Paul rejoices because the Philippians have expressed their concern for him by sending a gift. Their gift reminds him of what he’s learned throughout his journey with Jesus—contentment in all circumstances. Jesus is the one constant in our lives. He will never change. Paul leans on that truth in the turbulence of his life.
Philippians 4:13 is one of the most-quoted verses in the Bible. We often see it recited before sports games or captioned on a social media post. But without its context, we can make the verse out to mean that Jesus is a spiritual steroid shot that empowers people to make game-winning goals or climb the corporate ladder.
But if we know anything about Philippians, it’s that Paul is not after personal gain. He advocates for putting others first, for seeing our lives as garbage compared to knowing Jesus, and to being content. Paul recognizes that his ability to be content comes from God. Philippians 4:13 isn’t about being able to do anything in God’s strength. It’s about being able to walk through anything—good or bad—with contentment.
Right at the end of the letter, Paul greets the Philippians on behalf of the brothers and sisters of Caesar’s household. We can gather from these verses that Paul has been sharing the gospel in prison. His zeal for Jesus has impacted others to share their faith too. We have to remember that for Paul to be imprisoned in Rome meant he was behind enemy lines. To some, the Romans might have seemed beyond salvation. But Paul continually reminds the churches in other letters that both Jews and Gentiles are part of the people of God, which includes Romans. Paul never says in Chapter 1 if the Romans in Caesar’s house were becoming Christians—he just says they knew he was there for Jesus. He slips in at the very end that there are Christians who came from the “enemy camp.”
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