The End - Philippians 4:8-23

4:8-9 - This might be the most famous advice Paul gives for us members, because as the article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com says, “Of all the admonitions of Paul, of all his inspired advice, of all his exhortations, Joseph Smith included this one as the thirteenth article of faith. It is an admonition for the saints to search out all good. While the world accuses us of being closed-minded, the opposite should really be the case. We reject evil in all of its manifestations but accept every form of goodness and righteousness throughout the earth in whatever form it may be.” I love the concept of “truth is truth no matter where it’s found.” Paul’s statement encourages us to “think on these things,” which are “whatsoever things are true,” “honest,” “just,” “pure,” “lovely,” “of good report,” “if there be any virtue,” or “praise.” The 13th article of faith doesn’t use the word “think” but instead uses “seek after,” which is a much more active word than “think.” It’s also important because there isn’t going to be a sign “this is ok” or “this is not ok” for every little thing that we encounter in life, there is going to have to be some executive decision making pretty much every day, so this is a good measuring device to determine if something is going to lift us up and closer to God or if something is going to take us further away. And I don’t think that this means that we have to only interact with things of a serious nature, for instance, there’s a new movie on Netflix that is hilarious, and if we run it through the criteria here, it’s honest, it’s funny, it’s a feel-good film, it’s carefree. Does this mean that we should avoid it because it’s not teaching gospel doctrine? I don’t think so. We need to have levity in life, and it’s nice when something comes along that doesn’t drag us down spiritually. Maybe our standards are too low? The movie I’m talk about is Hubie Halloween, just in case anyone is interested. We’ve watched it like 4 times. 4:10-13 - Paul asks them to use him as an example of what to do and how to act “and the God of peace shall be with you.” I don’t know at what point you get confident enough to say, “do what I do and you’ll have the Spirit with you.” Maybe it’s when the Spirit tells you to tell them that, I don’t know. It’s so important to look to the Savior as the ultimate example, but just because we have him to emulate doesn’t mean that it doesn’t help to have others as examples as well. We all have different personalities; we all have different experiences and different traumas and different backgrounds. We relate to some people differently than others, some more closely than others, many people have encountered different experiences than Jesus did in mortality, for instance, all of the things that are unique to women, Jesus only experienced through the atonement. Jesus didn’t leave a high ranking, powerful religious position to preach the same gospel that he once persecuted. There are so many people who do so many amazing things for the sake of the gospel, I think that we need to have all types of examples to emulate, and I don’t think that Jesus would be mad at us for looking to others as well. In fact, I think he encourages it, that’s why he provided the scriptures. Here’s what really hit me yesterday while reading. Just a little background, my kids are teenagers and the mood swings are intense. I also take call at night and on the weekends and I am really tired a lot. I’ve been angry at my situation for a lot of my life because I’m so tired and always feel like I’m struggling for everything that I have. Jesus has had to constantly remind me, “you have what I want you to have.” This is a concept that I told my kids about a lot, just because we could afford it didn’t mean that I wanted them to have it, and this is how it is with me and Jesus, just because he could give it to me doesn’t mean that he wants me to have it. This is where Paul comes in as a good example, he says, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The article comments, “Most of us don’t need any help when life is abundant. In the gospel, knowing how to abound means to be humble and grateful to the Lord for his many blessings. Knowing how to be abased is a different story. Many people fall apart when the comforts and finer things of life are taken from them. Indeed, knowing how to be abased in the essence of true meekness. Paul could be content in the worst of circumstances.” I’m naturally a negative and bitter person. Maybe it’s my mental illness, maybe it’s just that I haven’t spiritually grown out of the infant stage. I guess my own mood swings are pretty intense as well, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s just because we were so poor growing up that I’m always looking to make more and more money. I am almost never content, and that’s something I need to work on. I can learn to be content in all circumstances through Christ who strengthens me. The article says, “the scriptures are filled with testimonies of the strength that comes from the Savior. I always feel a lift of the heart that comes to me when I read these rejoicings of the prophets: Moses exulted, ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation.’ David sang, ‘God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.’ To Isaiah, the Lord promised, ‘Fear though not; for I am with thee by not dismayed for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ How can we build this kind of faith in the strength of the Savior? David had counsel for the people of his time that I repeat to you: ‘Seek the Lord and his strength… continually.’ ‘Blessed is the man (or woman) whose strength is in thee… Go from strength to strength.’ Sisters, strengthen yourselves by seeking the source of true strength- the Savior. Come unto him. He loves you. He desires your happiness and exults in your desires for righteousness. Make him your strength, your daily companion, your rod and your staff. Let him comfort you. There is not burden we need bear alone. His grace compensates for our deficiencies.” 4:14-16 - Paul recounts his journey, the article makes it a little bit clearer for me, “Paul and Silas left Philippi with the formal apology of the city fathers and fresh scars of their public beating. But Saints eternally blessed by the missionaries would not ignore their practical needs. Paul and his companions were seventy-five miles west to Thessalonica, where ugly opposition was stirring, and the Philippians filled Paul’s needs there once and then sent help again. After a riot in that place, persecution soon forced Paul to a new field of labor in southern Greece… In this time Paul was at Corinth, laboring intensely at missionary work and earning bread by his trade. He preached the gospel to the Corinthians ‘freely;’ ‘other churches’ paid the cost of Corinthian serve, for ‘that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied.’ These references of aid at Corinth show that the Philippians were able to send messengers three hundred miles. They did the same thing when Paul was more than twice that distance in Rome.” I think that Paul specifically states that no other congregation did this for him, and while I’m sure that he was being able to eat and have shelter and stuff, it’s so nice to sometimes just know that someone is thinking about you and is supportive of the efforts that you are making to further your joint cause. We can also take a page out of their book about service, they gave up time, made sacrifices financially, and made physical sacrifices to help Paul feel supported and encouraged. The men who went to Rome and these other places had jobs back home and surely families to support, those families sacrificed that support and income so that their men could travel to help Paul. I also think there is another message here about what type of service is important. Taking care of physical and spiritual necessities is important, probably the most important, but there are other things that we can do when there is no apparent desperation for survival type needs. We can make someone feel important just by reaching out to tell them that we are thinking about them, we can bring comfort type of care, flowers, cookies, etc. Sometimes it’s just the thought that counts. 4:17-23 - Paul’s grateful for their gifts, “not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Even though I’m sure it felt nice to receive a gift, Paul says that it’s not the physical presents that were uplifting, but the fact that they were rendering genuine Christian charity. He was encouraged because they not only still believed in what he taught, but they were actively living its principles. Paul compares their gifts to him to “an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” I think this references the incense that was burned in the temple as part of the ordinances there, sweet smelling prayers ascending to God all the time. Paul says that it is an acceptable sacrifice, tying it altogether. He promises that their sacrifices for him will be reward by “my God (who) shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The most interesting next part comes as Paul closes the letter, saying, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” The article quotes Joseph E. Robinson as saying, “When Felix and Agrippa would have freed (Paul), he had made the appear to be tried according to the rights of a Roman, by the Roman law. By that means his life was saved, and he was taken to the household of Caesar, and had the privilege of declaring for upwards of two years… the gospel in the very household of the emperor, to the reclamation or conversion of many souls of Caesar’s household.” What I find absolutely incredible about this is the fact that God used Paul’s imprisonment to not only further the gospel cause, but to put the seeds of it in to the household of the most powerful man on the planet at that point. Anyone looking into Paul’s situation from the outside would think, “man’s going to prison for two years, the whole work of the gospel is going to stop.” But in fact, what happened was not only did it NOT stop, but it exploded in prominence and prestige and power. God’s plan included Paul’s imprisonment, God was able to use Paul’s imprisonment for His good. He can do the same in our lives, he can use our moments of suffering or struggle for his own good, and if we look to him in those moments of our lives, then we can reap the rewards like Paul did.