I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, –Philippians 1:3-4
Be the type of follower of Jesus that sparks up joyous remembrance in others. I want to be someone who thanks God and has joy bubble up in their heart when they think of me. That’s the type of follower of Jesus I want to be.
That’s how I’ve often applied these verses. But what if the joyous remembrance isn’t because the Philippians were so amazing but because Paul had learned the secret of contentment?
As a pastor you can read verses like these and see Paul’s commendation of the Philippians and think, “man, I wish my church was like this.” I’d give anything to be able to think of my people with such joy in my heart. But, alas, our people are stiff-necked and cause me more sleepless nights than joyous prayers.
Nothing I’m saying here is to dismiss your pain. Pastoral ministry can be absolutely brutal. But I would just like to point out that Paul says something very similar to the church at Corinth. He also thanks God for them. Yes, he has a deep affection for the relatively healthy church at Philippi but he also deeply loves the messed up church at Corinth.
Our pastoral joy isn’t tied to the health or unhealth of our congregations. That’s an easy thing to believe, it’s a bit more difficult to practice. But it’s true. Sure the Philippians make it easier to love. And yes, we should be the type of people who easily stir up joyous remembrance in our leaders. But ultimately Paul’s joyful praying is grounded elsewhere. His joy and his love for these congregations comes from his having the mind of Christ.
Paul believed that God is always at work. He firmly believed that the gospel would win the day. His theology led him to see that God works all things together for good. So Paul understood that everything happening in Philippi and in Corinth was meant to further God’s kingdom and strengthen Paul’s (and other’s) joy in God. Therefore, he could thank God for a church who was hit with a bit of disunity. Just as he could thank God for a people as jacked up as the Corinthians. And his prayers weren’t mournful or filled with self-pity because he knew that even the warts and trials are there for the glory of God. So he was able to thank God because he knew there was more to the story than simply a feud between Eudoia and Syntyche.
Let our thanksgiving be grounded in grace instead of performance.
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