As Paul the apostle
continued his letter to the Philippians, he knew they were aware of
his sacrifice and service toward them. He rejoiced and encouraged
them to have joy and rejoice even though his conditions were adverse.
They received the gospel of Jesus Christ, and any price he paid for
them accepting the eternal plan of salvation was worth any cost he
endured. In chapter two and verse nineteen of Philippians, Paul
continues his discourse by tell the church members that he was going
to know their state by sending Timothy their way. He wrote:
But I trust in the Lord
Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good
comfort, when I know your state.
The verse begins, “But I
trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you,...”
Once again Paul employs the word
“but” to begin
this section of scripture. We know that when we see the word “but”
it means we should look at what was said just before it, and in this
case it is a reference to both Paul and them rejoicing over their
salvation. Paul said, “I trust in the Lord Jesus”
which demonstrates his deference to the “Lord”
for any plan he made. He knew the principle stated in the book of
Proverbs in chapter sixteen and verse nine, “A man's
heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.” Paul
desired “to send Timotheus” or
“Timothy” who was a young protege' of Paul whom he met in the
city of Lystra on one of his missionary journeys. Paul knew that
Timothy could be trusted to go to Philippi to discover how the church
was fairing there.
The
verse continues, “that I also may be of good comfort,
when I know your state.” We
remember the occasion for Paul writing this letter was when Epaphrus
the pastor of Philippi visited Paul as he was in prison for sharing
the gospel. Though Epaphrus gave Paul a report of the church, Paul
desired to “be of good comfort” or
“to be of good courage, to be of a cheerful spirit” when
he was to “know your state” which means “know about,
concerning, or on account of” the church's condition. Basically
Paul wanted to know how the church was doing first hand, he would
send Timothy in his place. Paul knew when he heard back from Timothy,
he would be comforted by his report.
As we think about Paul's
words, we find in them great care for the church in Philippi. He
desired to be comforted by their progress, and he had such great
confidence in the Lord and Timothy that he would be blessed by
knowing their state. This may make us wonder, “Do we have this kind
of care and concern for others? Do we desire to receive a good report
from them that we may be comforted by what we learn?” It is
interesting to think that Paul the apostle was once so adverse to the
church and was so completely altered in his thinking that he desired
to know and be comforted by their state. Only Jesus can make that
kind of change in our lives, and only Jesus truly knows the “state”
in which all of us reside. May He give us this love and concern for
others as we continue in our relationship with Him.
Next
time Paul tells the Philippians what
he thinks about Timothy,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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