Chapter 1, Verse 26 “…so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”
Paul is considering what his being still alive and even free from jail might mean to the Philippian church. What would be better for them than that he would come to them again? This of course did come to pass. In his letter to Philemon, he asked for a room to stay in when he got there.
The word rendered ‘glory’ in the ESV is a difficult word to move directly to English. It is translated ‘joy’ in the RSV, but it is more than joy. It could be translated ‘boast,’ but that word often carries a negative connotation which is not warranted here. Paul’s release from prison and return to Philippi would be, on their part, the cause of great joy and boasting. Not bragging, but rejoicing in that God had answered their prayers. That is the sense in which the ESV uses ‘glory.’
That glorious joy which will come to the Philippian brethren is found in the work of Jesus Christ as answer to their prayers. What Jesus is doing in the life of Paul and ultimately in the life of the Philippians is cause for the expression of great glory/boasting.
Task for Today: Count your blessings. Give credit to Christ Jesus for what He is doing in your life on a day-by-day basis. Look around you and find glory in the things Christ is doing in your family and the congregation where you serve. Praise the one from whom all blessings flow.
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