Joyful Living Devotional - Day 34
Day 34 - Stay True, Stand Firm!
Philippians 4:1 (NLT) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
On the heels of these great statements about citizenship and the glorious return of Jesus, which will completely transform the whole world, including our own bodies, Paul encourages the Philippians to remain true to the Lord or to be firm in the Lord. Knowing who we belong to and what future awaits us should be the very reason for our strengthened confidence. It bears repeating that the affection is evident in Paul’s writing to the Philippians. He wants them to continue what was started through the work of the Holy Spirit. He wants them to one day stand before the Lord and be found faithful.
To stand firm or true connotes being able to stand under judgment or to be approved. It is the same word we find in Romans 14:4 (NIV): “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand” (emphasis added). The message remains the same whether Paul writes to the Philippians, Romans, Corinthians, or Thessalonians. He desires that all of them be found faithful one day. But each is responsible for what they do with what they have received. That’s why he says: “To his own master, he stands or falls.” Leave the judgment to the Lord. You work on your own faithfulness and obedience.
To stand strong can also describe soldiers in battle as the enemy bears down on them. For believers, the only way to remain strong is to stay in the Lord: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV). The crushing of the enemy of our faith is not the result of our strength but of our humble submission to the Lord. We don’t overcome in our strength, we overcome in the Lord’s strength. We humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, resist the devil, and then he flees. We don’t resist, and the devil flees; we submit to God, and only once we have submitted is strength released for victory. To the Romans, Paul writes in Romans 16:20 (ESV): “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
As C.S. Lewis so succinctly put it: “On the back of Satan's neck is a nail-scarred footprint.”
The tone with which Paul addresses the Philippians is not one of waving his finger in their faces and saying, “You’d better do this.” Absolutely not! He appeals to them as a father would to his children. We saw in verse 18 of the previous chapter that he writes with tears streaming down his cheeks about those whose conduct shows they are enemies of the cross. He affectionately calls the Philippians “my brothers,” showing a relationship: my dear friends, or more closely, my beloved. He states, “I love you and long to see you.” Paul longs for them, wanting to see them and wanting them to remain true to the Lord and firm in their relationship with Christ Jesus.
He calls them his joy and his crown. The word Paul uses for crown is not one you would associate with royalty or kingship. It is more like the crown a winning athlete would receive in the games or the crown a guest would wear at a banquet or celebration. It’s as if Paul is saying: “Picture this, guys. We are all one day sitting at the banqueting table at the celebration of the wedding supper of the Lamb. I am there, you are there, and my joy and my crown would be that we all finish well. That you guys did not get sidetracked by foolish, empty philosophies or self-effort to please the Lord, but you stood firm, stayed faithful, and now we are all experiencing the joy of finishing well!”
Love motivates Paul. He does not want to labor in vain or build with the wrong materials. He seeks to be effective for God’s kingdom and obedient to the heavenly calling he received. Paul has a passion for Christ and the Philippian church. This love motivates and encourages him, fueled by a heart that simply wants to obey Christ. He writes to the Thessalonians, “It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 NLT). When others stand firm for the Lord, it fuels Paul to keep pressing on despite the opposition and difficulty he faces wherever he goes. What fuels your obedience? Will you be found faithful? Do you get excited when others grow in their faith? Do you have the love and passion to connect with others in community so you can help them grow in their faith, or is it all about you?
1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV) Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Each of us has been given a responsibility to bear for God’s kingdom. We do not all have the same gifts, responsibilities, or even the same opportunities. No believer is called to do nothing. We are all called to do something. What is your something? Have you considered, asked, pondered, or sought the Lord? What or who will be your crown when you are seated at the great marriage feast of the Lamb?
“The Scripture promises rewards for our service as a motivation for faithful ministry. And for the Christian, at least, this promise is true and guaranteed regardless of the apparent success or rewards received here in time. Sometimes it appears that doing what is right goes without obvious blessing or reward. Faithful service may not lead to recognition, a promotion, or the raise one counted on—maybe not even a thank you. And often, faithfulness, especially when it is to Christ and biblical principles, can lead to persecution. But as Christians, we must never allow the absence of immediate reward or blessing to deter us from steadfast faithfulness… Scripture promises that if we continue to be faithful to the Lord, we will eventually receive rewards for our efforts. If not in this life, definitely in the life to come (1 Cor. 15:58).”
– J. Hampton Keathley
Stay true to the Lord, stay connected in community, do what the Lord asks, and let Him lead you.
Prayer:
(1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 NLT)
“9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. 10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. 11 May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”
Philippians 4:1 (NLT) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
On the heels of these great statements about citizenship and the glorious return of Jesus, which will completely transform the whole world, including our own bodies, Paul encourages the Philippians to remain true to the Lord or to be firm in the Lord. Knowing who we belong to and what future awaits us should be the very reason for our strengthened confidence. It bears repeating that the affection is evident in Paul’s writing to the Philippians. He wants them to continue what was started through the work of the Holy Spirit. He wants them to one day stand before the Lord and be found faithful.
To stand firm or true connotes being able to stand under judgment or to be approved. It is the same word we find in Romans 14:4 (NIV): “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand” (emphasis added). The message remains the same whether Paul writes to the Philippians, Romans, Corinthians, or Thessalonians. He desires that all of them be found faithful one day. But each is responsible for what they do with what they have received. That’s why he says: “To his own master, he stands or falls.” Leave the judgment to the Lord. You work on your own faithfulness and obedience.
To stand strong can also describe soldiers in battle as the enemy bears down on them. For believers, the only way to remain strong is to stay in the Lord: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV). The crushing of the enemy of our faith is not the result of our strength but of our humble submission to the Lord. We don’t overcome in our strength, we overcome in the Lord’s strength. We humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, resist the devil, and then he flees. We don’t resist, and the devil flees; we submit to God, and only once we have submitted is strength released for victory. To the Romans, Paul writes in Romans 16:20 (ESV): “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
As C.S. Lewis so succinctly put it: “On the back of Satan's neck is a nail-scarred footprint.”
The tone with which Paul addresses the Philippians is not one of waving his finger in their faces and saying, “You’d better do this.” Absolutely not! He appeals to them as a father would to his children. We saw in verse 18 of the previous chapter that he writes with tears streaming down his cheeks about those whose conduct shows they are enemies of the cross. He affectionately calls the Philippians “my brothers,” showing a relationship: my dear friends, or more closely, my beloved. He states, “I love you and long to see you.” Paul longs for them, wanting to see them and wanting them to remain true to the Lord and firm in their relationship with Christ Jesus.
He calls them his joy and his crown. The word Paul uses for crown is not one you would associate with royalty or kingship. It is more like the crown a winning athlete would receive in the games or the crown a guest would wear at a banquet or celebration. It’s as if Paul is saying: “Picture this, guys. We are all one day sitting at the banqueting table at the celebration of the wedding supper of the Lamb. I am there, you are there, and my joy and my crown would be that we all finish well. That you guys did not get sidetracked by foolish, empty philosophies or self-effort to please the Lord, but you stood firm, stayed faithful, and now we are all experiencing the joy of finishing well!”
Love motivates Paul. He does not want to labor in vain or build with the wrong materials. He seeks to be effective for God’s kingdom and obedient to the heavenly calling he received. Paul has a passion for Christ and the Philippian church. This love motivates and encourages him, fueled by a heart that simply wants to obey Christ. He writes to the Thessalonians, “It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 NLT). When others stand firm for the Lord, it fuels Paul to keep pressing on despite the opposition and difficulty he faces wherever he goes. What fuels your obedience? Will you be found faithful? Do you get excited when others grow in their faith? Do you have the love and passion to connect with others in community so you can help them grow in their faith, or is it all about you?
1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV) Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Each of us has been given a responsibility to bear for God’s kingdom. We do not all have the same gifts, responsibilities, or even the same opportunities. No believer is called to do nothing. We are all called to do something. What is your something? Have you considered, asked, pondered, or sought the Lord? What or who will be your crown when you are seated at the great marriage feast of the Lamb?
“The Scripture promises rewards for our service as a motivation for faithful ministry. And for the Christian, at least, this promise is true and guaranteed regardless of the apparent success or rewards received here in time. Sometimes it appears that doing what is right goes without obvious blessing or reward. Faithful service may not lead to recognition, a promotion, or the raise one counted on—maybe not even a thank you. And often, faithfulness, especially when it is to Christ and biblical principles, can lead to persecution. But as Christians, we must never allow the absence of immediate reward or blessing to deter us from steadfast faithfulness… Scripture promises that if we continue to be faithful to the Lord, we will eventually receive rewards for our efforts. If not in this life, definitely in the life to come (1 Cor. 15:58).”
– J. Hampton Keathley
Stay true to the Lord, stay connected in community, do what the Lord asks, and let Him lead you.
Prayer:
(1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 NLT)
“9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. 10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. 11 May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional