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 psycho-emotionally stable. Here’s the situation: I was sitting in a coffee shop (back when you could just sit in a coffee shop), working on my One-a-Days.  This man was at a table right in the middle of the room. He sat alone, speaking at full volume, sort of streaming consciousness to the world at large. He waxed eloquent on politics and science and space aliens and economics and religion and space aliens.  Conspiracy theories abounded, and though distracting, it was all quite entertaining.

Except

Some of what he was saying was a blatant denial of Christ.

And he was saying it to a room full of people.

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

While I typed a devotion on preaching Christ.

Ironic much?

Why did I dread the thought of going over there? I mean, I’m a pretty talkative dude, and this guy didn’t seem violent, just….crazy. 

It’s hard to articulate, but it comes down to fear.  Fear of being uncomfortable, fear of looking silly in front of the other customers, fear of being identified with Captain Disturbo, fear that I might not be able to answer his arguments effectively, and might end up doing more harm than good.

Fear

Eventually, I went over and engaged the man in gentle debate—if I hadn’t, I doubt that I would be sharing this story with you. Nothing dramatic happened.  There were no lightning bolts, no angelic choirs. He didn’t break into tears and confess his sins, but he didn’t shiv me, either. I didn’t change his mind, but I stood my ground.

Take those minor victories where you can get them, Beloved.

Pray for me, and I will pray for you, that today we will have the courage to exalt the One who loves us.

Be not ashamed, Beloved.

Happy Tuesday.

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 about 50 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 really 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 does, 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.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

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.

Did I just see a “Been there–done that”  head nod?

I thought so.

That’s why God always seeks to guide our love with knowledge.  Knowing God’s Word, and understanding what it teaches, allows you to love in strength and truth, not just sentiment.  This kind of love doesn’t enable—it empowers.

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 on the right path.

They get love.

You get wisdom.

God gets glory.

Win-Win-Win, Beloved.

Happy Wednesday.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…  (Philippians 1:4-5)

Who did you pray for last week?  Were you able to pray with joy? Paul could, because he was praying for fellow believers. There is a sweetness that comes when you are praying for a “partner in the gospel.” Knowing that they are saved frees you to pray for their sanctification, to pray that they would draw closer to Christ every day.

Pick someone who is your partner in the gospel.  It can be the same person you prayed for last week, or it can be someone else. I’m not keeping track.  Pray for them, that God will draw them closer and closer to himself, and cause them to be conformed to the image of Christ, even this day.

Who knows?  Someone out there may be praying for you.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:2).

Paul begins each of his epistles with these words.

And always in this order.  

Grace and Peace

Go ahead and check for yourself.  I’ll wait…

…

…

See what I mean?

Grace comes first, because without grace there can be no peace.

No peace with God

No peace with family

No peace in your own heart

None of it happens without the grace of God.  And why would it? Without grace, you are judged solely on your own merit.

And you know how far that gets you.

Apart from God’s grace, you are a hopeless, pathetic lump, destined for destruction.

Feeling encouraged yet?

Don’t fret–the encouraging part is coming.

Here it is–but you are not apart from God’s grace, are you, Beloved?  If you belong to Him, you have his grace, sufficient to all your needs. Your pathetic lumpiness has been forgiven, atoned for.  You, my friend, are complete, you are whole, you are loved. You are His.

Nope, peace is not something you can earn or deserve or accomplish.

Only receive.

You can’t get there, but you can be there.

Oh, of course you know that already, you being so spiritual and all.

But Paul seems to think it’s worth the reminder, and who am I to argue?

Walk in grace, Beloved.  And know peace.

Happy Thursday