If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2)
Does it show?
Does your relationship with Christ have a visible effect on who you are in the world?
Does your fellowship with other believers reflect the fellowship you have with the Holy Spirit?
It should, you know.
Let that be the focus of your prayers this morning, as you head out into a week filled with people who are not as easy to love as Jesus is.
To fully grasp my sadness, you must understand that the garbage disposal is one of my all-time favorite household appliances. It has one, simple purpose—to eat—and it does that exceedingly well. It does not seek to glorify itself—no, it stays out of sight under the sink, bothering no one and taking up no precious counter space. It doesn’t need bright colors or fancy names or hand embroidered covers. It just wants to make my life better by consuming everything in the kitchen that annoys or disgusts me. Continue reading →
Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27)
What will happen to you today?
Oh, you can probably guess a good portion of it, but you don’t really know, do you? Laughter, tears, love, anger, pain, joy, indigestion—who knows what the next hours hold?
Better question—How will you conduct yourself today?
Will your laughter be at others…or with them?
Will your tears be for yourself, or for the broken?
For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)
Is it?
Is your purpose, every day, to get closer and closer to Jesus? To bring him honor and glory with your every breath? To know him, and then know him better?
Do you look to the eventual end of your life as the fulfillment of all your earthly desires? The great graduation day when you receive all that you have earned, and all that you could never earn?
Oh, Beloved, I hope so.
As for me, I still let the mundane cloud my view of eternity far more often than I would like.
I’m going to make this verse my prayer today, with the hope that the power of the Holy Spirit will drive it deep into my soul and make it who I am.
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.
The other night, 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 wrote 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.
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.
…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. You can, however, 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.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ… (Philippians 1:9-10)
Love without understanding is dangerous. Love alone can be misguided, and can lead to rash, emotion-driven decisions that sometimes do more harm than good. That’s why God always seeks to guide our love with knowledge. Knowing God’s word, understanding what it teaches, allows you to love in strength and truth, not just sentiment. Spend some time in the Word today. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to teach you the best way to love the people around you, with a love that will further the Kingdom of God, and will keep you in right paths.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2)
Our garbage disposal died.
Broken AC.