The Joy Giver

“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.”

Phil 1:3-5 (ESV)

This spring my apple trees were an explosion of pink and white blossoms. The air was thick with their fragrance and the buzzing of a thousand bees. I was excited. How many apples would there be?

Last week standing under my crab apple tree with a ladder and several 5-gallon pails I was stunned by the sheer mass of red fruit in front of me. The smell was intoxicating; sweet, earthy warmth emanated from the little tree as the sun seemed to bounce off each apple. I felt full, not tummy-full (okay…I did eat a LOT of them) but heart-full, content. I felt humbled by the bounty. I felt the gift of it like I would treasure a present from a dear friend. I knew I was creating work for myself but somehow the joy I felt was bigger than then the job.

job vs joy

I’m reading Philippians in the mornings. I read it through once and then decided I really needed to pause and sit with it awhile, soak in the words and the truths. There is joy literally jumping off every page. Are you interested in joining me for a devotional study of the book?

joy

Fall is here with its cooler temperatures and shorter days and the busyness of spring and summer is making way to quieter evenings and stolen moments of quiet. Maybe you’re beside a crackling fire or under a cozy blanket, ready for rest. I am ready to slow down and meditate on the message in Philippians, how about you? I feel open to the challenge, because it is a challenge, of re-wiring my thoughts that bend naturally towards pity parties and finger pointing and force those thoughts to turn around and come face to face with Jesus.

the joy giver

I love how Paul starts off this book. The first couple of verses are greetings to the believers in Philippi and then he launches into this joyful expression of how he feels about the wonderful friends he made in that small community of believers. Do you hear it in his voice?

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…every memory I have of you is good and I thank the Lord for it!

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy…I am always praying for you and each time I do, I am filled with joy!

Because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…you fill my heart with joy because you partnered with me in sharing the good news from the very beginning right up to today!

When you think logically about it, is it possible that Paul’s time with the Philippian church was unmarred by human nature? Was there perfect peace and harmony among the group? Did anyone want their own way, or feel like they were better than someone else? Did they come to Paul to mediate disagreements or get testy when he challenged them live worthy of the gospel of Christ?

How does Paul choose to remember his time with them as he writes this letter from his jail cell? What does he want to express to them? Well, he tells them how much they mean to him and that he prays for them every single day. He tells them how working side-by-side to advance the cause of Christ created a deep bond between them that has impacted his life forever. Front and center is the basis of his joy: Jesus, relationship, serving.

What do you see in these verses? I see a group of people in love with Jesus, living their lives for his glory and expressing it so beautifully through acts of service towards others. They made wonderful memories together; they bonded in Christian love and friendship.

When was the last time you worked with other believers to advance the gospel, the Good News, of Christ? When was the last time you prayed for fellow Christians with a heart bursting with joy as you remember the time you spent together? When was the last time you truly felt connected to the body of Christ?

We know it’s not done yet, right?!

The work in me isn’t done, the work in you isn’t done. The work we need to do together isn’t done but for now…