Stand In The Light

 

Once again, I find myself writing a few devotionals for our church blog, and once again, I would like to share them with you. Here are my thoughts on Philippians 3:

"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8, NKJV).

In the last chapter, we read about the ultimate example of humility that we find in Christ. So, it is rather funny to find ourselves reading Paul's list of accomplishments. It appears that some "believers" were trying to convince the church that salvation came through the cross and circumcision. What was Paul's defense? "For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort" (verse 3).

Paul pulls out his resume, so to speak, to prove to the Philippians that he could, in fact, have confidence in his own effort "if anyone could." Paul was:

• circumcised.
• a pure-blooded Israeli.
• a Benjamite.
• a member of the Pharisees ("who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law").
• a persecutor of the church.
• blameless in the sight of the law.

And what was Paul's response to his lineage and accomplishments? "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done (verse 7). And, "...I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith" (verse 9). What a clear explanation of the Gospel! All of the good things I have done are nothing in comparison to Jesus' blameless life and his sacrifice on the cross. How could I ever earn salvation? How could I ever place the burden of human requirements on top of that?

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The second half of this chapter has long been a favorite for Christians everywhere. I was one of many to make verses 12-14 my life verses. I love how one version phrases verse 12:  "...But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." I am always amazed when I think on how God called me out of darkness into a life He had planned for me. In chapter one, Paul told us that God started a good work in us and He will not quit until He sees that work accomplished. He called me out as His own with the end--my perfection in Christ--already in sight. He sees me as I am, but He also sees me as the spotless bride I will become.

And so we must pattern our lives after Paul and other mature believers. Not only should we act like the citizens of heaven we are, but we should also have the compassion that Paul had for unbelievers and those who are Christians in name only. They have missed the mark because they believe that all there is to life is life here on this earth. When he speaks of the lost as enemies of the cross, he does so with tears in his eyes.

Let no one caught in sin remain

Inside the lie of inward shame

We fix our eyes upon the cross

And run to him who showed great love

And bled for us

Freely you bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with him again

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

Beneath the weight of all our sin

You bow to none but heaven's will

No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown

No burden great can hold you down

In strength you reign

Forever let your church proclaim

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with him again

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

Oh, death! Where is your sting?

Oh, hell! Where is your victory?

Oh, Church! Come stand in the light!

The glory of God has defeated the night!

Oh, death! Where is your sting?

Oh, hell! Where is your victory?

Oh, Church! Come stand in the light!

Our God is not dead; he's alive! He's alive!

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with him again

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

I Am Second

Once again, I find myself writing a few devotionals for our church blog, and once again, I would like to share them with you. Here are my thoughts on Philippians 2:

An old friend used to say, "Have you heard about the book I wrote? It's called, "The 10 Most Humble People and How I Trained the Other Nine."

Obviously, that's not true humility.

True humility is difficult to attain. The moment that you think, "Oh, that was a pretty humble response," you have already been puffed up with pride. We can find examples in Moses and Hannah, in Mary and in Paul. But our ultimate example is in Christ:

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.

When we put on this attitude of Christ Jesus, we find unity in the body. Brothers and sisters stop being self-centered; they stop trying to put on a Christian facade and start looking out for those around them. We see a tender, compassionate church that works together toward the same purpose. This kind of humility allows God's people to practice obedience. How can one submit to authority if one is filled with all sorts of ideas of self importance? Why should I revere and fear God when I worship at the throne of self exaltation?

As members of the body, we cannot find unity with this kind of thinking. We set aside our complaints and arguments to live clean, innocent lives as children of God, "shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people" (verse 15). We can follow Timothy's example and show genuine concern for God's people and for what matters to Jesus, living out the Gospel. We can follow the example of Epaphroditus and endeavor to spread the Gospel, working to the point of death as a true brother or sister. And we can be encouraged and find comfort in the love of Christ and fellowship of the Body.

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P.S. The video at the beginning is rather long, but the best part starts at minute seven. :)

Overflow

Once again, I find myself writing a few devotionals for our church blog, and once again, I would like to share them with you. Here are my thoughts on Philippians 1:

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return" (Philippians 1:9-10, NLT).

This letter to the church in Philippi is particularly close to my heart. While I have memorized different chapters in the Bible, Philippians is the only book I have managed to memorize. And though I can't say I could quote it to you anymore, when I read or hear those words, it's like calling an old friend and picking up right where we left off.

The Philippian church has a special place in Paul's heart. From the very beginning, they have partnered with Paul in spreading the Good News of Christ. He reminds them how very much they mean to him by telling them of how often he joyfully prays for them and how he longs for their spiritual growth.

As he writes from prison, Paul assures the people that he is convinced that his imprisonment is bearing fruit. Rather than hindering his work in the ministry, it has helped to spread the Good News and emboldened the believers around him to speak of God without fear. And even though he knows that some are preaching Christ with pure motives and others with impure motives--making Paul's imprisonment more painful--it doesn't seem to matter. "Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice" (verse 18).

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Paul's "earnest expectation and hope" is that his circumstances will never cause him to be ashamed of the Gospel but continue to spur him on to boldness for Christ. "And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better" (verses 20-21). Life means service and the fruit of that service which is, ultimately, more hearts won over by the Gospel. But death? Well, death means being in the presence of Christ; however, he is convinced that he will make it through these chains alive for their sakes, to help them grow and give them a reason to rejoice.

While they are awaiting Paul's release, the Philippians are to remember their reputation and stand in unity, striving for the faith of the Gospel. Just like we read in Ephesians 6, they are to stand firm against their adversaries. And as they remember the suffering of Paul and, even greater, the suffering of Christ, they must--as we must--see the privilege of suffering for Him.

"We are in this struggle together... (verse 30).

Stand Up

Once again, I find myself writing a few devotionals for our church blog, and once again, I would like to share them with you. Here are my thoughts on Ephesians 6:

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21, NLT).

Submitting to authority can sometimes be a bitter pill to swallow.

In the last chapter, Paul instructs believers to submit to one another. Why? Because we revere Christ. We regard His sacrifice as worthy of great honor, and we choose unity in Christ over our own imagined rights. He shows us how a marriage should be built on mutual respect, with wives submitting to their husbands and husbands submitting to Christ. 

In chapter six, Paul brings the parent-child and master-slave relationships into the picture. Children are to obey their parents because they belong to the Lord. Our obedience is not based on how loving or perfect our parents are at all times but on our love and fear for God. Slaves are to obey their earthly masters "with deep respect and fear." And the next statement is even more challenging:  "Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ" (verse 5).

While we might not understand the intricacies of the master-slave relationship, we can understand the boss-employee relationship. And it seems like the most popular thing to do at a workplace is to complain about those in positions of authority. Yet, we are called to serve those over us with humility and sincerity, as though we were serving Christ! "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people" (verse 7). It can be so difficult to show respect to those we feel have not earned it; however, these can be the perfect opportunities to show others our commitment to Christ.

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At this point, Paul shifts gears and begins to outline for us the familiar passage on the armor of God. Many, many sermons and articles have been written on the different pieces of armor. But some general truths we can take away are:

• Be strong
• Stand firm
• Stand your ground
• Pray persistently in the Spirit--especially for believers and those preaching the Gospel
• Stay alert

And we should remember these truths about the spiritual realm around us: the devil has a plan to bring us down, but God's power is mighty. We cannot let our guard down, for the battle we fight is not against what we can see but against an unseen world. Do not lose hope, but find courage in Paul's final greetings as he closes out his letter:

Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Shooting Star

Once again, I find myself writing a few devotionals for our church blog, and once again, I would like to share them with you. Here are my thoughts on Ephesians 5:

"For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true" (Ephesians 5:8-9, NLT).

Many of you spent a good chunk of your evening tonight at one Super Bowl Party or another. And a majority of you were probably more interested in the commercials than the game--at least until the last quarter. This particular commercial caught the attention of many:

The last part of the poem reminded me of the first verse in Ephesians 5:

[God said, "I need] somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who'd laugh and then sigh...and then respond with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life "doing what dad does". So, God made a farmer!"

Paul begins the chapter by saying, "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children." A son should want to be like his dad--perhaps not always in profession but in character and integrity. Paul also encourages us to follow Christ our brother's example by living a life of sacrificial love. Because of the sacrifice so costly, yet free to us, we should remove ourselves from impurity and greed. The coarse talk that might have spewed forth from our mouths at one time should be replaced by words of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for this new life we have.

We are reminded of the stark difference between our old life and our new life. Our old life was full of darkness and evil, worthless and incurring God's anger. Our new life should be full of light, producing what is good, right, and true. And like a cancer patient who had once been given four months to live but is now cancer free, we should make the most of our time, realizing how short it really is.

In chapter three, Paul delves into the mystery of God's boundless love. In this chapter, he sheds some light on a really profound mystery:  marriage (insert smiley face here).

Seriously, though, Paul shows us how the relationship between husband and wife is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church. Verse 21 through the end of the chapter enlighten us to God's plan for marriage. Study it. Memorize it. And ponder the question Gary Thomas poses in his book, Sacred Marriage:  "What if God's primary intent for your marriage isn't to make you happy. . . but holy?"