An Unlikely Safe Place
Philippians 3:1 NKJV
3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
Finally, my brethren. It sounds as if Paul is concluding his letter, but if he is, it's a long conclusion. His final words are two chapters long. The wording of this verse sounds a bit different as Paul encourages the church to rejoice in the Lord. It's not the rejoicing that sounds different; it's the value that Paul attaches to rejoicing in the Lord.
Paul said that it was not a problem for him to write the same things to them. Evidently, there was another communication that Paul sent to the Philippian church. As far as this letter is concerned, this is the first time Paul encourages rejoicing in the Lord. He does mention it again in the fourth chapter when he states, "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice."
Other translations read "always be joyful in the Lord" or "be constantly rejoicing." The
idea is that rejoicing should be an ongoing action. And if we are looking at how life goes, that would be a major challenge. But Paul says to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in the Lord is something we can do on a continual basis because our motivation is not circumstantial but spiritual.
We have observed in Paul's letters his extensive understanding of the new birth and what Jesus did for us. Paul knew as well as anyone alive the depth of riches of being in Christ. It was Paul who spoke of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Paul was the one who wrote of being more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Paul understood that in Christ we have been made righteous and that the Holy Spirit was given to us as our Helper. For Paul, rejoicing in Christ was not a chore or a duty; it was a natural extension of grasping the spiritual wealth of being united with Christ. Rejoicing in the circumstances of life will be unstable, as life has its ups and downs. Rejoicing in the Lord is constant because the spiritual significance never changes.
And Paul wrote that rejoicing was safe for the Philippians. Safe? I know rejoicing is what we are instructed to do, and we have great reasons to rejoice.But safe? But when we stop and think about it, rejoicing keeps our focus on what Jesus has done for us. Rejoicing keeps us connected to Him. And as one translation reads, it's a safeguard for our faith. That's the safe place. It will be much harder to fall away from our faith if we are rejoicing in the Lord. It will be a safe place from gloominess and negativity if we are rejoicing. And rejoicing in the Lord is a safe place, a rock in the middle of the current of this world that flows against the knowledge of God.
At the beach, when the surf is high or the currents are strong, they fly red warning flags at lifeguard stands. The church is like a lifeguard stand on the beach of life, flying the warning flags: strong anti-God currents, keep rejoicing in the Lord!