Last time we were taught in vs. 2 to stop fighting and “live in harmony” in the Lord. Now let’s walk through verses 4-9 to see how we can specifically live this harmonious life in Christ.
First, let us “Rejoice in the Lord always.” The Apostle Paul repeats his command in verse 4 to rejoice in the Lord often because he knows that if we are rejoicing in the Lord, we will have no spirit to complain or grumble about our brothers or sisters in Christ. What about you? Do you rejoice in the Lord? Pray for the Lord to fill you with His spirit and give you the joy of the Spirit.
Second, we must be gentle. Verse 5 says you must “let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” The commentator Lightfoot writes “To have a gentle spirit is the opposite of a spirit of contention and self-seeking. This is a spirit of each individual being satisfied with less than his due.” Many people are not gentle because they think they are better than others. By nature we are critical of others because deep within we think everyone else is stupid compared to us. We often think we deserve something someone else has. We must reverse that thinking to live Philippians 2:3-4.
Third, we are to have peace through prayer. We are told in verse 6-7 “to be anxious for nothing….” As followers of Christ we must trust our cares fully to Him. When we trust Christ and through faith offer our prayers and requests to Him then we will know His peace. What about you? What are you anxious about? Don’t be held captive to anxiety, rather cry out to Jesus and tell Him about your cares. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit and give you peace.
