A Life Worthy

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  (Philippians 1:20)

The word that strikes me in this verse is courage.  The walk of faith is not for the faint of heart.  If I want my life to exalt Christ, it will take courage.

And I have so stinking little.

A while back, I encountered a man who was perhaps not entirely stable.  He was sitting at a table in a coffee shop, sort of streaming consciousness to whomever might be listening.  Some of what he was saying was a denial of the deity of Christ.

I knew I should talk to him, but for the longest time I just sat and tried to ignore him.

While I typed a devotion on preaching Christ.

Why?  Hard to articulate, but it comes down to fear.

Eventually, I went over and engaged him in gentle debate—if I hadn’t, I doubt that I would be sharing this with you.  I didn’t change his mind, but I stood.

I take minor victories where I can get them.

Pray for me, and I will pray for you, that we will have the courage to live a life that glorifies God.

Be not ashamed, Beloved.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.  (Philippians 1:12-14)

I once ran over my foot with a pallet jack loaded with cases of soup.

I don’t recommend it.

The wheel of the pallet jack ran up my foot, paused ever so briefly, and returned to the ground.  During its journey, it took a moment to split my big toe like a grape.

It hurt.  A lot.

The guys I worked with at the grocery store gathered around and tried to help…but there’s not much you can do for a popped toe.  One of them, knowing I am a Christian, offered the following:  “Hey, you’re not allowed to cuss, are you?  Want me to cuss for you?” He then proceeded to turn to the store at large and scream a most creative string of profanities.  Fortunately for us all, the customer count was pretty low at 1:00 a.m.

I became a bit of a curiosity for the guys, because although the pain was pretty intense, I didn’t pitch a fit or curse the heavens.  As it happened, from that day on they took me, and perhaps my faith, a little more seriously.

Did what happened to me serve to advance the gospel?  I think, in a really truly very small way, yes.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you have never been imprisoned because of your faith in Christ.  I certainly haven’t.  I’d be hard pressed to show any moment in my life in which I was persecuted for the gospel.  But difficult things have happened to me, just as they happen to you.  The way that we respond to these difficulties shines like a beacon to the people around us.

Today, tomorrow, this week or next, something hard is going to come your way.  When it happens, let it serve to advance the gospel.  Let those who see you see that you are different.  Maybe they’ll even ask you why you’re different.

Then you get to tell them.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Philippians 1:9-10)

Alpha and Omega.

From A to Z.

Beginning to end.

Forever.

Almighty.

All

Mighty.

That pretty much covers it, wouldn’t you say?

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever!  Amen (Revelation 1:5-6).

I decided to stay with Revelation for a while, so let’s jump back to the beginning.

What are the greatest psychoemotional needs a person can have?

To be loved—Hey, you are loved by the author of love himself.

To be free—You are free from the sin that bound you to an eternity of darkness and death.

To have an identity—You are a member of His kingdom, and a priest at His temple.  As a matter of fact you are His temple.

To have purpose—Yep, you’ve got that, too.  You get to serve the only One worth serving.

As you move into your Tuesday, consider this: He knows your needs, and he has already met them.  You are complete.  You are whole.

You are Beloved.

Happy Tuesday.

…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:11).

Notice that the “Fruit of Righteousness,” the right behavior expected of you as a Christian, comes from the same source as righteousness itself.

Jesus Christ.

You can’t manufacture fruit any more than you can manufacture righteousness, so stop trying.

Seriously—knock it off.

If you want the fruit of righteousness, you’re going to have to let God develop it in you.  It goes back to what we were talking about yesterday.  As you grow in knowledge of God’s word, God can use that knowledge to develop wisdom and discernment in you.  You will know the right thing to do, and you will be empowered to do it.

Remember, God’s got a vested interest in you.  He wants to give you wisdom and discernment so that you can glorify him.  In a man that might sound self-seeking; in God, it just sounds right.

So let God do what he does.  He’s really, really good at it.

Happy Friday, Beloved.