To Be Like Jesus

Philippians 2: 1-5

(1) Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 
(2) make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 

(3) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 
(4) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 
(5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. 

WWJD, What Would Jesus Do? What would Jesus think? What attitude would Jesus have on "this" matter I'm facing?

Can I think like Jesus? Can I fill my heart with what fills His heart? Can I live my life among the people in my little world as Jesus would live with these people?

Am I encouraged in my belonging to Christ? Do I have any comfort in His love? Am I aware of being friends, having fellowship, with His Spirit? Is my heart tender or sympathetic toward others, even when I don't agree with their views or lifestyles? 

Father, You are my Provider of everything I need to be like Your Son, My Lord, Christ Jesus. Your great mercy in not giving me the wrath I deserve, having put it all on Jesus on the Cross; Your great grace, cleansing me and giving me all the abundance of Your riches in glory that Jesus deserves and earned for me.

You are now my Daddy (Abba), my good Father. You want only the best for me, so You will train me, discipline me, teach me, lead me and guide me. I put my hand in Yours, but even if I pull away, You will hold my hand firmly, as the good Parent Your are. You will never allow me to get away from You into the path of a speeding truck bearing down on me. You will never allow me to pull away over the edge of a cliff. Your light of Truth illumines each step I take, just as my car headlights light the road before me but not the entire journey. 

I trust You, Father, to keep me on Your narrow path, avoiding all the boulders and potholes and away from the ditches on the right hand and on the left. I don't know what lies around that corner I see up ahead, but I know You do, You have planned out what You want to accomplish in my life, and I don't want to miss any of the details of the good You want for me. 

Keep on keeping on with me, Father, molding me and shaping me, teaching me and disciplining me, making me into the very image of Your dear Son, Who is the image of the Father. You are God, God Almighty, and You are building Yourself a family. Thank You for including me in Your family, Dad. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Opposition Is A Gift From God

Philippians 1: 27-30

(27) Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, 

Live your lives with an attitude of submission to others, as Christ submitted to the will of the Father. Live like the children of the King, as His family all hold the same values. 

so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you 

No matter if he comes or not, he will either see how they are doing, or hear about it. Either way, he will know. 

that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 

He expects them to be loyal to one another as they are to Christ, supporting one another and defending one another in defense of the truth of the gospel. 

(28) in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 

Then anyone who opposes them, attacking with other ideas, will not be able to rile them up, having the peace of Christ and standing firm in the truth. 

This strength seen in God's people will show that those who are willingly in error will be judged, when the Lord returns, if not before. 

And God's people will be rewarded. 

(29) For to you it has been granted

This opposition as well as other lessons and benefits have been given to us as gifts.

for Christ's sake,

Because of, as a result of, what Christ has accomplished as our Substitute.

not only to believe in him, 

Our belief, our faith, our trusting in Jesus is a gift of God, not of ourselves.

but also to suffer for His sake, 

When we are rejected by others, persecuted by others, it's not to make us victims, but to grant us victory over the works of our enemy.

So the faith we have in Jesus to take our place in death in payment of our debt is a gift from God, as He draws us into trusting Him. 

And when we are persecuted and martyred, that is also a gift from God. We may see suffering as other people making us victims, but God grants us this as a means of growing us up to be mature adults in His family, and we will reap the benefits as He receives the glory. 

(30) experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

They are not alone in their suffering, as Paul also is undergoing the same. And God's people have always been subjected to the same kind of opposition and persecution from the world and the devil, as history attests, and is still ongoing even today. 

If someone has slandered you, or spoken against your witness for Christ, or has opposed you in any way; then pray for that person to come to know the Truth, for they have most likely been deceived, and are lashing out from their own misery. Hurt people will hurt other people. Show them kindness and compassion, as you refute their errors. 

O my Father, You are still working out Your plans for Your creation. You are still saving those who turn to You, and protecting Your children. You are still using our choices to further Your plans, and granting us all the consequences of our decisions, whether for our benefit or their destruction. 

O father, strengthen Your sons and daughters against the attacks from the enemy and his minions. Grow us up and mature us to respond to them in Your goodness and graciousness, to win them over by our gentleness, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. 

Father, continue to send out Your children as messengers of Your gospel, to preach Your gospel of love to every living being, and to find all Your lost sheep. Enable us to rescue all of Your embryonic children from the brambles of entangling sin, and the pits of enticing deceit. Help us to pull them lovingly out of the destructive attitudes that are destroying them, and draw them into the safety and healing of Your one fold with one Shepherd. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Hard-Pressed From Both Directions

Philippians 1: 21-26

We will continue to look at Paul's dilemma. 

(21) For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

We saw yesterday that the trial Paul was involved in at this writing was ongoing and he didn't know yet how it would conclude. 

(22) But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 

He is looking at the benefits of both of these possibilities. To win his case would mean that he would be able to continue to work in the promotion of Christ's Kingdom.

(23) But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 
(24) yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 

Paul is "torn between the two," seeing benefits on both sides. He would love to "be with Christ, which is better by far," but he also realizes the benefits to the Philippian believers of continuing ministry on his part.

(25) Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

Paul knows that the Lord is with him, but when he says, I know that I will remain, he's not speaking infallibly as though he has had a revelation; he is expressing his confidence in the Lord to allow him to continue. 

History shows us that he did survive this trial, he was released and traveled again, before the arrest and imprisonment that concluded in his martyrdom. 
 
(26) so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. 

Their confidence is based on the joy in the faith that will result in their further spiritual growth under Paul's continuing ministry to them. 

O my Father, You have given us so much more than we will ever need. Your generosity should encourage us to share everything You give to us, because we are not to be "pools" but "channels" through which God's love and grace flow. 

You have had Paul write that he would rather be with You, but was confident that he would remain to serve Your church. I see this as so generous of him, that You had taught him to be such a wide channel for Your river of knowledge and grace to flow. And it is still flowing, all the way even to me! 

Father, teach me Your generosity, that I would not be selfish with the gifts You have given me; that I would not be focused only on myself and my stuff, but that my eyes would be open to see the needs of others that I could help with. Show me how You want me to be Your hands and feet, distributing Your bounty to all those You place in my path. 

Send all Your children out, Father, send me out; so that all of Your lost children will be found, and all creation will hear of Your love and grace. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus! 





 

To Die Is Gain

Philippians 1: 18b-21

Paul has just proclaimed that he was looking on the bright side of his imprisonment and being put to trial, that it encouraged others to more boldly preach the Gospel. 

(18) ... Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. 
Yes, and I will rejoice, 
(19) for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance 

Even though Paul is suffering physically in prison and being subjected to trial for his beliefs, he is still rejoicing in the midst of it all because he is looking ahead at his deliverance. 

through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Because he knows they are praying for him, this encourages him, and he knows that the Holy Spirit is the power behind their prayers on his behalf as well as his own strengthening in the travails he is currently facing. 

(20) according to my earnest expectation and hope 

Paul is confident in his faith in Christ Jesus. 

that I will not be put to shame in anything, 

To be put to shame is to be found wanting, deficient. He expects that Christ in him will meet his need to answer appropriately and not be at a loss for words.

but that with all boldness, 

His boldness comes from his confidence in his Lord.

Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 

We see that Paul's deliverance is not necessarily his release from confinement by winning his case, but that he would also consider that the losing of his trial ending in execution would still be deliverance, as he would then be with his Lord. 

(21) For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

Christ would be exalted either way, by both his life and his death. 

Paul dedicated his whole life to the one, singular purpose of promoting and proclaiming Christ Jesus. He lived his life the way Jesus would have, in his shoes. So he could say, for him to live his life is Christ working through him, every moment of every day.

Could I say that about my own life?

And to die is to receive all the eternal rewards he had earned, but even more, to be with his Lord who he had loved and served and suffered on account of all his life. All would prove to be worth the great eternal gain of benefits that he will be enjoying forever.

I wonder if I will ever come to that point, that I would not be that concerned whether I live or die. I really like to live, even though I know I will be with Christ when I die. But I don't want to die. 

O my Father, You are great, and good. You do everything You want to do, and You are right in everything You do. What You do is always good, and You are sovereign over all. 

I know that "to live is Christ and to die is gain" in my head; let that understanding seep down into my heart to embrace it, so I will not hesitate when I will face death. Father, let me not love my life even unto death, as Your saints in Revelation 12: 11. 

Father, strengthen all of Your children to be bold witnesses to the world of how much You love them. Use us to share with everyone in a way they can hear it, so that they will have a clear understanding to turn to you. 

And no one will have any excuse for turning away from you. Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 




 

How To Rejoice In Adversity

Philippians 1: 12-18

Paul was in a miserable prison, but he chose to look on the positive aspects of this uncomfortable and painful circumstance. Even though they could have been detrimental to Paul personally, he was instead looking at the advantages to the Gospel.

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 
So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to everyone else, 

Paul's imprisonment in Rome has allowed him to reach the personal Body Guards of the Roman Governor with the Gospel, as well as everyone else in the whole district. 

And that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 

And most of the other Christians who lived in Rome at that time, knowing that Paul was there in the prison, had much more courage to speak out, preaching to others boldly.  

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife but some also from good will; 

He knew that they were preaching with different motives.  

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel; 

Those preaching out of Love for God and love for Paul, were helping him get the word out, working with him. 

The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 

He also knew that others of them were preaching with selfish motives, because they wanted some of Paul's fame and were envious of his popularity.  

What then? 

So what? 

Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in Truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.

Paul was glad that Christ was being preached, regardless of the motives of the preachers. He knew that God doesn't demand perfection in His preachers, only faithfulness to the Truth. And if the Truth of Christ was being proclaimed, then he would rejoice. 

And he would continue to rejoice, and not take any of it personally. He was just focused on Christ, not himself. So he could rejoice. 

I wonder how often Christian workers are envious of other Christian workers, and do their jobs just trying to be better than someone else. Well, if the jobs are getting done, then the Kingdom is being promoted; but those workers will lose their rewards for doing it. 

O my Father, I pray for those who think they are your children, but do not have that relationship with You that You want to have with them, they just practice a religion. Father, I think those are the ones most likely to be envious of someone else's following. Please get a hold of them and show them how much You Love them. 

And I pray for all Your lambs, Father, who have not found their way to You yet. They have lost their way. Please send Your workers into Your missionary fields, to share Your great Love for them with them. 

I pray also for all Christians to be prepared for what You have told us what to expect. Please teach us all, Father, to be strong in Your Spirit; to carry out our responsibilities in our families, and in our neighborhoods and in our places of employment. And to be ready to face our enemies with a positive attitude of compassion and boldness, wearing the Armor of God; so that we will be able to stand against them, and when everything is done, to remain standing.

We are Your children, Father. We are Your princes and princesses. And we are also the living stones of Your Temple, and the soldiers in Your Military. Train us and shape us up to be good soldiers to face the battles, so we will learn to be good sons and daughters of the Great King. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Approve Excellent Things

Philippians 1: 7-11

(7) For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 

They are partakers of grace with him in that, in a sense, they had become partners with him in his imprisonment and legal obligations. Even when it might have been dangerous to identify with Paul openly, they had treated his misfortunes as their own and had come to his assistance with their gifts. 

The defense and confirmation of the Gospel would be the negative and positive aspects of Paul's ministry, defending it from attacks and proclaiming its message with proofs. 

And God's grace in both the imprisonment and the Gospel was seen in the Philippians in sharing Paul's ministry and confinement.

(8) For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 

Jesus loves us passionately, and He also likes us! And Paul likes and loves these believers at Philippi with the same love and affection that the Lord Jesus loves him with. God gives us His love to love others with, and Paul does this.

(9) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

He wants their love to continue to grow into true agape love based on recognized principles from the word of God to understand Divine revelation, enabling them to have moral perception to practically apply genuine love in the myriad circumstances of life. 

(10) so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the Day of Christ; 

In Christian conduct and the exercise of love, discerning what things are excellent would include factors such as one's influence on others and self, and ask not, "is it harmful?" but, "is it helpful?" 

The goal in view is the Day of Christ, in which every believer will stand before his Lord and give an account of his deeds (II Corinthians 5: 10). This sobering and joyous prospect should have a purifying effect on our life. 

(11) having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 

This fruit of righteousness is not mere human uprightness, but the spiritual fruit produced in us by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23). Consequently all the praise and glory will go to God since He did all the work.

O my Father, You are great! You are good! You have planned out our lives so that our choices will bring about Your righteousness in the midst of the evil in the world. Your plans are so clever in Your wisdom that everything in our lives will all work together for our benefit and Your glory. 

Father, help us all to grow in our love for one another, and be able to approve the things that are excellent to do them, instead of the mere common things. Show us how Your power in us in Your Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power to accomplish what we couldn't do in our flesh. Use us, Father, to show the world Your majesty and sovereignty over all. 

Send us out to every living person, to share with them Your love in the Good News of Christ having already provided all they need, so that they will be able to make an informed decision to choose You. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!




 

Rejoice, God Will Finish

Philippians 1: 1-6

(1) Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, 

Paul was most likely in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter, during the process of the trial, which could have ended in either freedom or execution. This would have been his first imprisonment there, from which he was released after two years (Acts 28: 30). 

Timothy was with Paul, and may have been his secretary. 

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 

The saints are the ones who have been sanctified; washed in the blood of Christ and set-apart from the world. All who have been saved and become Christians are saints right now, while they still live. 

And Paul honors the leaders at this church in mentioning them, too. 

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

He is combining both Hebrew and Greek greetings into a distinctly Christian greeting, and these blessings come from both the Father and the Lord jointly. 

(3) I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
(4) always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 

Paul was a praying man. Often he shared his prayers with those He cared for, and he cared for all his brothers and sisters in the Lord, as well as his lost Jewish countrymen and other Gentiles who hadn't heard the Gospel yet. Such a big heart to care for so many.

(5) in view of your participation in the Gospel from the first day until now. 

He was rejoicing in the wonderful rescue and redemption of these fellow believers, and appreciated that they also continuously participated, had fellowship, with him in the Good News from the first day they heard and accepted it.

(6) For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the Day of Christ Jesus. 

This is a wonderful, encouraging promise we can all claim. God always finishes what He starts, and that means you and me, too. When God the Father calls us to faith in the finished work His Son accomplished for each of us on the cross, this is just the birth. Now the newborns need the milk to grow, and then the meat of the word to mature. And God will not stop working on us and in us and even through us, until He is finished with His work. 

He is molding our characters and morals to be identical to His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We are His body, which makes us His hands and feet in this world. 

We are responsible to decide to think the way our Father thinks, and to agree to have His attitudes about people and things we encounter. 

O my Father, help us all to rejoice in one another in the amazing salvation You have provided in Christ Jesus. Show us how to encourage one another in our journey along the narrow path where You have placed our feet. 

Father, teach us how to be only positive in our words toward one another, and to strengthen and deepen our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

Father, grow us up into the maturity of the full stature of the Son of God. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!