Joyful Living Devotional - Day 2
Day 2 – Strategic Partnership
Philippians 1:3-5(NLT) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
All of us have people in our lives for whom the very thought of them brings fondness and even a smile to our faces. The affection we have for them is evident in the way we think and feel. When I think of my beautiful grandbabies and their unique personalities, I can’t help but smile and feel a deep sense of love, affection, and gratitude for the gifts they are to our family. Paul reveals his fondness for the Philippians. He tells them that just the thought of them brings gratitude toward the Lord and produces joy when he prays for them.
Paul’s affection for them is rooted not only in the fact that we are to love one another as followers of Jesus, but also in the Philippians becoming his partners in spreading the Good News about Christ. When you read the Book of Philippians, it may seem that Paul is only thanking them for their financial support toward the end of the letter. The language of thanksgiving, joy, and partnership that Paul uses at the beginning of the letter clearly expresses gratitude for their help. Paul is not merely saying that he remembers them when he thinks about them and when he prays, but that he knows, through their generosity, that they are remembering him as well.
Paul's partnership with the Philippians was not just a one-time thing. It was an ongoing commitment from the very beginning of his ministry to them. He commended them for being his partners in spreading the gospel, from the very first time they heard it to the moment he wrote this letter. It was their spiritual and financial partnership with Paul that enabled him to continue preaching the Good News of Christ Jesus.
In any endeavor in life, if you want to succeed, you need strategic partnerships. Without help, none of us can succeed. There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman; anyone who has achieved some measure of success has received help from others. As Alex Haley said: “If you see a turtle on a fence post, someone put him there…” King Solomon, one of the wisest people who ever lived, wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT), “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.”
We instinctively know it is true: two are better than one. Yet we find ourselves isolating and insulating ourselves from others and their needs. We drift further and further from community because we would rather go it alone than risk ourselves relationally. The problem with going it alone is that we were not made to do so. We were created for community, for family. An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” How far do you want to travel? How much do you want to accomplish for God’s kingdom? Are you willing to build intentional, strategic relationships that bring glory to God, are good for others, and are beneficial for you?
We need others, and others need us. The key to strategic partnership isn't asking what others can do for me or even what I can do for others. The real question is: “What am I a slave to?” Whoever or whatever enslaves us controls us! We are bondservants of Christ. He controls us. When you allow Christ to control your life, partnering with others becomes a natural outcome. When we are truly bondservants of Jesus, we desire to work together with others to benefit God’s kingdom.
Our challenge is that we allow something other than Christ to control us, which leads us to a place where grace is limited, peace is absent, joy is sporadic, and partnership with others is nonexistent.
Augustine said, “God provides the wind; man must raise the sail.” Are you willing to partner with others to raise the sails and allow the Holy Spirit to guide all of us in the direction He wants us to go? We will never regret partnering with others for the privilege of spreading the good news of Christ.
Prayer:
Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a willing heart to partner with others for the sake of the gospel.
God uses all kinds of people to build His kingdom; some may not fit your idea of who should be used. Are you willing to lay down your biases to work with people who are different from you? Ask the Lord to remove any prejudices you have toward others, and pray that He would help you see people the way He sees them.
Pray for and ask the Lord for a true servant’s heart that reflects Him.
Pray and pursue godly strategic life-giving partnerships. Become intentional in building relationships with others, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where and with whom to start.
Philippians 1:3-5(NLT) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
All of us have people in our lives for whom the very thought of them brings fondness and even a smile to our faces. The affection we have for them is evident in the way we think and feel. When I think of my beautiful grandbabies and their unique personalities, I can’t help but smile and feel a deep sense of love, affection, and gratitude for the gifts they are to our family. Paul reveals his fondness for the Philippians. He tells them that just the thought of them brings gratitude toward the Lord and produces joy when he prays for them.
Paul’s affection for them is rooted not only in the fact that we are to love one another as followers of Jesus, but also in the Philippians becoming his partners in spreading the Good News about Christ. When you read the Book of Philippians, it may seem that Paul is only thanking them for their financial support toward the end of the letter. The language of thanksgiving, joy, and partnership that Paul uses at the beginning of the letter clearly expresses gratitude for their help. Paul is not merely saying that he remembers them when he thinks about them and when he prays, but that he knows, through their generosity, that they are remembering him as well.
Paul's partnership with the Philippians was not just a one-time thing. It was an ongoing commitment from the very beginning of his ministry to them. He commended them for being his partners in spreading the gospel, from the very first time they heard it to the moment he wrote this letter. It was their spiritual and financial partnership with Paul that enabled him to continue preaching the Good News of Christ Jesus.
In any endeavor in life, if you want to succeed, you need strategic partnerships. Without help, none of us can succeed. There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman; anyone who has achieved some measure of success has received help from others. As Alex Haley said: “If you see a turtle on a fence post, someone put him there…” King Solomon, one of the wisest people who ever lived, wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT), “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.”
We instinctively know it is true: two are better than one. Yet we find ourselves isolating and insulating ourselves from others and their needs. We drift further and further from community because we would rather go it alone than risk ourselves relationally. The problem with going it alone is that we were not made to do so. We were created for community, for family. An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” How far do you want to travel? How much do you want to accomplish for God’s kingdom? Are you willing to build intentional, strategic relationships that bring glory to God, are good for others, and are beneficial for you?
We need others, and others need us. The key to strategic partnership isn't asking what others can do for me or even what I can do for others. The real question is: “What am I a slave to?” Whoever or whatever enslaves us controls us! We are bondservants of Christ. He controls us. When you allow Christ to control your life, partnering with others becomes a natural outcome. When we are truly bondservants of Jesus, we desire to work together with others to benefit God’s kingdom.
Our challenge is that we allow something other than Christ to control us, which leads us to a place where grace is limited, peace is absent, joy is sporadic, and partnership with others is nonexistent.
Augustine said, “God provides the wind; man must raise the sail.” Are you willing to partner with others to raise the sails and allow the Holy Spirit to guide all of us in the direction He wants us to go? We will never regret partnering with others for the privilege of spreading the good news of Christ.
Prayer:
Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a willing heart to partner with others for the sake of the gospel.
God uses all kinds of people to build His kingdom; some may not fit your idea of who should be used. Are you willing to lay down your biases to work with people who are different from you? Ask the Lord to remove any prejudices you have toward others, and pray that He would help you see people the way He sees them.
Pray for and ask the Lord for a true servant’s heart that reflects Him.
Pray and pursue godly strategic life-giving partnerships. Become intentional in building relationships with others, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where and with whom to start.
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional