“To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice”
Philippians 1:15-18 CSB

Rejoicing is a word that we do not often hear today. Happy is a more often used term. So when Paul says, “I will continue to rejoice” here, I tend to skim over it without putting a great deal of thought into it. Except, I should put a lot of thought into it. Paul’s rejoicing was in Christ being proclaimed. Period. That is it. There were all sorts of motives going on around him by people preaching Christ. Some good, some not. Yet Paul was concerned with the fact that Christ was indeed being proclaimed.

All around us daily people come and go with motives that may or may not be pure. Their words and/or actions may say one thing, but in their hearts is something different. Their aim is purely selfish or intended to wound us in some way. Yet Paul’s example is not to judge their motives. Are their words and actions proclaiming Christ? If so, we can rejoice. However, I think we need to flip the tables here too. We wake daily with motivations in our heart. Sometimes those motives are selfish. Sometimes they are intended to make people mad or feel like we felt. And in those times, we want to feel justified in our motives by reflecting on what someone else did to “make us” feel this way. These are choices. They are not a direct result of someone else’s short comings or wrong motives. Yes, people can and will hurts us, let us down or use us. That is not right. That is also no excuse for us to harbor wrong motives toward others. Even if no one else sees our motives, The Lord does. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

Christ proclaimed is reason enough for us to rejoice and to keep on rejoicing. As I read somewhere once, to rejoice is to be glad for grace. Oh how glad I am! And oh what responsibility I have to share that grace with others. Rejoicing in the proclamation of the Gospel to those both near and far away.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do I look for happiness in what is going on around me OR do I rejoice in the Grace of God lavished on me?
• Are my motivations in check?
• Do I willingly share God’s grace with others?
• Do I rejoice when others come to Christ or am I skeptical of the change in their lives?

Father, Your grace truly is enough. Forgive me for when I have been skeptical of others, judging their heart and motivation without seeking to see them through Your eyes. Your word says that Love always rejoices in the Truth. Help me to live in the light of Your Truth, rejoicing in Your gracious love.
Amen.