The big theme in Philippians is joy. How can you teach joyfully when you don’t feel all that joyful? Paul’s joy wasn’t a syrupy denial of his hardship, but an embracing of it for the cause of Christ. How could he write a book on joy when he was in jail? Because he didn’t focus on his misery, he focused on the good that was coming out of his hard times. In Philippians 1:12-14 Paul says that the things that have happened to him have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.

How can we feel sorry for ourselves in the face of Paul’s statement, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain?” Jesus served the Father by loving people up until the moment he died. We can love our children even when things are not going right, if we focus on Him. If to live is Christ, and Christ has called us to teach our children; (Deut. 6), then we can be joyful even when winter months imprison us in our homes.

More next time.  Until then, Do not grow weary in well doing, for in due time you will reap if you faint not.  (Gal. 6:9)