Gordon Fee on Rejoicing in the Lord

Mark Roberts, head of Laity Lodge, reports on a speech there by well respected scholar (and one of my favorite authors) Dr. Gordon Fee. Dr. Fee was teaching on Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. You can read the whole thing at Gordon Fee on Rejoicing in the Lord | www.markdroberts.com

I won’t summarize Gordon Fee’s teaching here. But I do want to mention something he said almost as an aside. He was dealing with Philippians 3:1, which says, “Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.” Gordon explained that this is not a command to feel happy feelings. Paul is not saying, “Rev yourself up and be joyful.” Rather, this is a command to praise the Lord, to worship God. It may well be that when we do this, we will feel joy. But that’s not the main point. Paul is repeating in Philippians what can be found throughout the Psalms: calls to praise God through joyful expression.

Gordon Fee has nothing against feeling happy, I’m quite sure. But his take on Philippians is a helpful one. Perhaps you have wondered how you’re supposed to make yourself feel joyful when your down in the dumps. It can almost seem as if Paul is telling us to do the impossible. But when we understand that he is calling us to praise God, then we’re released from the task of having to make ourselves feel a certain way, a task that often leads to denial and pretending.

Today, I will rejoice in the Lord. No matter what happens, or does not happen, may Jesus Christ be praised!