Yes, and I will rejoice.

“What then does it matter? So long as in every way, whether in pretense (for self promotion), or in all honesty (to spread the truth), Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice…” Philippians 1:18

If you have studied the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi you might have noticed that he laid out principles of a healthy mind.

I am reviewing the book of Philippians because my Sunday school class is currently studying it. I cannot love this study enough; so, over the next few days I’d like to share some of the gems I found in this letter that help keep my mind in a good place.

Today I’m going to focus on Philippians 1:18 because Paul not only said “I will rejoice.” He repeated it a second time, “yes and I will rejoice.”

Paul was in prison under house arrest, chained to a guard; and, while he was there, word got back to him that there were other people now preaching the gospel.

That seems like a good thing, doesn’t it?

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul discerns their reason for preaching the gospel was intended to stir up trouble for Paul while he’s in prison. It’s important to note that these men were teaching sound doctrine. But, their motive was to grow a following.

In other words- right doctrine - wrong reason.

Paul didn’t stress over this.

He wrote, “What does it matter? The important thing is that Christ is preached.”

“And because of this, I rejoice.”

Pause for a moment and ask yourself…

What does Scripture tell us about Paul’s mindset about what was going on and over that which he had no control?

Paul is filled with JOY!

Why?

Because sound doctrine was being taught.

Paul didn’t lose a second of sleep over this situation.

He REJOICED!

Paul has such a mentally healthy way of looking at the situation. He says, “As I sit in prison. I’ll keep my focus on the fact that the gospel is being preached. That’s what brings me JOY!

Paul chose JOY.

I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow as we continue to search for JOY GEMS in the book of Philippians.

We will be looking at Paul’s philosophy of life. Although he’s sitting in prison, he sees himself as being in a win-win situation.

How is that even possible?