My Joy is Bound Up In You

The three siblings and last moments with dad. His joy was bound up in his children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren knowing Christ. 

Scripture

Phil. 2:² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 

Observation

After finishing up four “if” statements, Paul comes back with four ways in which the Philippians can make his joy complete. His joy as a pastoral leader is bound up in the well-being and perseverance of those he has led to Christ. Therefore, he encourages them not to just have faith, but to continue to grow in their faith. 

Paul’s desire is that every follower of Christ in Philippi would be bound up in the holiness of Jesus Christ in such a way that it would be manifest in their daily lives. The concern over unity in their thinking or minds comes out over and over again. Evidently there had been dissension among some of those within the church community and this was breaking Paul’s heart. He saw this as a reflection of their spiritual immaturity and so he continued to push them on toward maturity in Christ. 

Love was to rule the day. This love was to be Christ’s love that would overflow in their actions and reactions toward one another, which would lead to working together in full harmony. This unity of the body seemed to be increasingly important to Paul as the church worked through what it meant to be counter-cultural. 

He bookends his desire for joy with them being of the “same mind” and of having “one mind.” In just a few verses he will tell them to have the “mind of Christ.” He is building on what he desires for them, which is for them to be “in Christ” and therefore, to share in relationship with the Triune God, where one would get to know the “mind of Christ.” His desire, then, was that the entire community would have the “mind of Christ” and in this way be of “one mind” and of the “same mind.” If you dissect that you discover that some of the community must have had their “own mind.” Therefore, they didn’t all have the “same mind” and couldn’t be of “one mind.” When individuals pushed for their “own mind,” it meant that they were refusing to grow spiritually, and this brought great sadness to the heart of the apostle. 

Paul was using whatever capacity he could as their spiritual leader to spur them on to spiritual growth and development. These are all tied to the “if” statements: if they have experienced blessings and virtue from being in Christ, then “they have an obligation to respond appropriately.” (Flemming, NBBC) 

Application

I live in a house with two other pastors (my husband and my daughter). My grandfather was a pastor, my father was a pastor, I have two brothers-in-law who are pastors and two-sisters-in-law who are pastors. I have experienced the ups and downs of ministry through the lens of so many loved ones who can relate to the words of the apostle Paul. Their joy is bound up in the lives of those to whom they have and are ministering. That’s because a true shepherd loves the flock and only wants the best for them. 

If you’re a layperson, you may not know the pain that a pastor goes through when someone tells them that they are leaving the church. Usually the pastor is told, “It’s not about you, it’s about me.” The line sounds all too familiar, like a someone breaking up with their boyfriend or girlfriend, and the pain can be just as real. That’s because a real shepherd loves their sheep and only wants the best for them. It’s not the personal pain (while there is some of that too), but there is also the pain in realizing that they may be running away from a deeper walk with Jesus Christ because they are not in harmony with others in the church. Now, don’t get me wrong, because there are times when we aren’t in harmony because there are those who refuse to be “in Christ.” Paul wasn’t naive about this, and it may very well have been this same scenario that hurt him deeply. 

My joy really is bound up in you. At least, that should be the case when followers of Jesus Christ recognize the importance of unity among Christ’s followers. We will never reach that place of unity if we refuse to submit to the authority of Jesus in our lives. Our disunity reveals more about our relationship with Jesus than it does about the actions of others. 

If Jesus has done so much for us, then we have an obligation to respond through the way in which we live our lives. Every day, every moment, and every action is to be a reflection of the deep love and unity we find in Christ. Paul’s plea was that his joy would be brought to completion — or perfection — through the spiritual growth and development of his beloved church. Unified in the mind of Christ, the church becomes a powerful witness to the character and nature of God. This should bring us all great joy. 

Prayer

Lord, I don’t want to disappoint you. May I continue to grow and develop, keeping my mind in you. Amen.