"Nevertheless, beautifully you did, having shared with in my affliction."
-Yes, Paul knows that God’s got this and he is indeed content with whatever he has, but he is not going to minimize the excellence of what these believers in Philippi have done for him. He uses the word kalos, which was used by the Greeks to describe whatever was so distinguished in form or excellence as to be pleasing. Depending on the context, it could mean beautiful, handsome, excellent, choice, precious, commendable, admirable, eminent, surpassing, shapely, magnificent. So he’s not merely saying, good job, or, you did well. He is saying, excellent! Magnificent! You have done beautifully! The Greeks greet each other saying kalimera, which we roughly equate to ‘good day’ (think buenos dias or bonjour or dobry den), but that falls a bit short of what they are really saying. They are saying, beautiful day!
“...It means a new day has begun. A day full of sun, sea, joy, happiness, a day full of hope. A day that follows a magical, musical night and leads to something even more promising. A new beginning, a chance to meet new friends, experience new tastes, discover an ancient civilization and live your dreams. As the warm Greek morning takes over, inspiration, inner peace, and love, are only a grasp away. ‘Good morning’ is always said with a smile and heartfelt hospitality. For us Greeks, ‘kalimera’ is more than a word, it is a way of life.”
-It may be interesting to note that this is the language that God wound up choosing to write the New Testament, the language spoken by people who have such a zest for life...! But the point is, that Paul is telling the Philippians, you all have done marvelously! Magnificent!
-And you know, there is indeed power in our words. We not only do so much damage with words that hurt, but we leave so much on the table, so much meat on the bone, so much unsaid when we are restrained in our affections and when we understate or fail to state the positive, things that pertain to life or people. Most of us do fairly well at using build-up words with children (we’ll say, ‘great job, buddy!’ and repeat it once or twice), but something happens when we deal with older folks. We understate and underappreciate. We become sort of been-there done-that (and probably project that on others), and maybe even get a bit jaded and wind up feeling as if adults don’t need or perhaps want such positivity? Silly humans... We would do well to take a cue here from Paul.
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