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Reading - If you have any encouragement. (Philippians 2:1-5)
Are you encouraged? What encourages you? We are encouraged as Christians by sermons, books, rousing hymns, anecdotes, church growth, successful missions, "good reports", the enthusiasm of our youth, the excitement in our meetings etc. Like the world we can look to success, growth and progress for our encouragement, and it is good to see the church grow and souls being brought in.
If you have any encouragement…
How often have we heard someone declare "the church was almost full last Sunday", or "The new preacher is really packing them in"? Not often enough you might think. We measure the worth of our fellowship by the strength of its programmes and the success of its efforts and tell each other by way of encouragement.
Thinking about Paul's attitude to his imprisonment in last week's study may have been a challenge for many. It does seem amazing that anyone should feel encouraged when everything seems to be working against you. When you had such big plans and they came, apparently, to nothing. We worry when people don't turn up, when our efforts don't appear to bear fruit, even when the car breaks down on the way to church! Later in his letter to the Philippians however Paul shows us the source of his encouragement and urges us to go to this same source.
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit…"
Paul's encouragement was "from being united with Christ", indeed he earlier wrote this about his future:
"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 labour for me. Yet…I desire to depart and be with Christ." (1:22-23)
Later he writes:
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him." (3:7-9)
The circumstances of our lives change but our unity with Christ, the
comfort of his love and fellowship with the Spirit are a ready and constant
source of encouragement. Are you "united with Christ"? As you
go into the week be encouraged, as well as an encouragement to others,
because of your being united with Christ, comforted by His love and in
fellowship with His Spirit. This is encouragement really worth sharing.