Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! (Philippians 3:1)
First thing
Last thing
Every thing
Rejoice in the One who has formed you out of dust and love, who has called you to be his beloved, who has set you apart and sealed you as his own. He knows you completely, and loves you anyway. Every dark thing in this world and in your life will be overwhelmed and overcome by the power of his love and holiness.
He is King.
He is God.
He is yours
and
you are his.
Rejoice, Beloved!
Happy Thursday
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing (Philippians 2:16).
I’m a teacher, and as I read this a couple of thoughts pop into my head.
One, this is a really long sentence. Paul…Buddy…I know this is translated from Greek and all, but you oughta review your punctuation.
Two, I identify with this. I mean, I’m just a middle school teacher, but like all teachers I take a measure of success or failure from my students’ performance. I know that there are a thousand things that affect their scores over which I have zero influence. Still, my success is tied up in theirs. When they pass the test, so do I. When they fall short…
And Paul was so much more than their teacher. He was the founder of their church, their mentor, their spiritual father…their apostle.
And he was watching to see that his work had not been in vain.
Beloved, who has invested in your life? Who has run and labored on your behalf? Remember them today. Pray for them. Reach out to them if you can, and let them know that you know…you know?
Happy Wednesday, Beloved.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life… (Philippians 2:16)
You walk out into the world today carrying the greatest treasure imaginable.
Don’t grip it in a clenched fist, Beloved.
Hold it loosely
and
release it
with joy.
Happy Tuesday, Beloved.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe… (Philippians 2:14)
Like a star
But not a star
You and I are more like moons, reflecting the light of the Son. When we do our jobs right, we reflect pure light onto a dark world. When we get a little too full of ourselves, and maybe start thinking that’s our light pouring out on the world, well…
Have you ever seen an eclipse?
Shine today, Beloved.
Happy Monday
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children without fault in a crooked and depraved generation… (Philippians 2:15)
Blameless because he took the blame.
Pure because he purified you.
Faultless because he chose not to assign fault.
It’s not because of you, Beloved.
It’s for you
and through you.
You don’t have to make it happen.
Just let it happen.
Happy Friday, Beloved
Do everything without complaining or arguing… (Philippians 2:14)
Remember, Paul’s talking to the Church here. These are believers, Christ followers, ambassadors of hope in a really sad, perverse, messed-up world.
Kinda like ours.
Beloved, look at the news.
Look out the window.
This is a time to remember what unifies us, not what pulls us apart. Yes, there are non-negotiables of the faith–the nature of God, and of Man, and of the Word–but they are comparatively few. Most of the things that separate us are not essential to the core of life with Christ. And while we bicker, the world is blown further and further from the Truth.
As an old pastor of mine would say, there are elephants and there are peanuts. Deal with the elephants, and don’t worry about the peanuts.
Happy Thursday, Beloved
Do everything without complaining… (Philippians 2:14)
Think about it–complaining is basically saying to God, “You’re doing this part wrong, Lord of the Universe. I’m annoyed with the plan that you have for me, and I don’t really trust that you’ve got it all under control.”
I’m not a trained theologian, but I’m thinking that is not the best way to pursue one’s relationship with the Almighty.
Is Paul telling me that I can’t be frustrated when I don’t understand what’s happening and why it’s happening? No…I’m pretty sure God understands frustration, and he wants us to be honest with him.
But complaining is more than just getting frustrated every once in a while. Complaining is an attitude of the heart, and it brings you and everyone around you down.
So knock it off, you little whiner.
Oh, sorry–did I write that out loud? I was looking in the mirror.
Beloved, if you trust God, if you believe he is in control, if you know in your heart that he wants what’s best for you, then relax and let him do the God part.
You do the you part.
Which, frankly, is enough to keep us all busy, ya?
Happy Wednesday, Beloved.
…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13)
Let’s face it–without the Holy Spirit, not only are you not able to be the person God has called you to be,
you don’t even want to be.
He gives you the desire to follow him, and then he equips and enables you to follow him. He gives you the desire to glorify him, and then he provides the strength and opportunity to do it.
So that part where you feel like you’re not strong enough, or brave enough, or good enough, or wise enough, or dedicated enough?
That’s true.
It’s also irrelevant.
God hasn’t called you to be anything
except his.
Happy Tuesday, Beloved.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling… (Philippians 2:12)
Your destination is assured, but you still have to take the journey.
No, Beloved, Paul isn’t saying that you have to earn your salvation. He’s spent a lot of ink teaching us that our salvation is a gift, purchased with the very life of God’s only Son, and that we need only to receive it.
But there’s a process.
There’s a road between who we are and who we’re called to be.
And it’s work, because the road is long and rough and steep.
And there’s fear, because we can’t yet see the finish line, and sometimes we wonder if we’ll ever get there.
And we tremble, because we have used up all the strength in our spiritual muscles, and they twitch with exhaustion, and the road is still before us.
There are steps God’s going to call you to take today, steps you won’t want to take because you are tired and scared and frustrated and feeling like you’re making no progress toward the goal.
Take the steps, Beloved.
They lead home.
Happy Monday.
…to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11b)
It was all for the Father’s glory.
Exalted to the highest place…
given the name above all names…
every knee bowing…
every tongue confessing him Lord…
All of it
Looking back at these verses, it seems that Christ’s whole purpose was to obey, and by obeying glorify, the Father. Yes, he came to die for us, but isn’t that also serving the higher purpose of glorifying God? He came, he died, he rose, to bring the Father glory.
For God so loved the world that he sent his Son…
Never has there been a life more worthy.
So, Beloved of Christ. What within you is “to the glory of God the Father?” What within you cries out to obey, and by obeying glorify, him?
Listen to that something.
Follow that something.
Happy Friday, Beloved