Posts with the category “joyful-living-devotional”

When will you make Jesus Lord of your bank account? When will you make Jesus Lord of your calendar? The day you do, you will find He is more than able to multiply your seed, provide for all you need, ...  Read More

Which group are you in? Are you like the Corinthians, who lacked maturity and therefore generosity, or like the Philippians, who, despite circumstances not conducive to generosity, had abundant joy th...  Read More

How can we be content whether we have a little, a lot, or nothing? How can we be satisfied whether our stomachs are empty or full? We lean on the strength that only Christ Jesus our Lord can provide....  Read More

We set our minds on the truth of God’s Word and on what is honorable. In our culture, honor has left the building. We might know the definition of honor, but few live it out. We strive to be venerable...  Read More

When anxiety prophesies doom and destruction and haunts us like a blazing fire, peace pours out the water of the Word to extinguish the blaze. This peace comes as a result of your union with Christ J...  Read More

The root of conflict is selfishness. Why do we fight? Why do we argue? Why don't we get along? Because I want what I want, and you want what you want. We both insist on the "Burger King Philosophy": H...  Read More

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 a...  Read More

The life we have received, the kingdom to which we belong, and the citizenship granted to us through Christ’s death and resurrection are not shallow, faint, feeble, or fickle. They are glorious and vi...  Read More

If people prayed like you pray, studied God’s Word like you do, related to others like you do, served like you serve, cared for others like you do, connected with fellow believers like you do, did the...  Read More

Maturity means we can handle solid food and digest the hard truth. We can live in the healthy tension between truth and grace without compromising the truth of God’s Word or short-circuiting the tende...  Read More

The joy of knowing Christ far exceeds any other joy. For Paul, nothing can compare to knowing, following, and even suffering for Jesus. Paul makes it clear to the Philippian church that this is a cons...  Read More

Are you willing to make Jesus your passion, your pursuit, your life? That means coming to the place where Christ alone is enough—where He is everything, even more than life itself. Are you willing to ...  Read More

Nothing should be elevated, pursued, or revered more than Christ. Not your family background, your culture, your nationality, your race, or your religious background is more important than Jesus. When...  Read More

We must understand that joy is serious business. Joy is our protection, our safeguard, and our reflection of heaven’s quality. It is our portion and power, our victory and deliverance, and our freedom...  Read More

One of the main reasons for the letter to the Philippians was that Epaphroditus, a man from the church in Philippi, was sent to deliver a gift to Paul while he was in prison in Rome. As you will see, ...  Read More

One of life’s greatest blessings is to have people in your life that you can lean on, trust, and rely on; people who are trustworthy in every way. Enter Timothy! Paul, the faithful apostle of the Lord...  Read More

It is easy to forget how many gave their lives so that we could have the Bible. Yet we sometimes struggle to make the small sacrifice of reading and studying the Word daily. Even today, people are per...  Read More

As we work out our salvation, there is an innocence and purity that mark our inner lives and outward actions, which are evident to those who do not live for Christ. We reflect this purity and innocenc...  Read More

Day 21 – Obedience That Is Reflected in CommunityPhilippians 2:12-13 (NLT) 12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. ...  Read More

Day 20 – The Exaltation of Christ Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT) 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,10 that at the name of Jesus every kn...  Read More

Jesus has become our wisdom. He does not merely give us wisdom; He is our wisdom. That is the very reason Paul paints this striking picture of Christ’s humility for the Philippians and for us. We emul...  Read More

The truth about our attitudes is that we choose them. The attitude you have in this very moment, even as you read this devotional, is 100% your choice. Here is my definition of an attitude: “It is a s...  Read More

The day we take full responsibility for how we relate is the day we take a step toward maturity. If you find your encouragement, comfort, and fellowship in Christ Jesus, you will have a tender, compas...  Read More

With Christ’s love as our comfort, the Holy Spirit as our Equipper, and tender hearts full of compassion for one another, the world will take notice that we belong to Christ. We are fully equipped to ...  Read More

Day 15 – The Privilege of Trust and SufferingPhilippians 1:29-30 (NLT) 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in...  Read More

Don’t let potential suffering or the weight of intimidation keep you from doing and saying what Christ requires of you. Paul reminds us that we are not standing alone and that, in the end, God will re...  Read More

Are you living as a citizen of heaven? How close are you to your fellow citizens? Remind yourself daily what representing heaven looks like and what your role is in it....  Read More

Whether living or dying, the believer already has victory in both! Therefore, joy is not absent in life or even in death. Living means we have opportunities to work with others to build God’s kingdom ...  Read More

Living life to its fullest can mean so many different things to different people. What does it mean to you? As a Christ follower, what should it mean? Will you be able to say what Paul said? He fully ...  Read More

The key to partnering with others in prayer, as Paul and the Philippians did, is loving one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot become true prayer partners unless our hearts have been b...  Read More

Who are you partnering with in prayer? Who are you praying for, and who are you praying with? Paul had a relationship with the church in Philippi, born of the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus and t...  Read More

It is sometimes difficult for us to wrap our minds around the fact that God uses all kinds of people to proclaim the message of Jesus, even those with wrong motives. Even when the motive is wrong, the...  Read More

What lens are you viewing your life through right now? Do you think of the bad only as bad, or do you look at your life in view of God’s mercy, grace, and wisdom? The lens you use will determine the l...  Read More

We are being formed when we choose to display goodness instead of indifference, to walk in righteousness instead of compromise, and to live in the power of truth instead of embracing a lie. The eviden...  Read More

We must desire to be so filled with the love of God that our love and Christ’s love become indistinguishable. We love others not merely because we will to love them, but because we are baptized in the...  Read More

The affection and support we show others must be rooted in the love of Christ. Without His love, we cannot be or receive those special kinds of people....  Read More

Day 3 – Not Finished yet!Philippians 1:6(NLT) And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.We...  Read More

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...  Read More

Are you a slave of Christ? Whoever or whatever enslaves us controls us! We are bondservants of Christ; He controls us. When you allow Christ to control your life, freedom is not just possible; it is i...  Read More