“The Lord Is at Hand”

by Mitchell Tan
February 27, 2019

CONSCIOUSNESS OF “THE LORD IS AT HAND”

In life and in service, a servant of the Lord should always have a deep consciousness of Him. This was something that the apostle Paul had practised. He was most aware that the Lord was at hand.

“The Lord is at hand.”
Philippians 4:5

How do we understand the idea of “the Lord is at hand”? In Greek, it means that the Lord is near. There are two aspects to it.

1. THE SPIRITUAL NEARNESS OF THE LORD HIMSELF

Paul was conscious of how the Lord was very near him. There was that sensitivity to sense that the Lord’s presence was there with him. He had developed a close relationship with the Lord through the years. The Lord Jesus had taught His disciples to abide in Him and He in them (John 15:4). Even as Paul thought of dealing with the issue of difficulties with fellow servants of God, he was conscious of the Lord’s closeness to him and with the Philippians. This was what the Philippians should focus on too. There should be a greater consciousness of His nearness.

2. THE PHYSICAL NEARNESS OF THE LORD’S SECOND COMING

Another aspect to the Lord’s nearness is His second coming.

A. WITH REFERENCE TO THE LORD’S COMPLETE WORK IN OUR LIFE

“That He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”
Philippians 1:6

B. WITH REFERENCE TO OUR EFFORTS TO BE BLAMELESS

“That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ”
Philippians 1:10

C. WITH REFERENCE TO THE FULLNESS OF OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST

“From which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Philippians 3:20-21

Even as the Lord’s coming is near, the focus of the Philippians should not be each other. It should be His coming and the need to resolve all difficulties so that they could be blameless when He comes.

PRACTICING THE PRINCIPLE OF GENTLENESS

“Let your gentleness be known to all men.”
Philippians 4:5

With these two aspects of the Lord’s nearness in mind, the challenge is to practise gentleness to all men. The Greek word for “gentleness” is the word “epieikes”. It means to be gentle by being gracious and fair. Gentleness is also mentioned as part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). The word “gentleness” in the Greek is the word “prautes”. It has a different nuance where the emphasis is on meekness. It is being gentle in meekness. We can seek to be gentle in all things.

1. TOWARDS FELLOW BRETHREN

In the light of the unresolved difficulty between Euodia and Syntyche, Paul was challenging the brethren to be gentle and gracious as they relate to each other. There was no need to be angry and to strive with each other.

2. TOWARDS THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE

We should also show our gentleness and meekness as we relate to those who are outside. Let’s learn to be gentle to all men. Let’s seek to reflect the Lord’s gentleness in all that we do and say.

Back to Article Listing

More Articles

View more