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REJOICE AND BEWARE!
"Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. "Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by His Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh - though I myself have reasons for such confidence." Philippians 3:1-4a.
The Christian life is a life of joy. If anyone had reason to complain, it was Paul. In spite of his loyal and sacrificial service for Jesus, he had gone through the mill at the hands of hostile hoards - from the Romans, despite the fact that he was a Roman citizen - and from the Jews. Nevertheless, the joy that was deep within him sustained him through the hard times. Why?
Paul's joy did not arise from his circumstances but from his union with Jesus. What he counselled others to be and to do always passed through the laboratory of his own experience. His letters were not only the product of his understanding of the Scriptures, but also the witness to his personal life as a believer in Jesus. Paul could easily have turned on
Jesus. How could his Master, a God of love, allow him to be treated like that? Was he not a faithful and loyal follower? Was he not entitled to a reward for his hard work? Was this the way God treated His children?
This may be the attitude of some today, but we never read of Paul whining about his hardships. On the contrary, he rejoiced in what he suffered and counted it a privilege and an opportunity to put his Master on display. Instead of collapsing in a heap of self-pity, he waited expectantly for the outcome and he was never disappointed.
The very church he was addressing was, in part, the aftermath of an unpleasant incident in Philippi where he and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for delivering a slave girl of demons. Instead of bewailing their fate, they sang and prayed so enthusiastically at midnight that they kept the whole prison awake. And God's response...an earthquake that shook the prison, freed the prisoners and resulted in the salvation of the jailer and his household.
Paul knew how to rejoice in the Lord and he also knew what rejoicing instead of complaining accomplished. He called it a safeguard. Praise is a safeguard against the wiles of the devil. He delights in luring us into feeling sorry for ourselves and hard-done-by when things go badly for us. If there is one thing that spoils our fellowship with God, it's self-pity. And what is self-pity? Someone once called it "ingrown eyeballs"!
Rejoicing in the Lord is the antidote. After all, God is still in charge, not matter what happens in life, and He works it all out for our good when we trust Him. When we rejoice in Him and not in our circumstances, we will remain steadfast and unshakeable in spite of what is happening around us because He never changes.
With his counsel to rejoice in the Lord, Paul also issued a warning. Be careful of the "dogs". Who were they? The very same ones who troubled the Galatians to the point that they were led astray. They were the ones who trailed after Paul and tried to undo his work by insisting that believers in Jesus be circumcised first and keep the Mosaic Law. For Paul they were nothing more than stray dogs, roaming around and opportunistically devouring whoever they could.
"Stay away from them," urged Paul. The real circumcision party are those who are circumcised in heart, not mutilated in the flesh. The seal of God's ownership is not in the flesh but in the heart - the presence of God's Spirit who is the arabon, God's engagement ring, and the promise of eternal life for those who are marked by the Spirit.
If there is to be any boasting at all, it is not to be about our achievements for Jesus, but about His achievement for us. This is the safest place to boast because it takes the gaze off ourselves and places it where it belongs, on Jesus, the one who did everything that God required for us.
Paul was about to launch into recounting his CV if it was of any value at all in impressing God, so that he could be considered righteous in God's sight. He had every reason to boast in what he had become in the flesh but it was all to no avail. His best shot fell short and he was doomed unless...
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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