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We can be encouraged because of our relationship with Christ
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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:1-11
The overall tone of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of resounding happiness. If you were a member of the church in Philippi passing around Paul’s letter, you may find his tone somewhat ironic because you know he’s chained to a Roman guard and halted in his missionary journeys. You may wonder how in the world Paul can confidently say “yes, I will rejoice” (Philippians 1:18) amidst his present circumstances, and you may want to ask him about his secret recipe for concocting happiness.
Paul begins chapter two with the phrase, “if there is an encouragement in Christ” (Philippians 2:1). Here, he presupposes the possibility of feeling encouraged – not necessarily by fortunate circumstances but by being connected with Christ. Encouragement is the idea of being empowered, enlivened and confident as you feel supported by another. It’s clearly relational. We’re encouragement when we’re in a healthy relationship. Show me a person who is in healthy relationship and I’ll show you a person who is happy. We can be encouraged because of our relationship with Christ, and we can experience the same resounding happiness Paul is experiencing while stuck in house-arrest.
For Paul, encouragement is not only possible it’s probable, because Paul doesn’t walk alone. He turns to Jesus – God in human flesh – as the source of his unshakable courage. Paul remembers how Jesus has gone ahead to stoop down in humility to become human like us, to fulfill his God-given purpose on earth with courageous obedience, to die a sacrificial death and to raise in exalted form. Jesus now cheers us on as we do the same. We can experience encouragement wherever we are because Jesus is wherever we are. We have access to the same courage and the same happiness because Jesus is our encouragement too. You can use the encouragement you have in Christ to go out of your way to encourage someone who is struggling to see beyond their present circumstance today.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]
By Yvonne Biel
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