Reflections on Philippians 4

Philippians 04 (Contemporary English Version)


1. Dear friends, I love you and long to see you. Please keep on being faithful to the Lord. You are my pride and joy.
2. Euodia and Syntyche, you belong to the Lord, so I beg you to stop arguing with each other.
3. And, my true partner, I ask you to help them. These women have worked together with me and with Clement and with the others in spreading the good news. Their names are now written in the book of life.
4. Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad.
5. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.
6. Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.
7. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
8. Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.
9. You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.
10. The Lord has made me very grateful that at last you have thought about me once again. Actually, you were thinking about me all along, but you didn't have any chance to show it.
11. I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have.
12. I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little.
13. Christ gives me the strength to face anything.
14. It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time.
15. My friends at Philippi, you remember what it was like when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia. After I left there, you were the only church that became my partner by giving blessings and by receiving them in return.
16. Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once.
17. I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving.
18. I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God.
19. I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!
20. May God our Father be praised forever and ever. Amen.
21. Give my greetings to all who are God's people because of Christ Jesus. The Lord's followers here with me send you their greetings.
22. All of God's people send their greetings, especially those in the service of the Emperor.
23. I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless your life!
    
    

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    Paul's tone throughout this letter shows a special affection for the Philippian Christians and we get a hint in this last chapter of a significant reason. Throughout Paul's hardships in the "early days of the gospel . . . no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone." (4:15) They were also one of the more spiritually mature churches among those resulting from Paul's ministry. But they were not perfect. Chapter two points to some selfishness among the members, and now in chapter four Paul addresses a contention between two women in the church. These women, Euodia and Syntyche, had "contended for the gospel" at Paul's side, but now they were contending with each other. In Paul's concern for them he asked an unidentified person whom he addressed as "true partner" or "loyal yokefellow" to help these women.
    
    Beyond his concern for the contending women in the church, Paul gave words of encouragement. First he says, "stand firm in the Lord" and then "rejoice in the Lord always." (4:1, 4) Keeping centered on the Lord helps to put everything else in its proper perspective. Whether it be interpersonal relationships or threats to the gospel, keeping focused on Christ is the best solution. We see this in his next word of encouragement, "Let your graciousness be known toeveryone." Why? "The Lord is near." (4:5) If the fruit of Christ's Spirit is produced in us, we will display graciousness rather than contentiousness.
    
    Paul's next words of encouragement aim to keep them from worry. "Don't worry about anything," he tells them. The solution is prayer through which they should make their petitions and requests "made known to God." (4:6) Excessive worry is not fitting for a Christian. It shows a lack of faith or trust or at least a failure to grasp the extent of God's love. Our worry displays our fear that whatever problem or threat we face will not be taken care of by God. This is either because we don't trust that He can handle it or we doubt He cares enough to do so. But Paul is saying that when we take our petitions and requests to God in prayer we don't have a reason to worry. Thus we can trust both that He is able and that He wants to address our concerns.
    
    Paul's final word of encouragement is to let their thoughts dwell only on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. Only these thoughts will lead to peace. It is this type of mindset they have "learned and received and heard and seen" in Paul. If they will "dwell on these things," the "God of peace will be with you." (4:9)