Parting Words of Joyful Legacy

At first glance, the closing words of Paul in Philippians might seem to be little more than the polite things someone writes when wrapping up their final thoughts at the close of a letter. Not so with Scripture. We need to realize that these closing words are as important as every other word in Philippians because they are all equally God’s words. Plus, there’s one other thing we must consider. When Paul finished his letter, he was still a prisoner in Rome, accused of terrorism against the Empire. He was waiting to stand in court before crazy Emperor Nero who routinely slaughtered Christians who came before him for trial. Honestly, Paul didn’t know if he would live or die. So as he wrote, for all he knew, these were very possibly his last words! Consequently, he chose his words extremely carefully. These are words chosen to leave a legacy summarizing the theme of the letter to the Philippians ... how to live joyfully in Jesus no matter what life brings. Paul’s closing truths about joy revolve around God’s glory, God’s people, and God’s grace. The Holy Spirit wants to sculpt our thinking with these three themes not only for us to truly experience Jesus’ joy in our lives, but because He plans for us (like Paul) to leave a legacy of Christ’s joy to those we connect with daily.