10/28/26

Open your Bible to Philippians 3:1 and bookmark Philippians 4:4; 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:5-9. 

Why in the book of Philippians does Paul continually tell them to rejoice? He tells the Thessalonians the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:16. But in Philippians 3:1, he tells them that it is for their safety. What does that mean? In this verse the word "safe" or "safeguard" means "firm." That which can be relied on, is certain, is true, secure, safe and sure. From this definition it is obvious he's not talking about some type of happy giddiness over being persecuted. He's giving them a firm foundation to stand on. How can "joy" be a firm foundation to stand on?

If you look at 1 Peter 1:5-9, Peter tells them to rejoice while acknowledging the fact that they were in grief over their present circumstances. Is this possible? Can we have joy even when we're in sorrow and truly suffering? In this passage, Peter equates their suffering to the "genuiness" of their faith. 

So, what's behind the joy? Is it worship? Yes, I would say it is. Is it faith? Absolutely. Peter says that their faith in Christ was bringing honor and praise (worship) to Christ. Their faith during their suffering was actually an act of worship to God. Our faith in Christ and all He has waiting for us is our firm foundation. It's our security, our safety net and we can rejoice in the fact that nothing can take that away from us. 

Trying to find satisfaction in handling your trials by your own strength and power instead of wholly leaning on Christ will always rob you of the joy of serving Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Trying to handle things yourself apart from Christ is wood, hay and straw (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-13). And wood, hay and straw are easy to pick up and readily available earthly commodities, but they also burn up quickly too. Gold, silver and precious stones on the other hand, you have to dig for. You have to mine for these and when you find them it is your joy to hang onto them. Building on the foundation of Christ, putting your faith in Him, casting your cares and sorrows on Him is like mining for these treasures that you cannot lose. If our minds are singularly focused on Christ and in submission to Him, then nothing and no one can rob us of our joy. Lay hold of this perspective! Trade the earthly things you cannot keep for the heavenly things you cannot lose. Our faith that is built on this firm foundation and remains true in the face of suffering is more valuable than anything else. This is your joy. Hang on to it! Don't settle for what is easy to pick up. Rather mine for the treasure that is hard to find, but worth holding onto - joy in the midst of your circumstances.