But all of this brings us to a question as we stay here in the much more humble world of first-century Philippi and Paul's letter to the people living there. It would be like you or me playing for a penny. And that's it. You rejoice when the Bulls win, but you cry on the rare occasions when they lose. Losing's not as rare for them now as it used to be, but you understand my point.
Nobody rejoices ALL the time.
Interestingly, I find in the finances of Michael Jordan the perfect illustration for this command. At the end of a long road trip, perhaps. He still had his Nike deal and his paycheck from the United Center and owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Because bad times certainly do come to the people of God. I know that, and you know that, and the wonderful people who write to this ministry certainly know that.