Philippians 1:1-11: Finding Joy in One Another

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Phillipians 1:3-5

So often, we speak of having joy in the Lord. Although it is certainly true that we ought to have constant joy in the Lord, what does that actually look like? This morning, I would like to argue that based on Philippians 1:1-11, finding joy in the Lord includes (but is certainly not limited to) finding joy in one another.

In the first portion of his letter to the Philippians, Paul finds himself rejoicing exceedingly because of the Philippian church. He mentions that whenever he prays for them, he does it with joy, knowing that the Phillipians are both partners in the Gospel with him as well as fellow partakers of grace. In short, Paul finds joy in the fact that he has a group of people who have believed in the Gospel along with him and are laboring for the Gospel along with him. From this, we can see that great joy comes from one another, as we can be encoruaged by those around us who have the same goal of the advancement of the Gospel.

However, I think Paul's joy goes a step further than mere Gospel partnership. Look at verse 6, a very popular verse in scripture: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus." So often we pull this verse out of context, but what Paul is getting at here is that he has great confidence and joy that God is doing something great in those around him. Although we certainly can use this verse as a comfort to us that God is still working on us and will someday bring us into completion, we must also remember that this verse ought to cause us to rejoice that God is also doing this in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

So, when's the last time you humbled yourself to rejoice because of what God has been doing in someone else? When is the last time you let yourself be encouraged by one another? I encourage you this morning: find joy in the Lord through the work that he is doing in those around you. Don't be self-centered and forget that you are not the only one that God is working in. Remember the Church, and take joy in God's work in it. Amen.