To Be Thankful, or Not
The choice is up to you.
Today has the potential to be your best day ever, but that is for you to decide. It’s not up to the world, the people around you, or your circumstances. In the midst of whatever the day may bring, the choice to make it a great day, or not, boils down to you.
I love the book of Philippians. Joy radiates through this short book. Ironically, scholars don’t count it as the happiest letter of Paul, that is Ephesians. Philippians is a letter Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. An interesting fact is that this was the first church in Europe. It’s hard to fathom what they were experiencing at that time. For those of us living in the “Bible Belt,” we have church buildings on almost every street corner. What if there were no churches around? It’s a weird thought if you’re used to seeing them.
Paul went through a lot to be a missionary of the Gospel, but he didn’t stop no matter how much suffering he endured. He followed God’s leading and planted the church in Philippi in AD 50. That is, fifty years after Jesus was born.
The early church had its fair share of struggles. You can read about that throughout the New Testament. Even amidst their struggles, the early church encouraged and supported Paul much like he did for them. Spreading the Gospel was not easy in those early days. Many were still reeling from Christ’s crucifixion. I’d imagine they felt some of the same frustrations we felt when sharing our faith. Not many of us will ever experience the level of persecution that some in our world have and still do.
Philippians 1: 1-30, NIV
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
If you don’t read all of those verses now, I hope you’ll ponder them throughout this week. I’m amazed when I read through Scripture and find how fitting the words are to my current life. Like duh, it’s the Word of God!
Paul shares how he prays for the church in verses three and four. He first thanks God and second, he prays with a joyful heart. Paul was confident in his relationship with God through Jesus. Circumstances didn’t change his mind, or cause him to stray.
What is joy? Why does it matter?
Webster’s Dictionary defines joy as a feeling or state of well-being and contentment. Don’t roll your eyes at the word feeling. I know it gets a bad rap these days when people say, “Don’t get all caught up in your feelings.” That’s not what we’re going for.
True joy comes deep down. You feel content and satisfied. You delight in life. You feel full even when your heart feels heavy because joy does not come from only good things, and it is not dependent on our happiness. It’s all of that and more.
Paul then goes on to share with the church that even though he was persecuted, he was thankful. None of it was wasted. It all mattered. Paul knew that God was being glorified in the midst.
Isn’t that the purpose? To live so that others around us come to know the love of Jesus. I love verse twenty-one for it is the definition of living as a Christ follower. Living so that everything we do and say would point others to Jesus. Living full of the hope that one day soon all will be made right.
Sure, temporary circumstances will knock us off of our feet. We will grieve losses. We will have to adjust to new norms. We will have the wind taken out of us on more than one occasion. Some of those seasons may be short and others may be long. You may have a hard time smiling, but joy can still radiate from your inner soul. It can shower those around you without you even knowing.
Chapter one serves as encouragement to stay focused on Christ, no matter how the tide turns and to live with a heart that radiates thankfulness. Because if you think about it, if we are so completely mesmerized by the love of God, we will want to spend time with Him both in prayer and through reading Scripture. We will be changed ourselves and then have the power to share that same spirit with those whom we encounter. And thankful hearts radiate joy. That is contagious.
We can read all we want about thankfulness but it’s up to us if we will embrace it. Life certainly doesn’t go easy on us, so we must remain steadfast. Living for Christ will ALWAYS be worth it. Living as thankful humans radiates positivity, kindness, and love. Will you be thankful today?
