Chapter Twelve: Putting Philippians to Work
Paul is quick to let his friends know that he is not complaining! His happiness does not depend on circumstances or things; his joy comes from something deeper, something apart from either poverty or prosperity. Most of us have learned how to “be abased,” because when difficulties come we immediately run to the Lord! But few have learned how “to abound.” Prosperity has done more damage to believers than has adversity. “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” ().
The word “instructed” in is not the same as “learned” in . “Instructed” means “initiated into the secret.” This word was used by the pagan religions with reference to their “inner secrets.” Through trial and testing, Paul was “initiated” into the wonderful secret of contentment in spite of poverty or prosperity. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (). It was the power of Christ within him that gave him spiritual contentment.
Fog had moved into O’Hare Field, the airport that serves Chicago, and my departure had been delayed. I was sitting in the terminal reading a book and quietly asking God to work out His plans for the trip. Near me was a gentleman waiting for the same plane, but he was pacing up and down like a caged lion, and the language he was using to describe the fog was making the atmosphere more dense! I thought to myself, “Here is a man without any inner resources.” Later, he asked me how I could be so calm when the planes were all late, and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.
While flying back to Chicago from upper New York via New York City, we had to stay in our holding pattern over Kennedy Airport for more than an hour. When the stewardess announced that we would be landing an hour late, a man across the aisle shouted, “Bring out the booze!” This was his only resource when things were going against him.
All of nature depends on hidden resources. The great trees send their roots down into the earth to draw up water and minerals. Rivers have their sources in the snow-capped mountains. The most important part of a tree is the part you cannot see, the root system, and the most important part of the Christian’s life is the part that only God sees. Unless we draw on the deep resources of God by faith, we fail against the pressures of life. Paul depended on the power of Christ at work in his life (see , ; ; ). “I can—through Christ!” was Paul’s motto, and it can be our motto too.
“I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me,” is the way J.B. Phillips translates . The Living Bible puts it this way: “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.” No matter which translation you prefer, they all say the same thing: the Christian has all the power within that he needs to be adequate for the demands of life. We need only release this power by faith.
Every Christian ought to read Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, because it illustrates this principle of inner power in the life of a great missionary to China. For many years, Hudson Taylor worked hard and felt that he was trusting Christ to meet his needs, but somehow he had no joy or liberty in his ministry. Then a letter from a friend opened his eyes to the adequacy of Christ. “It is not by trusting my own faithfulness, but by looking away to the Faithful One!” he said. This was a turning point in his life. Moment by moment, he drew on the power of Christ for every responsibility of the day, and Christ’s power carried him through.
Jesus teaches this same lesson in the sermon on the vine and branches in John 15. He is the Vine; we are the branches. A branch is good only for bearing fruit; otherwise you may as well burn it. The branch does not bear fruit through its own self-effort, but by drawing on the life of the Vine. “Without Me, ye can do nothing” (). As the believer maintains his communion with Christ, the power of God is there to see him through. “I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency” (, AMP).
The overruling providence of God and the unfailing power of God are two spiritual resources on which we can draw that we might be adequate for the tasks of life. But there is a third resource.
The Unchanging Promise of God ()
Paul thanks the church at Philippi for their generous gift. He compares their giving to three very familiar things.
A budding tree (v. ). The word “flourished” carries the idea of a flower or tree budding or blossoming. Often we go through “winter seasons” spiritually, but then the spring arrives and there is new life and blessing. The tree itself is not picked up and moved; the circumstances are not changed. The difference is the new life within.
An investment (vv. ). Paul looked on their missionary gift as an investment that would pay them rich spiritual dividends. The word “communicate” is our familiar word “fellowship.” The church entered into an arrangement of “giving and receiving”; the church gave materially to Paul, and received spiritually from the Lord. The Lord keeps the books and will never fail to pay one spiritual dividend! That church is poor that fails to share materially with others.
A sacrifice (v. ). Paul looked on their gift as a spiritual sacrifice, laid on the altar to the glory of God. There are such things as “spiritual sacrifices” in the Christian life (see ). We are to yield our bodies as spiritual sacrifices (), as well as the praise of our lips (). Good works are a sacrifice to the Lord (), and so are the lost souls that we are privileged to win to Christ (). Here, Paul sees the Philippian believers as priests, giving their offering as a sacrifice to the Lord. In the light of , we need to present the very finest that we have to the Lord.
But Paul does not see this gift as simply coming from Philippi. He sees it as the supply of his need from heaven. Paul’s trust was in the Lord. There is an interesting contrast between and . We might state it this way if we were to paraphrase Paul: “You met my need, and God is going to meet your need. You met one need that I have, but my God will meet all of your needs. You gave out of your poverty, but God will supply your needs out of His riches in glory!”
God has not promised to supply all our “greeds.” When the child of God is in the will of God, serving for the glory of God, then he will have every need met. Hudson Taylor often said, “When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will not lack for God’s supply.”
A young pastor came to a church that had been accustomed to raising its annual budget by means of suppers, bazaars, and the like. He told his officers he could not agree with their program. “Let’s pray and ask God to meet every need,” he suggested. “At the end of the month, pay all the bills and leave my salary till the last. If there isn’t enough money for my salary, then I’m the one who suffers, and not the church. But I don’t think anybody is going to suffer!” The officers were sure that both the pastor and the church would die, but such was not the case. Each month every bill was paid, and at the end of the year there was a surplus in the treasury for the first time in many years.
Contentment comes from adequate resources. Our resources are the providence of God, the power of God, and the promises of God. These resources made Paul sufficient for every demand of life, and they can make us sufficient too.
Now that you have completed your study of this exciting and practical letter, don’t lose what you have learned! The best thing about Bible study isn’t the learning but the living. So, here are a few suggestions for keeping the joy in your life.
1. Surrender your mind to the Lord at the beginning of each day. This is a part of dedication: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice … And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (). Give God your body, mind, and will—by faith—as you start each day.
2. Let the Holy Spirit renew your mind through the Word. Daily systematic reading of the Bible is a must if you are going to have victory and joy.
3. As you pray, ask God to give you that day a single mind, a submissive mind, a spiritual mind, a secure mind. As you contemplate the day’s schedule, be sure that nothing you have planned robs you of the joy God wants you to have. Perhaps you must meet a person you don’t especially like. Ask God to give you the submissive mind that you will need. Or, maybe you must go through a difficult experience. Then be sure you have the single mind, concerned with Christ and the Gospel, and not only with your own personal likes and dislikes.
4. During the day, “mind your mind!” If you find yourself losing your inner peace and joy, stop and take inventory. Do I have the single mind? Did I just miss an opportunity to glorify Christ? Or was I a bit pushy, so that I lost the submissive mind? If you discover you have sinned, then immediately confess it to the Lord (). If possible, go back and remedy your mistake. If this cannot be done, ask God to give you another opportunity for witness.
5. Guard the gates of your mind. Remember Paul’s admonition in : “Whatsoever things are true … honest … just … pure … lovely … of good report … think on these things.” When an unkind or impure thought enters your mind, deal with it instantly. If you cultivate it, it will take root and grow—and rob you of your joy. Sometimes Satan will throw his “fiery darts” at you, and sometimes he will use other people to do it for him. One of the best ways to defeat the wrong kinds of thoughts is to fill your mind with Scripture; so take time to memorize the Word of God.
6. Remember that your joy is not meant to be a selfish thing; it is God’s way of glorifying Christ and helping others through you. Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last; and the result is JOY.