Word of Encouragement (5/21/2021)
The prayer we are going to reflect on today is, “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).
The kind of relationship Paul had with the Philippians seems quite impressive, almost unreal. He thanks God in all his remembrance of them. He prays regularly for them and, in every prayer of his for them, he prays with joy. His remembrance of them brings joy to his heart because of their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Are there people like that in your life? You have some great people in your life but not like the Philippians that Paul describes, right?
But I do wonder whether the Philippians were that great. In this letter, we see hints of the problems they had. His emphasis on unity suggests that they had problems in that department. We know that there was a public feud between Euodia and Syntyche, two prominent women members in the church (4:2). They also allowed some false teachers to come in and teach wrong doctrines, who demanded that they be circumcised for their salvation (3:2ff). They were loyal to Paul in their partnership in the gospel but they were far from perfect. How could Paul thank God in all his remembrance of them and feel joy whenever he thought of them and prayed for them?
There is no doubt that the Philippians were dear to Paul’s heart. They brought him a lot of joy through their ongoing support for his ministry from the beginning. They supported him financially, especially while he was in prison (4:10). They even sent Epaphroditus to take care of him while he was under house arrest (2:25). But they were not perfect; they probably did not warrant Paul’s thanksgiving for all his remembrance of them. Was Paul exaggerating, then? No, Paul was no flatterer of men.
Consider this. A lot of people think that they are good, loving people deep down. If they seem angry and impatient and unloving, it’s only because they are surrounded by not-so-great, bad people: they haven’t found people worthy of their love. Only if they could find such people, they would show just how wonderfully loving people they are! This raises a question about what it means to be a “loving” person, doesn’t it? Are you a loving person if you love only those that are lovable and adorable? Or, if you are indeed a loving person, you would be able to love even those that are not so lovable, those that are shunned by many?
It is true that Paul’s thanksgiving and joy regarding the Philippians revolved specifically around their faithful, ongoing partnership in the gospel. But I think it was more than that. As Peter says, “...love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). It was not that the Philippians were perfect without any blemish, doing everything right but that Paul came to love them—all of them, including their flaws and failures—with the affection of Christ Jesus (1:8). This didn’t mean that he loved their flaws and failures. He would not hesitate to call them out for their failures and urge them to repent, as in the case of Euodia and Syntyche. But if we are to love anyone in this life, we cannot wait until he is perfect: that moment will never come on this side of the grave! Therefore, we must learn to love others as they are, with their flaws and failures and all, patiently waiting as God continues His work of sanctification and helping them to grow with love and hope and patience.
There is something about remembrance, too. The distance between the actual events in the past and our remembrance of them in the present provides a sense of safety. Whatever the painful experience was, it lies in the past and it cannot hurt us any longer (if we don’t let it). And this distance allows us to see the hand of God in it, working out His good and wise plan. This enables us to give thanks to God even for those dark, painful moments. I hope God is bringing you to that point, at which you can embrace all of your past, both good and bad, and thus give thanks to God in all your remembrance of the people God has brought into your life and used to shape and mold you the way you are now according to God’s wise plan!