We can learn a lot from Paul’s example as he reconnects with a church that he loves and with which he has a long relationship. Both Paul and the Philippian church are well acquainted with suffering, yet manage to encourage one another.
This is a letter full of joy. The words “joy” or “rejoice” appear in some form 16 times in 14 verses. Unlike many of Paul’s letters, this one was not written to correct problems, but mainly as an expression of love and thanks to a church that partnered with him in the spread of the gospel.
If you were a soldier out on the battlefield, and your army was under attack, what safety measures would you take to protect yourself? You’d want to be well protected: be covered head to toe with body armor. You would also want some kind of weapons to use in order to fight back and defeat your attackers. The same is true in the spiritual realm in the battle we find ourselves in.
Sometimes submission to God requires submission in earthly relationships. In those cases, whether we are in authority or under authority, we need to fulfill our God-given roles as if we are directly serving Him.
Central Reflections 