December 16 / Philippians

Philippians 1-4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

I expect that this verse is quite familiar to most of us. We probably even have it memorized (whether on purpose or not) just from hearing it repeated often enough. This verse captures a major theme woven throughout this letter: joy — joy in the face of prison, joy in the face of uncertainty, joy in the face of hardship — rejoicing in the Lord and rejoicing always.

There are, of course, many other verses in this letter that may sound familiar. In fact, you might want to memorize them, if you haven’t already. Consider any or all of these, perhaps:

• Philippians 1:3-5
• Philippians 1:6
• Philippians 1:18
• Philippians 1:21
• Philippians 2:1-2
• Philippians 2:3-4
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Philippians 2:12-13
• Philippians 3:4-11
• Philippians 3:14
• Philippians 3:20-21
• Philippians 4:1
• Philippians 4:5
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Philippians 4:8-9
• Philippians 4:12
• Philippians 4:13
• Philippians 4:19

Shoot! Go ahead and memorize the entire letter. It’s not that long. Yes, it will take effort, but isn’t Christ worth that effort? Try it! You’ll be glad you did!

But whether you memorize any of this letter or not, I hope that you nonetheless listen to what Paul says here. Hear Paul’s gratitude, affection, and love for the Philippians; his exhortations for unity and humility; his straining to know Christ and the power of His resurrection; his joy in the Lord; and the peace that passes understanding. My prayer for us, like Paul’s, is this:

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11

Pure and blameless for the day of Christ… That day is coming. Are you ready?

See also:

• October 13 (2021) / Philippians 1:1-30
• October 14 (2021) / Philippians 2:1-30
• October 15 (2021) / Philippians 3:1-21
• October 16 (2021) / Philippians 4:1-23

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One more thing…

Regarding chronology, I agree with what Fred said in 2020, that The Chronological Study Bible that we’re following is probably leading us astray by putting this Epistle to the Philippians here between Acts 24 and Acts 25 (while Paul is still in Caesarea), rather than later (when Paul is in Rome).