah! I've always felt a little odd here - well, no wonder! I don't really belong here, I'm just on mission. And get this: I get a glorious body someday! Whoohoo! No more calories to count! No more pimples! A good hair day every day! Actually, we can only guess what this means - "glorious body". We do know that our bodies will be like Christ's body.

• How do you think you'll look/feel when you get yours?

Paul reminds the Philippians of his great love for them and his great joy in them and then encourages them to stand firm in the Lord. Here is where we can be grateful to be participants with others in following Christ. We help each other stand firm through intercessory prayer, study blogs (!), teachings on Sunday, women's gatherings (men's gatherings too) - all these 'church' activities help. How blessed we are to have this freedom in our country! What about those underground Christians in Muslim lands or communist China or wherever? More difficult there, I'd say. It is good for all of us to know that our Holy Spirit is there helping us stand firm. God holds us jealously, unwilling to let us fail. All He needs from us is that cry that says 'I feel weak here, I need You.' God is into the rescuing business. It occurs to me that we may be in greater 'danger' than those Christians in far away lands. It may be easier to slip when you stand on the gradual slope that our culture seems to offer. Our greatest danger may be that we don't know we're in danger. The safeguard is to go back to what God says, and choose to stand firm there.

• As you travel through the Scriptures, have you found a verse that has helped you 'stand firm?'

I'll share one of mine: Romans 12:1-2. In fact, I love all of chapter 12 of Romans - I think it describes an attitude toward God and each other that shows specifically how to live according to the pattern Christ has set down for us. Hope you get a chance to read it and be blessed, too.