“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

Joy is a major theme of the book of Philippians. When you understand that Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned in Rome, it makes an even greater impact that Paul certainly practiced what he preached!

What were some of the reasons Paul could be joyful even while experiencing such great difficulty?

First, Paul could rejoice because of the partnership the church at Philippi had with him as a missionary (Philippians 1:4-5), and that they had sent a love gift to him by the hand of Epaphroditus (Philippians 4:10-18). This particular church had been a constant supporter of Paul’s ministry from the very first.

Second, Paul was joyful that the gospel was being furthered because he was in prison. He said in Philippians 1:12-13 that his imprisonment had resulted in the furtherance of the gospel, and that his testimony had reached into places where it otherwise would not have gone had he not been in prison. In fact, because of his incarceration, the gospel of Christ went into the ranks of the palace guard and the servants of Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22).

Third, in Philippians 1:14-18, Paul was rejoicing because many other believers were encouraged to be bold in their preaching of Christ as a result of his example.

Fourth, Paul could rejoice in the fact that he believed he would soon be released from prison so that he could continue to minister to those who needed his help (Philippians 1:19-26).

There are many other reasons for Paul’s rejoicing in this letter, but the above could be summarized in this way: It really didn’t matter what happened to Paul; he would rejoice just so long as the gospel was furthered, Christ was preached, and others were helped. Clearly, Paul’s focus was not on himself. When he wrote about being more concerned with others than with oneself (Philippians 2:1-4), he certainly modeled his message.

What is there in your life, in spite of less than favorable circumstances, that you can rejoice about?