There is so much packed into the first few verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, that it would be easier to split his first couple of sentences into two separate parts, even though that means dividing it up mid-sentence.

Take a look at the first part in Philippians 1:3-4:

In order to examine this initial part of Paul’s letter, we will break it into four phrases. But before digging into those, it is helpful to understand that Paul follows a very common procedure in his letter writing during the first century, especially in this letter.

Letters in Paul’s day very commonly included an opening section that was filled with statements of thankfulness, or prayer, or even best wishes to the reader. In Paul’s case here, he fills this with thanksgiving for the church at Philippi. But before he is finished, we will see that he is thankful for several reasons. He is thankful for them overall. He is thankful because they remembered and supported him. He was thankful for their partnership in his ministry. He was thankful because God was working in their lives.

All of this comes out in the next few verses. We will look at a portion of this now, and examine the rest next week.

I thank my God

Right from the very start, Paul states that God is working in the lives of the Philippians. Their generosity was because of God’s involvement in their lives and not simply out of any inherent state of generosity.

Every time I remember you

Have you ever had a friendship that was so meaningful that when they came to mind, which was often, you felt extremely grateful for them? That is how Paul feels. With their love and support, Paul probably thought about them often. And when he thought of them, he thanked God for them.

In all my prayers for all of you

Paul’s love for the church at Philippi was tremendous, and he loved them all. That should be a common feeling for the church we are involved in. They have become family, and we love them all, regardless of who they might be, or what they may have done. Paul loves and prays for the church in Philippi regularly.

I always pray with joy

Joy is a significant theme throughout Philippians, introduced here for the first time. This is not just a feeling or a mood that Paul expresses here. It is a deep sense of confidence that is seated in God’s sovereign control of all things, and the victory we have in Christ. What is even more startling about such joy is that Paul writes of it while in prison. That is joy indeed!

And that joy leads Paul to pray for the Philippians. This is not the usual word for prayer here. Rather, Paul is praying for a specific need, and carrying it before God. Just what that is will not be revealed until latter in the chapter, in verse 9. First, Paul will finish his opening greetings and share his love for the people of Philippi.

In all of this, the encouragement and love flows very clearly, and will continue through the next few verses. Paul’s theme of joy will resound over and over, more than a dozen times in this short letter. Even from the very beginning, it is obvious that Paul has some special relationship with these people, and it is because of his relationship with God that it runs so deep.

That is a good model for us to follow in our own relationships.

Question: Do you have people in your lives that hold a special place such as the Philippians did for Paul? You can leave a comment by clicking here.