PHILIPPIANS‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭‬‬

After Paul is finished admonishing his two sisters to put away their differences for the sake of serving the will of Christ, he gives another command. This is that they rejoice always. Of course this command is premised in the idea of the return of Christ and in what he gives us. It is not simple elation but thoughtful consideration of the circumstances. His calling is to consider things beyond the moment of conflict but instead to rise beyond it to that moment of finalized salvation, where the very sincere arguments that we invested so much of our energy in, are dwarfed in perpetuity by his reign. This perspective should curb any conflict that is petty between believers. It should fill us with hope and mutual admiration for our God. Unfortunately, it seems that this level of maturity is a large part of what is consistently missing amongst believers. They are so locked in this finite moment that they live without joy for the glory that God is, has and will bring. Although this doesn’t remove them from God’s kingdom, it does drastically alter their experience within it. This is why Paul gives such a heavy emphasis to his point: “and again I say rejoice!” A Christian who brings that perspective into the moment will not squabble about half of the things that they do.