Paul wrote the letter we know as Philippians from prison. And yet over and over he writes of gladness. Happiness depends on what’s happening, but joy has God’s constant love as its source. Paul had already known chains far worse, a prison far darker, than anything the Romans could dream up – he’d been enslaved by his own sin. And then his chains had been broken and he’d been set free by the love of God. The joy of his new life bubbled up in even the darkest circumstances.
Paul wasn’t naive. He didn’t turn a blind eye to the realities of life. Paul faced persecution, opposition, and misunderstanding. He knew that life is messy. But he had a vision of something worth incredibly more than every trial and resistance he encountered.
On the road to Damascus, Paul saw the resurrected Christ (Acts 9). The vision was so radiant, he was physically blinded. But it was the glory of God that was burned onto his retinas and seared into his soul forever. Jesus became the orientation and focus of Paul’s life. He was everywhere Paul looked. Everything else faded away to insignificance in comparison.
This is why Paul could be content in any situation. His soul was saturated. Trials, opposition and persecutions couldn’t make any difference to his relationship with Christ. Soul satisfaction with Christ is the key to experiencing joy regardless of our circumstances. We are always and forever in the presence of our Beloved. We never have to be separated from Him again. That’s the essence of the Good News – we who were once enemies of God are not enemies any longer. He calls us friends. Not only friends, but dear children. Beloved.
Now we’re asked to live like this love changes everything. Because it does. Because God loves us, and our relationship with Him has been restored, we’re free to stop worrying about protecting and defending our rights or our position.
Nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
This is a love relationship that’s worth our everything. When everything else says you should quit now, give up, or go back, this love says, keep going. It’s worth it. It’s so good, Paul said everything else was “worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him” (Philippians 3:8-9).
That’s how passionately God loves us. He laid aside His throne and the glories of heaven – He discarded them as if they were worthless – in order to rescue us. So He could restore a beautiful, unbroken, holy, intimacy with us. Because He knew it was worth it.
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one.” John 17:22-23