Day 29 – Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT) 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

It is abundantly clear what Paul considered garbage and what he considered the most valuable thing in his life. Compared to everything else, the knowledge of Christ was Paul’s greatest pursuit, more than anything he had accomplished or dedicated himself to before knowing Christ. Once Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed. The reality of the risen Christ completely altered the trajectory of the man who had been one of the church’s main persecutors. He went from breathing threats and hunting down men and women to being persecuted for the sake of Christ.

Acts 9:1-2 (NIV) 1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Paul’s encounter with Jesus, while he was actively pursuing his murderous agenda, shows the complete transformation of this Pharisee of Pharisees. From murdering Christians to preaching the Good News of the very One he persecuted, he demonstrates the glorious transformation only Jesus can bring. Paul met Jesus, and everything changed! He is unshakable in his declaration and devotion to make knowing Christ Jesus his primary pursuit in life! He states clearly, “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10a NLT). This was not general knowledge of Jesus or mere mental assent to knowing Him, but an intimate, personal knowledge. I love the language Paul uses in verse 8, “…the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NLT).  He is clear not only in his love but also in his submission to Jesus.

It is clear from the language Paul uses that he is not merely seeking to grasp knowledge of Christ intellectually but wants to know him in a deep, personal way. He wants to experience Jesus in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His suffering. These two truths seem to stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of a Christ-like life. The power of the resurrection speaks of victory over death! Paul knows that without the resurrection, all preaching is useless. What gives the Good News its power is that Christ has risen from the dead! 

1 Corinthians 15:14 (NIV) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

The resurrection power works daily in our lives because the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. The Holy Spirit quickens us in every way to glorify Jesus by breaking patterns in our lives that need to be broken, and it also promises a future resurrection for our mortal bodies. Paul states: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV). Paul recognizes that we all need to experience the power of resurrected living in our daily lives, and he presses into the reality of that truth. He wants to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection, knowing we all will be raised one day just as Jesus was. 

1 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

Paul also recognizes that we not only share in Christ’s resurrection but also in the fellowship of His suffering. I know, I know, we love the power of the resurrection, but we cringe at the thought of suffering. Let me remind you that suffering always precedes the resurrection. The suffering Paul refers to is not merely what we face in the world, as he clearly states that he is speaking of Christ’s suffering. He is not talking about what Jesus suffered on the cross for us, because Christ suffered once for our redemption, and we could not pay that price. We receive what Jesus did by faith. There is, however, a fellowship of His suffering. Whatever it takes, we must give up everything that would keep us from doing the perfect will of God! We see a glimpse of that in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (NIV): “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

What does all this mean for us? What or who is your primary pursuit? What have you counted as garbage so you may gain the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus? Our lives can be so crowded with things we deem important that they hinder us from pursuing what truly matters. If a “to-do list” is the first thing that comes to your mind right now, I want you to dig a little deeper. We hear people talk about having your priorities in order: God, family, church, etc., but Paul is not talking about sorting out our priorities; he is talking about knowing Jesus! Knowing Jesus in the power of resurrected life and the power to endure suffering.

When Christ is your devotion, your pursuit, and your passion, and everything else is but garbage, then and only then will you experience the power of resurrected living and the strength to endure suffering. When you know Jesus, you have power; the power to see that His resurrection power always triumphs over pain, fear, death, brokenness, sickness, emotional turmoil, relational conflict, financial strain, and anything and everything that is hurtful! 

“Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.”
– Thomas à Kempis

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 love Him more than all others? It means loving Christ above all others. More than family! More than husband, wife, children, brother, or sister. To love them all, yet inwardly give them up to Him as a sacrifice to your great love for Christ Jesus, your Lord!

Do that, and you will break through to the glory of His resurrection power and conform to His death.

Prayer:

• Pray that you will be able to see the difference between knowing about Christ and truly knowing Him.
• Ask the Lord to help you establish a consistent daily habit of prayer and of fellowship with Jesus.
• Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a passionate, vibrant, life-giving love and devotion to God’s will in your life. Pray this: “Lord, I desire your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”
• Pray to walk in the power of His resurrection and to be willing to share in His suffering.

Day 28 – Jesus Is More Than Enough!

Philippians 3:5-9 (NLT) 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 7I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. 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.

Throughout Paul's ministry, we see a persistent push from those who wanted to mix the law with grace. The Judaizers were legalistic Jewish Christians who constantly harassed the new churches Paul planted by traveling to these Gentile converts and demanding that they follow the Old Testament law, especially circumcision, to be truly saved. We saw in verse 2 that Paul called them dogs, evildoers, and mutilators. Strong and harsh words, because they were trying to add to God’s grace.

In Galatians, we sense Paul’s frustration when he writes the following in chapter three: “1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”  (Galatians 3:1-6 NIV).

We see in several letters that Paul addresses these issues and sternly warns the Galatian church by asking them several pertinent questions. Paul asks, “Who has bewitched you?”—meaning, who has pulled the wool over your eyes? “What kind of spell are you guys falling for? I clearly preached Christ, and Him crucified to you. So what now? Did you receive the Holy Spirit by believing or by the works of the law? Are you guys really that dumb?” (My words, not Paul’s.) The word means unintelligent, unwise, or brutish, so “dumb” is not that far off. Paul says, "You started in the Spirit, are you now going to finish in the flesh? Was everything you have been through for nothing? Is what the Lord is doing among you by His Spirit or by the law?” I can go on, but I think we get the point, and I am sure the Galatians did as well.

Although the Philippians are dealing with a similar issue, Paul addresses it quite differently than he did with the church in Galatia. Instead of rebuking them and calling them bewitched, as he did with the Galatians, he lays out his own heritage, or spiritual pedigree, if you will, for the Philippians. It is as if people coming into the church, or those who might be coming, are challenging Paul’s credentials to speak about the law. This again shows the special relationship Paul had with them. It is like kids comparing how great their dads are, with the Judaizer claiming their pedigree, and Paul saying to his children in the Lord, "Check this out. If they think they have bragging rights, listen to this!”

Paul gives an incredible factual testimony of his own heritage and Jewish pedigree: “5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault” (Phillipians 3:5-6 NLT).

“Take that, you mutilators. Who’s the top dog now?” But then he says something so radical, so profound and earth-shatteringly transformative: “7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. 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” (Phillipians 3:7-9 NLT).

What would make a man call his family heritage, cultural heritage, national heritage, racial heritage, religious heritage, and moral heritage worthless? Not just worthless, but garbage! Everything else is garbage.  Everything else is worthless. Compared to what? Compared to knowing Jesus! Here’s a sobering thought: “Whatever you think is more important than Jesus, you are wrong!”

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 you place all of these things next to Christ and compare them, you will find they are garbage, refuse, rubbish, or dung! The word could also mean sweepings, suggesting it is all just dirt swept together and tossed aside because it is worthless. Paul is saying that all the things I could brag about, and that others brag about, are simply a bunch of dirt collected together and tossed out. Compared to Jesus, these things are worthless.

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all he has. It is the pearl of great price by which the merchant will sell all his goods.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When Christ is Lord of your life, and you have placed your faith in Him, you realize that Christ is more than enough.

Prayer:
Pray that you would not forsake meeting with your brothers and sisters in Christ to serve, honor, and glorify Jesus! Pursuing Christ in community strengthens our resolve in pursuing Jesus.
Ask the Lord to show you whether you have placed anything above following Jesus. Repent if necessary. Refuse to justify any wrong priority.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you complete clarity so that you will not find yourself trusting in your own efforts but in the grace of Christ. Don’t allow yourself to be bewitched like the Galatians.
Take a moment to worship Jesus as Lord of your life, and thank Him that He is more than enough.

Day 27 – Grace, Not Human Effort

Philippians 3:2-4 (NLT)  2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 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, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

In these verses, we see why Paul encourages the Philippians to walk in joy to safeguard their faith. Paul moves from rejoicing to protecting. It seems the Philippians are facing a challenge similar to that of several other churches, namely the infiltration of Jewish believers who insisted that new believers must uphold both the Jewish law and follow Christ.

Paul uses strong language for those who insist that in order to be saved, the Gentile believers need to be circumcised as well. He calls them three things: dogs, evildoers, and mutilators. Don’t think of dogs the way our culture thinks and treats dogs. I have a dog named Daisy, and she is nothing but a gift. The best dog on the planet, a little stubborn, but that is about the only negative thing that could be said of her. Paul is not referring to a Daisy-type pet dog. In ancient times, dogs were more like scavenging strays, roaming the streets and digging through garbage. They would snarl and growl at people and were seen as a nuisance rather than a blessing. 

In today’s culture, we might lovingly and in jest call someone “Big Dog!” In the Bible, calling someone a dog was a great insult. When David faced Goliath, Goliath said: “‘Am I a dog,’ he roared at David, ‘that you come at me with a stick?’ And he cursed David by the names of his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43 NLT). Goliath was obviously not impressed; unfortunately for him, he became dog meat. When David was pursued by King Saul, we see him, in a self-deprecating way, call himself not just a dog but a dead dog: “‘Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea?’” (1 Samuel 24:14 NLT). 

In Matthew 7:6 (NIV), Jesus said: “‘Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.’”

Needless to say, when Paul calls these Judaizers dogs, it is not meant as a compliment. They are not on Paul’s favorite people’s list. Why such strong words? Salvation rests on what Christ has done for us, not on our own human effort. We place no confidence in human effort. To insist that we are saved through any means other than the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is to add human effort to grace. We are saved by grace through faith, and that is not of ourselves; it is a gift of God, so that none of us can boast! We who worship God by His Spirit are those who are actually circumcised because circumcision is no longer something of the flesh but of the Spirit.

That is what Paul wrote to the church in Rome and said: “28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29 NIV). 

Even in his letter to the church in Galatians, he admonishes them not to be sidetracked by those who insist on following Jesus and obeying the law. He calls it a bewitching. It sounds good and pious and even noble, but at its root, it is nothing but self-effort to try to gain righteousness. Righteousness that can only be given through the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ alone. Your and my salvation is not dependent on us; it has been brought about by the Holy Spirit applying Christ’s sacrifice to our lives. No one will be in heaven one day because they were good. We will all be there because of the free gift of grace.

“If you want God's grace, all you need is need, all you need is nothing. But that kind of spiritual humility is hard to muster. We come to God saying, ‘Look at all I've done,’ or maybe ‘Look at all I've suffered.’ God, however, wants us to look to him - to just wash.”
– Timothy Keller

What are you relying on? Your own human effort to serve God, or the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to live in the grace of God? If we can only remember that it is not about us, life will become so much less complicated. We complicate life when we put our trust in our own human effort instead of in what Jesus has done for us. No matter how strong your religious upbringing, your religious devotion, or your religious pedigree from your parents or grandparents, none of it can compare to what was done for you rather than what you did for yourself.

Grace frees us from our own expectations as well as from how we expect others to act. Grace is not just forgiveness but also empowerment. When grace invades our lives, human effort loses its appeal. When grace walks in, judgment walks out. We become both recipients and dispensers of God’s grace. Freely we have received, freely we give. Just as we have received God’s grace, we now desire it for others. We don’t trust in our own efforts, nor do we want others to trust in their efforts to receive God’s grace. We simply want them to receive it as we did, free from our gracious and loving Heavenly Father!

“One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as ‘those evil people’ or ‘those poor people who need our help.’ Nor must we search for signs of ‘loveworthiness.’ Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.”
– Phillip Yancey

That should give us great confidence and make us overflow with joy and gratitude. We worship God by the Spirit, and we place no confidence in our accomplishments. Even if they were great, our trust is not in human effort. Our trust is in what Jesus accomplished for us! 

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!” Thank God for His amazing grace.

Prayer:

• Take a moment to praise the Lord for saving you. Praise Him for giving you a future in Him, regardless of your present circumstances. Praise Him right now as loudly as you can!
• Thank the Lord that your confidence is not in what you have done but in what He has done for you through Christ Jesus.
• Pray for your heart to overflow with gratitude, joy, and confidence!
• Pray that you would become a dispenser of God’s grace to others, sharing what God’s grace has done in your life so that others may experience His grace for themselves.

Day 26 – Joy is Serious Business

Philippians 3:1 (NLT) Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Philippians is known as the Book of Joy. The words "joy" and "rejoicing" appear at least 18 times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, underscoring the theme of finding joy in Christ despite external circumstances. The theme is clear: there’s joy in knowing, serving, obeying, and suffering for Christ. There’s joy in patterning our lives after Christ. There’s joy in the proclamation of the Good News of Christ!

There’s joy in prison, in persecution, in freedom, in living, in dying, in serving others, and in loving others. There’s joy in relating to others God’s way, through selfless acts of service and unity. There’s joy in preferring others with humility and in having the same mind as Christ Jesus. There’s joy in contentment, in prayer, in thanksgiving, and in generosity. This joy that Paul refers to is not self-manufactured through a grin-and-bear-it mentality. It is not forced, coerced, or based on feelings. Neither is it based solely on the good things in life, perfect circumstances, or even on all our prayers being answered the way we want them to be.

This joy is present in the midst of (to borrow Paul’s words) “whatever happens.” Paul has been exhorting the church in Philippi from the outset of the letter about the challenges he and they face. He made it clear that he is counting on their prayers. Whether he is freed from prison or faces execution, he has joy in being fruitful and an even greater joy in departing and being with Christ. The joy that Paul refers to is not a natural joy, or simply being a positively joyful person who sees the glass half full. It is, in fact, an indestructible joy rooted in the reality of Christ Jesus. It is a joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is a joy found in the very presence of God. It is a characteristic of God’s kingdom, as Paul writes in Romans 14:17 (NIV), “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

This joy is indestructible, unchanging, everlasting, always enduring, never fading, ever present, and it overcomes all circumstances. Paul, when he writes to the church in Corinth, refers to the joy of the churches in Macedonia, including the Philippians, the Bereans, and the Thessalonians: “1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 NLT). They are being tested by many troubles. They are struggling with poverty. However, they are also filled with abundant joy, and that joy is the cause of rich generosity. 

For the churches in Macedonia, great trouble brings great joy. Great poverty brings great generosity. This joy can be found only in Christ, not in life's circumstances. This joy reflects genuine faith, not a superficial spirituality that is happy or joyful only when all my prayers are answered the way I want and all my circumstances are good and pleasant. Jesus is the only One who can give us this joy because He shows us that, despite the cross, He looked to the joy set before Him.

“Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.”  
– S. D. Gordon

Paul tells the Philippians that it doesn’t matter what happens; they have Christ’s indestructible and unchanging joy. He urges them to rejoice and doubles down, saying, “I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith” (Philippians 3:1b NLT). Like a parent, he repeats what he deems important. According to Paul, joy is important, so he repeats his message saying he will not grow tired of repeating it to them! He repeats the message as a safeguard for their faith. Joy is not simply a feeling, an experience, or a moment of euphoria in victory. It is a Christ-like attitude in all circumstances, including difficult ones. Joy is the very quality of Christ that demonstrates our trust in Him. Joy safeguards our faith because it is our strength and helps us endure whatever testing we face. Joy is knowing that we will receive the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls. “8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV).

“There is no virtue in the Christian life which is not made radiant with joy; there is no circumstance and no occasion which is not illuminated with joy. A joyless life is not a Christian life, for joy is one constant recipe for Christian living.”
– William Barclay

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 and a declaration that hell has no part in us. Hell is the absence of God’s presence and the void of all joy. As Christ followers, we are ambassadors and citizens of heaven, so we represent heaven’s qualities. As C. S. Lewis said: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

We can have joy because Jesus has overcome. In John 16, Jesus speaks about what lies ahead of Him and tells the disciples that they will experience great sorrow and grief, but that their sorrow and grief will be turned into wonderful joy. He illustrates this by comparing it to a woman in labor, whose anguish gives way to joy the moment her child is born, because she has brought a new life into the world. 

John 16:22 (NLT) So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

No one can rob us of the joy we have in Christ, because this joy rests fully on the Resurrected Christ. Therefore, because of our new life in Christ, joy is guaranteed as we hold onto what He has done for us. We have joy not because life is always joyful and good, but because our joy is found in Him and through Him. This joy protects us and helps us navigate the challenges of any day.

We are serious about being the most joyful people on the planet. Joy is heaven’s business; it is full in our Heavenly Father’s presence. Don’t be robbed of what belongs to you. Rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say rejoice!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that I belong to the most joyful kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Thank You, Jesus, that You endured the cross for the joy set before You, despising the shame, and restored me to the Father. Thank You for the privilege of entering Your presence, where joy is full and complete. I rejoice today despite any circumstances or challenges I might face. 

Jesus, help me adopt the same mindset as the churches in Macedonia. Even amid great trouble, they possessed great joy. Even in great poverty, they practiced great generosity. Let me have the same generous mindset in all things, and above all, walk in your joy. Holy Spirit, let the fruit of joy be evident in my life, especially when it seems I have nothing to be joyful about. 

Help me count it all joy when I am tested and tried by life’s difficulties, and let the genuineness of my faith be reflected in a heart of joy and gratitude. You are my joy and my greatest reward. Today I choose Your joy, Lord, which is my strength and the safeguard of my faith. Thank You, King Jesus, that no one and nothing can rob me of the joy You give! I rejoice in You, my King and my God! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Day 25 – Here’s to the “Nobodies”

Philippians 2:25-30 (NLT) 25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. 26 I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. 27 And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. 28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you. 29 Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.

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, part of this care package was that Epaphroditus would help meet Paul's needs in prison.

There is something very significant about this part of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, something we must not overlook. At the beginning of Chapter 2, Paul presents Christ as the greatest example of humility, sacrifice, and selflessness. He then speaks of his own life, running the race not in vain and being poured out like a ‘libation,’ meaning a “drink offering”, in his service to the Lord. Then he writes about Timothy’s faithful, trustworthy character and service, holding up Jesus as the example everyone who confesses Christ needs to emulate. Paul did, Timothy did, and now we see that Epaphroditus did as well.

Paul the apostle follows in Jesus’ footsteps of sacrifice. Timothy follows in Jesus’ footsteps of unselfish love and care, and Epaphroditus follows in Jesus’ footsteps of faithfulness, even at the risk of his own life. All three of these men exemplify humility, service, and working together to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Paul was a Jew in the truest sense, a Pharisee of Pharisees, who submitted his life to Christ. Timothy, half Jew/half Greek, was willing to do whatever was necessary to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even to the point of being circumcised. Epaphroditus, whose name means "belonging to Aphrodite" (the Greek goddess of love), was willing to risk his own life by taking the gift to Paul in Rome, a trip that would take about seven weeks in good weather and up to three months in bad weather. He stayed in Rome to serve Paul, a hazardous decision given that Paul was a prisoner of great notoriety awaiting a trial that could carry the death penalty, and associating with Paul could mean the same for Epaphroditus. 

All three of these men follow Christ’s example of humility, unity, and working together for the sake of the Good News of Jesus. Their backgrounds, education, upbringing, and culture did not matter; what mattered was Christ Jesus. Paul wants the Philippian church to see what it looks like when people set aside their own agendas and work together in humility, love, and selflessness. However, while Epaphroditus was serving Paul in Rome, he fell deathly ill. Word obviously got back to Philippi, because Epaphroditus was distressed that they had heard he was ill. Paul wanted to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi with the letter he had written for them, but he didn’t want the Philippians to think Epaphroditus had quit on him, since they had sent him there to serve Paul.

Paul writes an amazing character reference for Epaphroditus, this seemingly “nobody” who was willing to risk it all for the sake of another. “I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need” (Philippians 2:25 ESV). Paul calls him a true brother, placing Epaphroditus on the same level as Paul. A fellow worker, he worked to the point of exhaustion and even death. A fellow soldier, he fought side by side with me for the Gospel and faced the same kind of peril. Paul acknowledges that the Philippians sent Epaphroditus and uses the word apostolos to mean “messenger”. Apostolos means sent one, or anyone sent out on an errand. Just as Paul was sent out, this reflects Paul's high regard for him.

Paul says, Epaphroditus is your messenger and servant to my need. The word for servant is leitourgos. It refers to individuals in ancient Greece who loved their cities so much that they would, at their own expense, perform public duties or services. These leitourgoi were the great benefactors of the state, those who ministered relief. Paul, in these few verses, gives an incredibly strong witness to Epaphroditus's character and integrity. He wants to make sure that the church in Philippi knows that Epaphroditus was not a quitter and that Paul held him in extremely high regard.

Philippians 2:29-30 (NLT) 29 Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.”

Paul says to give him honor and to welcome him with great joy and the Lord’s love because he risked his life for the sake of the work of Christ. The word “risked” refers to gambling or risking it all on the throw of a dice. Epaphroditus risked his own life for the work of Christ.

Here’s to the nobodies. Everybody wants to be somebody, but in God’s kingdom, more nobodies are somebodies. Epaphroditus was the nobody who truly was somebody. We know about him because Paul tells us. We know of no books he wrote, and there are no statues built in his honor. Yet he was one of those who did what needed to be done, even at his own expense.

Unlike Timothy, he is not well known, and Paul tells the Philippians to give him the honor he deserves. There are many “Epaphroditusses” among us. Those who faithfully serve without fanfare or recognition. Those who tirelessly work in God’s vineyard and kingdom. Those who give when others hold back, and serve when others make excuses. Those who do it without expecting a pat on the back or a plaque on the wall. They do it because they simply love God and love people. They are the ones who understand what truly matters and are willing to risk it all because they know the joy of loving, the joy of giving, and the joy of self-sacrificial service for the benefit of Jesus Christ, their King!

“I believe that many professing Christians are cold and uncomfortable because they are doing nothing for their Lord; but if they actively served him, their blood would begin to circulate spiritually, and it would be well with them.”
– Charles Spurgeon

The Rock Church is full of these kinds of nobodies who truly are somebodies! Thank you for being the nobodies in this house, because one day everybody will know what you nobodies have done behind the scenes and see you for the somebodies you are!

Prayer:

• Pray that the Lord will help you see a need you can meet, then meet it.
• Pray for those who serve faithfully without recognition, and be willing to be one.
• Ask the Lord to give you the kind of heart that would make you a true brother or sister, a co-worker, and a fellow soldier.
• Pray for the Lord to send more people into His field to gather the ripe and ready harvest.
• Pray that The Rock Church will be filled with people willing to use their gifts to grow God’s kingdom and serve others.

Day 24 – “No One Else Like Him”

Philippians 2:19-24 (NLT) 19 If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. 23 I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. 24 And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.

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, makes a profound statement about this young man: “I have no one else like Timothy…”

We are introduced to Timothy in Acts 16:1-5 (NIV): “1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

In these verses, we read some things about Timothy. We don’t know when he was converted, but we see that Paul recognized something in this young man and that he had a good reputation among the believers in both Lystra, his hometown, and the neighboring town of Iconium. His mother, Eunice, was a Jew and a believer, and his father was Greek, though we don’t know whether he was a believer. His grandmother’s name was Lois, and also a believer. “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you” (2 Timothy 1:5 NLT). 

If we read Acts 16:3 casually, we would miss something about Timothy’s character. The fact that he was not circumcised suggests he was educated in Greek customs. Timothy’s submission, trust, and love for others are evident. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Paul had just met him, yet Timothy was willing to submit to Paul’s authority and to be circumcised so they could reach the Jewish community! I can’t even imagine how that conversation went, maybe something like this: Paul: “Shalom, Timothy, do you want to travel with me to preach the Good News?” Timothy: “Χαῖρε (khairē, Hello), Paul, nice to meet you. Yes, I believe I am called. Shall I go pack?” Paul: “Yes, but before you do, there is a small matter we need to address.”

We see in the Book of Acts that Timothy was Paul’s constant traveling companion, and he was with him in prison in Rome (Philippians 1:1). He was associated with Paul in the writing of at least five of his letters. Timothy was so trusted by Paul that Paul could send him to the different churches to bring correction, rebuke, information, advice, and encouragement, even when Paul could not go himself. In 1 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV), Paul speaks of Timothy as a son in the Lord: “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 

In the end, Timothy was also a prisoner for the Lord Jesus: “I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you” (Hebrews 13:23 NIV). 

Writing to the Philippians, we see why Paul could trust Timothy. 

• He was a truth-teller (v19 Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.) 
• He genuinely loved and cared for others (v20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.)
• What mattered to Timothy is what matters to Jesus Christ: the preaching of the Good News (v21-22 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News.)
• He was faithful, he proved himself, and he was willing to serve Paul no matter the cost. 

May the Lord give us a heart like that. May we be people who can be trusted with responsibility. People who look out not only for our own interests but also care deeply about others, and are willing to go the extra mile. May we be people others can rely on; people who can be trusted to do what they say they will do. Some people spend more time making excuses than actually doing what is needed. What can be said of you? Will the person to whom you are responsible be able to say this about you: “I have no one else like him or her...”

Do you genuinely care about the welfare of others? Do you care about what matters most to Jesus, or are you preoccupied with your own interests, leaving no time for God’s purpose? Are you willing to prove yourself by faithfully preaching the Good News alongside someone else? Can you be trusted with greater responsibility? How trustworthy are you? Can you be relied on? Do you show up when you say you will? Do you come prepared? Do you do your job well? Do you do it with a joyful attitude? Can you be trusted with small responsibilities that might not advance your own dream, or do you see them only as stepping stones to where you think you are called? Can you be given greater responsibility, or do people always have to wonder whether you will be there and do what needs to be done?

If you care more about yourself than about what matters most to Jesus, you will struggle with faithfulness. But Paul does not merely say Timothy is faithful; he says he is capable because he has proved himself. We want people to validate us, yet some of us are unwilling to do the hard work of being faithful without recognition and validation. Are you willing to serve in God’s vineyard without the praise of others?

How reliable are you? Will the Lord be able to give you greater responsibility because you were faithful over a few things, or have you neglected your responsibility? Are you full of the Holy Spirit? If your answer is yes, I want to remind you that faithfulness is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit! Will there be someone who will be able to truthfully say about you: “I have no one like him. I have no one like her.”

“Our world is obsessed with success. But how does God define success? Success in God's eyes is faithfulness to His calling.”
– Billy Graham

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to grant you a genuine heart of care for others.
• Pray that the Lord will help you evaluate, with complete honesty and transparency, how faithful you really are, not how faithful you think you are.
• Ask the Lord to give you the strength and courage to change your unfruitful habits as needed.
• Pray that you will always prioritize what matters most to Jesus.

Day 23 – A Firm Grip on the Word of Life

Philippians 2:16-18 (NLT) 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. 17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

Throughout the New Testament, particularly in Paul's writings, athletic imagery is used to communicate spiritual truth. Paul often refers to activities such as running, wrestling, and boxing to illustrate the spiritual journey. For example, he talks about not wrestling against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). These metaphors appear dozens of times, with at least 15 direct references to athletics. With this in mind, we can better understand how his audience would have resonated with such comparisons.

Building on this, we know that Jewish life centered around the synagogue. It was a place for prayer, community gatherings, and adult education. Similarly, Greek cities had gymnasia, and they were more than just centers for exercise; they were also venues for discussion. Socrates often used the gymnasium for philosophical conversations, and speakers would find audiences there. Paul was well aware of the many games held throughout the Greek world. Games such as the Pan-Ionian games in Ephesus, the Isthmian games in Corinth (every two years), and the Olympic games in Olympia (every four years). Paul likely attended some of these games, preached the gospel, and won people to Christ.

In light of these cultural connections, when writing to the church in Corinth, Paul paints the picture of spiritual discipline and says this: “24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV).

Paul had observed these games; the athletes practicing and disciplining themselves before the race. He knew about the oaths the athletes took, swearing to follow the rules in training and not to cheat during the race; otherwise, they would be disgraced and disqualified. The runners, as they start their race, press on through the tough parts, with the judge ultimately handing the laurel crown to the winner at the end (there were no 2nd or 3rd place finishes, only one winner). 

This background helps us better understand what Paul communicates to the church in Philippi as he encourages them to live in unity and love toward one another. He tells the Philippians, “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless” (Philippians 2:16 NLT). Paul uses the athletic term "not running in vain," describing both his own journey as well as the Philippians’. He desires that both he and the Philippian church receive the promised reward at Jesus’ return, which depends on what they hold onto: their own selfish agenda or the life Jesus exemplified. Paul indicates that this is shown by holding firmly to the word of life received through the proclamation of the gospel.

Consider this: What are you holding on to? Where is your focus? What are you trusting in as you run your race? What you hold onto determines whether your race is run with purpose or left unfulfilled. The world offers little certainty, but, as followers of Christ, we are called to grip the Word of Life above all else. That is our sure foundation.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, they did not have a Bible as we do today. They had his letter and his preaching. Paul’s commitment to sharing the gospel came at great personal cost. He likens his life to a drink offering poured out before God, given for the sake of the Philippians' faith and service. Paul invites them, and us, to share in the joy that comes from faithful sacrifice. Sacrifice and joy belong together when we understand that sacrifice is for a greater purpose: the reward found in Christ.
The willingness to give up something stems from seeing the value of what lies ahead. Practicing spiritual disciplines like fasting and prayer is not about mere duty but about holding on to the Word of Life. It is this focus that propels us through sacrifice toward God’s promise. Even simple acts, like reading this devotional, praying, or studying Philippians, are sacrifices, though small compared to those made by Paul and others, so we can have the Word today.

“It costs something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. Conversion is not putting a person in an armchair and taking them easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory.”
– J. C. Ryle.

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 persecuted for possessing, sharing, or preaching the Word. As our culture shifts, let us resolve to hold firmly to the Word of Life, not with legalism or judgment, but with joy and grace.

How strong is your hold on the Word of Life? Remember, your grip on God’s Word determines whether your spiritual race is purposeful and victorious.

Prayer:
•   Ask the Lord to give you a continued hunger for His Word.
•   Thank the Lord for all those who have paid a price so that we can have a Bible in our hands.
•   Pray for open doors in countries where the Word of God is being limited, and our fellow believers are being persecuted, prosecuted, and jailed for preaching the Word.
•   Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to empower you and show you what sacrifice is necessary for you to run your race effectively. Then ask for the grace to obey.

Day 22 – No Whining Allowed

Philippians 2:14-15 (NLT) 14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Paul, through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of what was happening to the Philippian church, begins to hone in on what it looks like when they work with the Holy Spirit to realize the reality of a Christ community.

First of all, it is hard work. Spiritual growth, both personally and relationally with others, is not for the faint of heart. However, this is not a self-effort without the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is working in us to work with us, so that He can work through us. How can we, just like the Philippians, know that it is not just self-effort, but a true work of the Spirit?

Paul gives several indicators of what that looks like. There’s effective action. We’ve all heard the old saying, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” It means that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well, and that a well-thought-out process, aka a plan, is essential. Many of us plan our vacations better than our spiritual lives and growth. Do you have a spiritual growth plan? Is it written down somewhere? We work harder on things that won’t matter in the future rather than on what will last forever. We fail to grasp that we must be deliberate in engaging in God’s process for growth. Growth is not automatic. Only weeds grow automatically, but crops that have value need to be planted. What are you planting for a spiritual harvest?

Those who are willing to work on their spiritual growth have a healthy respect and fear of the Lord. They also understand that they don’t work alone and that God does not ask us to do anything He does not empower us to do. The reason some of us don’t grow spiritually is that we have developed an appetite for the things that hinder us rather than help us. Here’s what is so powerful. If we work with God, He will give us the desire and power to do what pleases Him. You don’t have to stress it! You don’t have to sweat it! You just have to pray, plan, pursue, and persist in it.

Another great proof that you are working with the Lord is the absence of a spirit of arguing and complaining. Complaining shows that we are ungrateful. Arguing shows that we are prideful. This word complaining or grumbling is very interesting; it has a special connection to the grumblings of the Israelites in the wilderness (e.g., Exodus 15:24, 16:2, Numbers 16:41). It is the same word Paul uses talking about the Israelites in 1 Corinthians 10:10 (NLT): “And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.” We know that didn’t turn out well for them, and Paul uses them as a negative example of what not to do. The Holy Spirit’s work in us produces joy, not grumbling, griping, and complaining towards one another.

It’s easy to dismiss our complaining, murmuring, and ill-disputes as simply something that everyone does. That, however, doesn’t justify it or even sanctify it. God’s people don’t whine and complain, criticize and argue, nitpick and express their doubts about everything. There is a peace, a sense of serenity and trust, when we lean on the Lord to work in us and through us.

“We have received too much from God to allow ourselves opportunities for unbelief. We have received too many gifts and privileges to allow a grumbling, murmuring heart to disqualify us of our destiny. In contrast, the thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggles as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress.”
– Francis Frangipane

Paul continues to reveal what it looks like to work with the Holy Spirit. We grow in innocence and delight in the process because we want to do what pleases our Heavenly Father! We shine in a crooked and perverse world, marked by God-given innocence. We are not innocent because we haven’t done anything wrong, we are innocent because Christ has made the guilty innocent.

Philippians 2:15 (NIV) So that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

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 innocence not of ourselves but because we are children of God!

Why is our growth so important? Because it shows people that there is a God who loves them and gives a better way to live. Instead of being crooked and perverse, we can live wholesome and pure. When will you start taking your spiritual growth seriously enough to change the way you plan your life? If not now, then when?

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to remove any murmuring and complaining from your heart. 
• Pray: “Lord, forgive me when I grumble and complain about life circumstances and when I argue and murmur against others. Help me to cultivate a heart of gratitude and put a guard before my mouth. Let me reflect before I speak, discern before I complain, and humble myself before I utter words in a prideful manner. Holy Spirit, continue to equip me for every fruitful work, and let my life reflect Your work in me. Help me shine through acts of kindness, purity, integrity, and truth, so that You, Father, may be glorified in me and through me. I commit myself to work out my salvation with a heart fully devoted to Your purpose for my fellow brothers and sisters and for me. Help me to stay in community by working together with others to build Your kingdom. Jesus, I am fully Yours. Change in me what needs to change and let my heart always be filled with gratitude and my mouth with Your praise! I give You all the glory and honor due Your Name. Thank You for loving me and forming Jesus in me. Amen.”

Day 21 – Obedience That Is Reflected in Community

Philippians 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. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Paul, as a spiritual father to the Philippians, reminds them of their obedience to the Lord's instructions, especially when he was with them in Philippi. This theme of obedience appears in several of Paul’s letters. He wrote to the church in Thessalonica: “3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 (NIV)

The same is true in his letter to the church in Rome: “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Romans 16:19 (NIV). He similarly encourages Philemon in Philemon 1:21 (NIV): “Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”

Paul doesn’t want their obedience to be something that happens only when he is present. He wants them to truly demonstrate what Christ has done in their lives as they live out their obedience to Him, and even more so in Paul’s absence. He might not be with them, but Jesus is. This shows the results of being a true follower of Jesus. He just gave them the greatest example of humility when he wrote the “Hymn of Christ,” and we need to see the obedience he calls for in this context. It remains within the context of unity and wholehearted agreement in Christ’s love for one another. The NIV translation renders Philippians 2:12-13 as follows: “12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

The application is twofold. First, we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us because God is already at work in us, and the evidence is a church united in purpose. Second, we work out our salvation through personal commitment. However, we cannot separate our spiritual growth from growing together in the unity of the community. All our personal growth must be reflected in how we embrace, connect with, and work for the good of others within the Body of Christ. We have somehow misplaced the energy and effort required to be united in Christ, prioritizing what is good for me and my spiritual growth over the good of the spiritual community.

Our personal growth is essential, and we need to be committed to growing in Christ with fear and trembling. But we also need to ask whether we are committed to a local family of believers. Fear and trembling are not cringing or cowardice, but an acknowledgment that we cannot make any spiritual progress without the Holy Spirit’s direct work in our lives. We cannot grow without God working in us. Paul reminds us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). Why trembling? Again, not a fear that makes us want to run, but the opposite. Because we want to please God, we want to make sure that nothing we do displeases Him. The Lord is pleased when His kids not only get along but also have a deep sense of love and honor for one another.

You cannot practice love without a community to love. Learning to love and practice grace absolutely starts with your own natural family, but that is the beginning of our learning, not the end. You are part of a much bigger spiritual body, and the way you relate to the Body of Christ reflects how well you truly understand Jesus as our example of humility and grace. How hard are you willing to work for the Christ community you are placed in? 

We know we are saved by grace and kept by grace. Thank God for His grace! We are also called to display the grace we have received. We do not work to receive grace; that wouldn’t be grace. We do, however, have to work hard to show that we have experienced God’s grace. James encourages all believers to have a faith that is evident in our actions. 

James 2:14-17 (NLT) 14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” 
– A.W. Tozer

How much effort do you put into living out your faith by looking to Jesus as your example within the community God has called you to?


Prayer:

• Begin by thanking the Lord that He is working in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Ask the Lord to help you continually look to Jesus as your example for how to function within the community He has called you to.
• Pray so that your life will draw others to Christ and that you will be an instrument to demonstrate His love to others.
• Pray for the knowledge to plan for growth, the wisdom to pursue it, and the strength to finish it.

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 knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As we focus on the Book of Philippians, we see that Paul’s emphasis is on the joy of the Lord. The first chapter focuses on the joy of living and even dying for Christ. Whether living or dying, our victory is secured. Therefore, joy should be the constant attitude. We have joy because we are living for Christ Jesus. Paul then shifts the attention from the joy of living and even dying for Jesus to the joy of having Jesus as our model for humility so that we can serve one another in humility and love.

The Hymn of Christ shows both Christ’s humility and His exaltation. Paul, in writing to the Philippians, uses the highest possible model, namely Jesus. Because Jesus humbled Himself, the Father exalted Him once and for all to the highest place of honor! Jesus is forever exalted. In essence, when we worship Christ, we are not exalting Him, we are acknowledging that He is forever the exalted Christ. Christ is exalted through His resurrection, ascension, and glorification!

“20-21 That power is the same divine power which was demonstrated in Christ when he raised him from the dead and gave him the place of supreme honour in Heaven—a place that is infinitely superior to any conceivable command, authority, power or control, and which carries with it a name far beyond any name that could ever be used in this world or the world to come. 22-23 God has placed everything under the power of Christ and has set him up as head of everything for the Church. for the Church is his body, and in that body lives fully the one who fills the whole wide universe.” Ephesians 1:20-23 (PHILLIPS)

He was given the Name above every name. This is not merely an inference about a specific title Jesus received; it signifies His complete and ultimate authority over all creation, both now in this world and in the world to come. Jesus is forever exalted over all things for all time. Therefore, there is only one correct response to the mention of His Name. That is to bow the knee and confess that He is Lord of all! Jesus is Lord! The word “lord” is kurios in Greek. This word began as a term meaning "master" or "owner," and in ordinary conversation it served as a sign of respect, like "sir." It also became the official title of the Roman emperors, thereby calling Caesar “Lord”. When Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, into Greek, they substituted the Hebrew word Adonai (Lord) for YHWH. When translated into Greek, Adonai became kurios. Paul is ascribing the highest title possible to Jesus. Jesus is supreme over all, and there is none above Him. He is Master and Owner of the whole wide universe. He is God!

Christ Jesus is, and will forever be, the greatest example and model of humility. Our knees bow, and our tongues confess, because we recognize that Christ Jesus is Lord of all, including every single one of us. So why would we exalt ourselves over others rather than humble ourselves? Why not serve Christ together in unity with a Christ-like attitude of humility and leave the exaltation to God alone? Jesus said: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 (ESV)

“One of the worst things sin did for man was to make him selfish, for selfishness cannot love.” 
– Andy Murray

Humility helps us see others and ourselves as we should. Paul gives us the greatest picture of humility, not only to look at and marvel, but also to follow as an example. Jesus is the reason we love, serve, give, prefer, bless, honor, and work together in harmony. Jesus is the reason we get along, because Jesus in me gets along with Jesus in you. Christ is not divided, neither should we be.

We must all wear the garments of humility. To wear something is to choose to put it on. So what will you be wearing? The garment of selfishness and self-interest? The garment of pride and boasting? The garment of selfish ambition and bitter jealousy? Or will you be clothing yourself with the apron of humility and service, just as Jesus did?

1 Peter 5:5 (GNT) In the same way, you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”

“The victorious Christian neither exalts nor downgrades himself. His interests have shifted from self to Christ.” 
– A.W. Tozer

Prayer:
Pray the Prayer that Paul prayed in Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV):

• “9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Day 19 – The Humility of Christ

Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 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, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 

Philippians 2:5-11 is known as the Hymn of Christ. Scholars tell us that these verses contain an actual hymn that the early church sang. In this chapter, Paul issues a strong call to unity. Paul’s desire for the church to be united in love and purpose is rooted in the Lord’s desire to see His church united and full of love. This unity of love and purpose can only be brought about by an attitude of humility and self-sacrifice. So, through the Holy Spirit's wisdom, Paul uses the greatest model of humility and sacrifice ever known: Christ. But to practice Christ’s humility, we must have Christ’s mind or attitude.

The doctrine of the deity of Christ Jesus has been attacked more than any other because Jesus's divinity is essential to our Christian faith, a fact that holds true throughout history and even to this day. If you can undermine Jesus to simply a good moral teacher or a prophet, Christ and His followers become powerless. The fact that Jesus is God and has always been is the reason we have faith, not just for today, but all our hopes are placed on our resurrected King. 

That’s why John wrote in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (ESV). 

God becoming man, deity taking on human flesh, is the greatest act of humility. Jesus willingly gave up His divine privileges, not His divine person, and took the form of a slave, being born as a human being. In obedience, Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death, not merely dying but dying a criminal’s death on the cross. Paul upholds Christ as the greatest example of humility, the model for us, so that we can clearly see what true humility looks like!

In his book The Crises of the Christ, G. Campbell Morgan wrote: "He was the God-Man. Not God indwelling man. Of such there has been many. Not a man deified. Of such there has been none save in the myths of pagan systems of thought; but God and man, combining in one personality the two natures, a perpetual enigma and mystery, baffling the possibility of explanation." 

This passage from the Christ Hymn so powerfully describes the sacrifice Jesus made. He did not cling to His position. He gave up His privileges. He humbled Himself, took the lowest position—that of a servant—and was obedient, even though He knew it would cost Him His life. He was willing to die a criminal's death so that criminals could be welcomed into God's Kingdom. Now, how does your attitude compare to Jesus' attitude?

Needless to say, when we have the mind and attitude of Christ among us, how can we not build healthy, vibrant, Christ-honoring relationships? Relationships that build unity, resist division, prefer others, and show tender, compassionate love. We cannot claim maturity in Christ or even the wisdom of Christ if we continually bite and devour one another (metaphorically speaking). That’s why James admonishes us in James 3:13: “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom” (NLT).  

Wise people are humble, and humble people take their example from Christ. The opposite is also true. When we remain arrogant and are full of selfish ambition, we take our example from the demonic. “14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind” (James 3:14-16 NLT). 

This rivalry, jealousy, and selfishness are hidden beneath a lie that takes the form of boasting. You ask how? We flatter and compliment, not from a sincere heart of truth but from a jealous heart of envy. The lie covers the reality. The lie is like the duvet cover on a bed; unfortunately, underneath is nothing but sheets of selfishness and jealousy, laid over a mattress manufactured from that which is earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic. A triple threat of dysfunction that smothers our ability to have life-giving and Christ-honoring relationships. “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” (James 4:1 NLT).

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 emulate Christ Jesus, who gives us the wisdom we need to live in humility, the essence of being a follower of Jesus. How can we be so arrogant when our Jesus is the very picture of humility? How can we claim to have His wisdom when nothing but selfishness broods within us?

As Symeon the New Theologian remarked: “A person who suffers bitterly when slighted or insulted should recognize from this that he still harbors the ancient serpent in his breast. If he quietly endures the insult or responds with great humility, he weakens the serpent and lessens its hold. But if he replies acrimoniously or brazenly, he gives it strength to pour its venom into his heart and to feed mercilessly on his guts. In this way the serpent becomes increasingly powerful; it destroys his soul's strength and his attempts to set himself right, compelling him to live for sin and to be completely dead to righteousness.”

Do you cling to your position or even your opinion? Are you willing to let go of what you believe you deserve, or do you demand your rights? Are you willing to take the lowest position, or are you quick to say, “That’s not my job”? Are you willing to lay down your life for another, even if they are not worthy in your estimation?  “17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:17-18 NLT).

Jesus is our example; let’s follow Him completely. Let’s stop fighting for our rights and privileges and instead humble ourselves, adopting the same attitude as Jesus. The people around us will be grateful we did, and peace, gentleness, and joy will mark our fellowship with others.

Pray this prayer today:

“Jesus, we come today and humble ourselves before You. We ask that You would enable us to clothe ourselves in humility. Just like You humbled Yourself and stripped Yourself. We pray through the power of the Holy Spirit that we would walk in the humility of Christ Jesus.

Remove any arrogance and self-reliance, replacing them with complete dependence on You. Deliver us from the need to look good or be lifted up in pride. Deliver us from selfish ambition and jealousies that dwell in the recesses of our hearts. Help us not to cover them with lies and deceit, but let the light of Your Word and Your life expel lies and darkness.

In our relationships, let there be no division among us. In lowliness of mind, help us esteem others and prefer them before ourselves. Help us not to be trapped in the spirit of this world, and deliver us from a “me first” mentality. Let the mind of Christ be in us, work through us, and be among us. Let us see others the way You see them, and not prefer one above another. Help us to enjoy the uniqueness of each person You created, and honor them with our actions, not just our words.

Deliver us from fear of losing out or of needing to be consulted. Deliver us from a heart easily offended by any injustice, whether small or great, whether real or perceived. Remind us that we have great peace when we love Your Word and that nothing shall offend us. Remind us that we died to self in Christ and that our true life is hidden in You. You are our example of humility, grace, and forgiveness. Help us live in the power of that grace. Whether rebuked, neglected, forgotten, overlooked, or underappreciated, remind us that You, Jesus, are our reward.
 
Help us love more, give more, serve more, and, above all, be like You, Christ Jesus. Let Your wisdom be our portion and Your Humility our clothing as we enter this day, not knowing what or whom we will encounter. Make us instruments of Your peace and help us sow seeds of peace so that we may reap a harvest of righteousness. We pray this in the Name above all names, Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.”

Day 18 – A Christ-Like Attitude

Philippians 2:5 (NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:5 (MEV) Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus,

Philippians 2:5 (NCV) In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:5 (HCSB) Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

Philippians 2:5 (NIV) In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:5 (ESV) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

The passion with which Paul wrote to the Philippians has been abundantly clear. Paul loves them, and they love him. Just as a father and a mother desire that their children grow into loving, grounded adults with a mature outlook on life, so he desires this for the Philippian church. He wants them to be grounded in the truth of the Good News of Christ and to grow into the very image of Jesus. He wants them to have a united heart and action toward the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus. Knowing that they will face opposition, he wants them to overflow with God’s love and be united in purpose.

The work of the Holy Spirit makes this possible, as reflected in humble, self-sacrificing care and love for one another. But they have to embrace the same attitude as Jesus, meaning that in relating to one another God’s way, they have to have Christ’s mind or attitude among themselves. Without thinking Christ’s way, it is not possible to walk and live His way.

We might think that an idea is harmless or even unnecessary to discern how and what we think. But ideas that become set in our minds will soon become our daily lifestyle and practice.

“When [Satan] undertook to draw Eve away from God, he did not hit her with a stick, but with an idea. It was with an idea that God could not be trusted and that she must act on her own to secure her own well-being.” – Dallas Willard

An “attitude” is a little thing that makes a big difference. How is yours? Have you ever considered how your world would be if everyone in your sphere of influence shared your attitude? I am not talking about a fleeting, momentary attitude; I am talking about the prevailing attitude in your life! If everyone portrayed, displayed, and practiced your attitude, would it be a thriving or a shrinking environment? Would it be encouraging or conflicting? Would it be selfish or selfless? Would it be a joyful or a sour environment?

That is the very reason Paul says, “Have a Christ-like attitude…” Having the mind of Christ amongst us will revolutionize our relationships. This Christ-like attitude will produce such love, peace, and joy amongst us that we would experience a little bit of heaven on earth. Imagine selfless people, full of love and grace, who have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. Not living to impress anyone, but in humility, esteeming others better than themselves. Honoring, preferring, regarding, loving others, and working together for Kingdom purposes. Having an overflowing love for Jesus and for others, where the second mile is just normal Christ-like behavior. Not jockeying for position or trying to get ahead, but looking out for other people’s interests. 

Jesus’ attitude turns this from an “it would be nice” to an "it is very possible” when we allow His attitude to shape our actions and attitudes. Will you choose your prevailing attitude, or allow Christ’s attitude to have the run of your house?

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 self-constructed response that controls your behavior and feelings towards a person, a place, a circumstance, or thing.” Simply put, your persistent thoughts create persistent feelings, which result in your persistent attitude! Positive thoughts toward others create positive feelings toward them and lead to positive behavior. The opposite is also true if we are negative towards others. Joyful living is within our grasp because no one is more joyful than Jesus.

Ask the Holy Spirit to permanently destroy your idea of God as a mean, angry, vengeful Creator, just waiting to bear down on you when you slip up. Sin does bear consequences and penalties, but that is sin's fruit. Sin carries its own judgment and condemnation. But in Christ, there is no more condemnation when we live by the Spirit and not the flesh. The joy of Jesus is present in abundance when the mind of Christ prevails in our lives.

Now here is where we separate the pretenders from the contenders: “You must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus.” Not you ought to have, you must have! Must is an imperative necessity! You’ve got to have Jesus’ attitude. How is your attitude compared to Jesus’ attitude?

Are you willing to admit that the first environment you need to change is in your own mind? Will you start today?

“Thoughts are the place where we can and must begin to change. There the light of God first begins to move upon us through the word of Christ, and there the divine Spirit begins to direct our will to God and his way.” – Dallas Willard

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to examine your thoughts. Begin by reflecting on your prevailing thoughts, and if they tend to be negative, change them.
• Pray that the Lord will help you keep short accounts and ask for forgiveness for any wrong attitude you have held.
• Pray against a selfish mindset and ask for a heart of humility. (Warning: you will be placed in situations where your humility will be tested. Pass the test!)
• Ask the Holy Spirit to quicken God’s Word to you when you feel your attitude slipping. Make a decision to allow Christ’s attitude to be the prevailing attitude of your life.

Day 17 – The Picture of Love

Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Like a painter on a canvas, Paul begins to paint a picture for the Philippian church of what this love looks like and what it does not. He gives them three don’ts. One, don’t be selfish. Two, don’t try to impress others. Three, don’t look out only for your own interests. Just like the Philippians, we would do well to heed Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul obviously heard about divisions in the Philippian church, and later, he will address a specific one between two individuals.

He also gives them three positive attitudes to embrace. An attitude of humility, an attitude of altruism, and the same attitude as Jesus. These are not for the faint of heart. This is where maturity is developed and the second mile is practiced, where love is self-sacrificial, not self-serving. Where me, mine, and I are replaced with us, we, and others. Where appearance and platitudes don’t supersede reality and empathy. Where high-mindedness about my own importance is replaced by acts of humility that serve others. This is a picture of real love. Love that comes at a cost of self and a high regard for others.

We all know that relationships can be the greatest joy in our lives or the greatest challenge. When it comes to relating to others, some do it well, while others struggle. How are you doing at relating to others? Some folks are indeed difficult to relate to, but that should never give us an excuse to dismiss them completely. We all need strength to relate to people. Our challenge is that we sometimes look to people to meet a need only God can meet. So we get frustrated with people and begin to point our fingers outward. We say things like, “If they could just do this or that,” “They just don’t get it,” or, “Why could they not be more...” You fill in the blanks. Here is a truth we all need to hold onto: You cannot control how others relate to you, but you can completely control how you relate to others!

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, compassionate heart toward others! Paul, writing to the church in Rome, clarifies what this maturity looks like, and Eugene Peterson, in the Message Paraphrase of Romans 15, states it with perfect clarity:

“1-2Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” 3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (Romans 15:1-6 MSG).

Then what follows? Agreement, working together (Holy synergy), loving one another, and fulfilling God’s purpose! That’s what we would call a healthy relationship. What kind of people produce such relationships? Unselfish, secure, humble, willing to yield, and looking out for the interests of others! Not self-absorbed, me-first, what-about-me kind of people. We need to find our encouragement, strength, and fellowship in and through the Holy Spirit, and humble ourselves to have thriving, life-giving relationships.

Remember, others may hold on to their selfish way of relating, but that does not excuse you, as a Christ follower, from doing the same. Are you willing to relate God’s way?

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to change you before asking Him to change others.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will show you the areas where you are expecting others to meet a need that only God can meet. Write them down for reflection, inspection, and repentance.
• Pray for a heart of tender compassion and for the strength and willingness to put others first.
• Pray for the people you find most difficult to relate to, and ask the Lord to bless them!
• Pray Paul’s prayer in Romans 15: “May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in me so that I get along with others as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (The Message). Thank You, Jesus, for making me part of Your body, bringing You glory as we serve You and one another in love…

Day 16 – Equipped to Love

Philippians 2:1-2 (NLT) 1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Paul shifts his attention from the Philippians’ relationship with Christ Jesus, trusting in Him and suffering for Him, to their relationships with one another. The first part of the letter focuses on their life in Christ. Paul now shifts their focus to look at Jesus as their example for relating to one another. The NIV renders the first two verses as follows: “1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2 NIV).

Everything Paul has admonished them to do up to this point results in practically living out their faith. Christ’s love, when lived out, means loving and treating one another as they see Christ has treated them. Paul is not simply saying to them: “Hey, Philippians, get along.” He appeals to the distinct reality of what it means to be a Christlike person. He lays out five pertinent truths for the Philippian church and, by extension, for us as we follow Christ.

Every believer belongs to Christ and is united with Him. We are all comforted by the reality of His love for us. Our comfort comes from His love. The fellowship we enjoy with one another and with our Heavenly Father is brought about by the Holy Spirit. We share the same Holy Spirit, meaning the same Spirit dwells in all believers. Tender hearts toward others and hearts filled with compassion for others are a direct result of God’s work in our lives. These five realities are the very reason we should be able to work together, love one another, and even be in wholehearted agreement.

If I belong to Christ and you belong to Christ, there is no reason we should not be united, because Christ is not divided. Let me say it more simply: “Jesus gets along with Jesus.” So, if we both belong to Jesus, why are we so divided? As followers of Jesus, we all find our comfort and security in God’s love. God loves all of us in the same unconditional way. So why can’t His love enable us to love one another? We are born again through the power of the same Holy Spirit and that same Spirit empowers us to become like Jesus. So why can’t we lean on the Holy Spirit to help us love one another God’s way? It is the Holy Spirit’s work in us that makes our hearts tender and compassionate. Why would we show compassion only to some and not to others? 

You see, no matter how you cut it, it all ends up in the same place. Jesus is not divided, and we should not be divided either. Just as Paul encouraged the Philippians, he did so for many of the churches he wrote to. For instance, he wrote to the Corinthians, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose”
(1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT).

He says it even more emphatically in verse 13: “Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!”
(1 Corinthians 1:13 NLT).

Jesus matters! If Jesus matters to you and to me, then Jesus becomes the Person around whom we build our unity. Unity can only be built on the truth of Christ; anything else is nothing but human attempts to reconstruct Babel. Man-made unity is feeble against the onslaught of a divisive world. Is it possible for the church to be one? Yes, it is! Because Jesus prayed for it and modeled it for us to see, and because the Holy Spirit enables it, all because we are rooted in Christ’s love. True joy awaits those who are willing to put their own agendas aside and become part of something bigger than themselves. Working together, with one mind and purpose, loving one another as Jesus loves us. “34 And so I am giving a new commandment to you now—love each other just as much as I love you. 35 Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35 TLB).

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 love God’s way. Are we willing to yield to God’s love so that our joy would be full?

“Even when I feared and detested Christianity, I was struck by its essential unity, which, in spite of its divisions, it has never lost. I trembled on recognizing the same unmistakable aroma coming from the writings of Dante and Bunyan, Thomas Aquinas and William Law.” - C. S. Lewis

Prayer:

• Pray Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19 (NLT):

(Adapted from Ephesians 3:14-19)
“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower us with inner strength through Your Spirit. I pray that You, Lord Jesus, will make Your home in our hearts as we trust in You. Let our roots grow down into God’s love and keep us strong. And may we have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You, Father God.” In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Day 15 – The Privilege of Trust and Suffering

Philippians 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 this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

To say the Philippians lived in a hostile environment is a gross understatement. They faced severe persecution. As a Roman colony, Philippi saw the arrival of retired veteran soldiers who were assigned land taken from local inhabitants. These local inhabitants also lost their citizenship in the newly formed colony. The Philippian church was seen as a threat because they rejected the worship of Caesar, which was considered a civic duty for Roman citizens. They called Jesus Lord, not Caesar, and by withdrawing from pagan religious festivals, were seen as unpatriotic and subversive to Rome. Besides the spiritual implication of darkness and light being on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, there were two value systems that would never be able to sit by the same fire: the veneration of Caesar vs. the Lordship of Christ.

“Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems.” – John Stott

Paul, himself a persecutor of the church before his conversion, understood this better than anyone else and therefore reminded the Philippians that both trusting in Christ and suffering for Him must be seen as a privilege. Paul and Silas were supernaturally led by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to them. We know that Paul’s plan was to go further into Asia, travel north, and preach the gospel there, but the Holy Spirit did not allow it. They then tried to go into Bithynia, and again the Lord said no. “8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:8-10 NIV). All of this because the Lord wanted the Macedonians to receive the Good News of Jesus.

The challenges and persecutions Paul and his traveling companions faced were among the most difficult during his missionary journeys through Macedonia. We see this in several of his letters, including one to the church in Corinth, where he describes the persecution and suffering they endured in Macedonia. “For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within” (2 Corinthians 7:5 NIV).

He directly refers to the harsh treatment in Philippi when he writes to the Thessalonians. “1 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition” (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 NLT).

A church was birthed by the Holy Spirit’s supernatural direction, as revealed in the vision Paul received. Then came the salvation of Lydia, a businesswoman, the deliverance of the slave girl from a spirit of divination, and the salvation of a jailer through God’s miraculous intervention. All of these great and even supernatural things happened, yet profound difficulty came as well. Paul reminds them that believing in Jesus is a privilege, and so is suffering for Him. 

Whenever we read about the suffering of the early church, it is very easy to disconnect and even disassociate from their suffering. The modern-day church, especially in the West, has relegated suffering to a personal category such as sickness, poverty, or trying circumstances. Yet, if we are honest, even people who do not know Christ go through sickness, poverty, and tough situations. It is true we might suffer like that, but that suffering is simply because we live in a broken world that was fractured when sin and death entered through Adam’s disobedience. Suffering for Christ is because of Christ. The Philippians are not facing trying circumstances because of a fallen world. They are facing trying circumstances because of a victorious Christ!

This is highly likely the reason why Paul and Silas chose to go to jail and be beaten for the proclamation of the Good News instead of escaping by claiming their Roman citizenship. Paul knew that the Philippians would be fellow strugglers in difficulty, distress, and persecution once they left. 

“The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.” – Leonard Ravenhill

There are many fellow believers all over the world in our present day that are jailed, beaten, ostracized, scorned, persecuted, and killed for the Good News of Jesus. We cannot simply close our eyes and ears and thank God it is not happening to us. Neither should we be afraid if the pressure is mounting in our current culture and climate. We must remain steadfast in preaching Jesus wherever we go and with whoever we are. We cannot become cowardly in our approach or shrink like a bunch of turtles in our shells for safety. Just like the church in Philippi, there is joy in trusting in Christ and joy in suffering for Him!

We might not face the same level of physical harm and threat that the early church did, but that does not mean we should not take up our cross and follow Him. We cannot worry about what others may think of us or how they may perceive us. We cannot reach a culture in which we place comfort over sacrifice and fitting in over standing out. Our comfort does not come from the culture we are in. It comes when we share in Jesus' suffering and are willing to take up our cross and follow Him.

2 Corinthians 1:5 (NIV) “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”

“Carrying the cross does mean following in Jesus' footsteps. In His footsteps are rejection, brokenheartedness, persecution, and death. There are not two Christs - an easygoing one for easygoing Christians and a suffering one for exceptional believers. There is only one Christ. Are we willing to follow His lead?” – Hudson Taylor

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to give you the courage to pay whatever price necessary to fulfill His purpose.
• Ask the Lord to change the way you see suffering for Him, from “Why me?” to “it’s a privilege”.
• Pray for your fellow believers who are struggling, especially those who are suffering for their faith around the world.
• Pray the second part of Psalm 27 today: 

Psalm 27:7-14 (NLT) 7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! 8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” 9 Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! 10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. 11 Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. 12 Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. 13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Day 14 – No Intimidation!

Philippians 1:28 (NLT) Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.

Paul continues to encourage the church in Philippi. He reminds them that he may see them again in person or only hear about how they are doing. He knows they will stand together in unity of spirit and purpose, contending for the faith, which is the Good News of Jesus. The pressure the church faces stems from the fact that they are now citizens of heaven. This means they are living by heavenly values, but it is also deeper than that. Their future and their enemies’ future are sealed by that fact. Therefore, they don’t have to be intimidated by anything the enemy brings against them.

Just as Peter wrote to believers in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), 1 Peter 3:14 says, "But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats" (NLT). Paul encourages the Philippians not to be intimidated in any way. Being a citizen of heaven means your past is forgiven and your future is secured. You belong to the Lord, and He holds your future in His hands.

When we realize that we are citizens of heaven, we are set free from the world's intimidation. We live in a world that is increasingly hostile toward faith, especially toward Christianity. It is true that, in some arenas, we, as Christ followers, have failed, and the criticism we receive is just; nevertheless, we see a continual onslaught against the values we uphold as Christ followers. 

We live in “cancel culture,” where everything and everyone is subjected to scrutiny and judgment, especially when we disagree with the world’s values and belief systems. That can be very intimidating! The spirit in the world is the spirit of the antichrist, and it is hell-bent on ensuring that we do not represent God’s kingdom well. Whether it is done by causing us to fight one another, by failing to reflect the true identity of Christ, or by simply intimidating us into silence, it is all meant to cause us to shrink back in fear and not do or say what needs to be said!

As the church, we must continue to speak up for Christ's ways and values, regardless of the cost. Yes, we might have to suffer for the sake of Christ. But Paul says that when we suffer for the right reasons, we must count it a privilege. We might be labeled, dismissed, and called all kinds of names, but all of that is meant to intimidate us into acquiescing and giving in to the spirit of the world.

“Any time we open ourselves up to fear, we fall prey to his deceptions and intimidations. Yet, if we submit our hearts to God and stand in faith, we can resist those first fearful thoughts. As we yield to God we can master our reactions to fear and the enemy will soon flee.”       – Francis Frangipane

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 render the final verdict on all lives. If you stand up for God, you will, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, receive life and more life as your portion. Your Father will ultimately set all things right, and you will be rewarded for any and all suffering you endured for His sake! Remember, suffering endured for His sake is not due to your foolishness; there is a difference…

So speak boldly, love deeply, embrace the truth daily, and let the Holy Spirit use you as His vessel for righteousness’ sake. Be bold amid the noise!


Prayer:

• Pray that the Lord will set you free from a spirit of fear and intimidation.
• Pray for a renewed boldness to speak about the Good News of Jesus.
• Pray the first part of Psalm 27:

Psalm 27:1-6 (NLT) 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? 2 When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. 4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. 6 Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.

Day 13 - Represent

Philippians 1:27-28(NLT) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Confident of remaining alive to continue the fruitful work of Christ, Paul admonishes the Philippians to “above all, live as citizens of heaven.” Paul is writing from the very seat of power of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome. Romans were very proud of their citizenship. If they were hashtagging, they would say: #RomanCitizen #betterthananyoneelse. Paul is writing to the church in Philippi. Philippi was a prominent city in Macedonia and a privileged Roman colony, often called "Little Rome." There was also a large population of retired Roman military veterans, which fostered a strong patriotic culture and deep loyalty to Caesar. So, needless to say, they were very proud of their Roman citizenship.

Paul, well aware of this fact, uses it to encourage the Philippian church to recognize that their allegiance has shifted. From Rome to Heaven, from Caesar to Christ. He wants them to know that their conduct must reflect the citizenship they represent. Just as these Roman colonies were little Romes, where people spoke Latin, wore Roman clothing, and were governed by Roman law, they now represent heaven, and their conduct must reflect that. Paul is not preaching at them from a distance; to put more pressure on them, he lives out his heavenly citizenship as an example.

In Acts 16, we read something very interesting. After Paul and Silas experienced the Lord’s version of the jailhouse rock and ministered to the jailer and his whole family, the officials sent their officers to the jailer to let him know to release Paul and Silas.

Acts 16:35-40(NLT) The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.” 37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!” 38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

Okay, Paul, you are free to go! Paul says, wait a minute. We are Roman citizens, and you did not give us our due process as citizens of Rome. In fact, they violated Roman law, therefore the cause of the alarm. So, they came begging Paul and Silas to leave the city and apologized to them. The question that is beckoning: why did Paul and Silas not claim their citizenship before the beating and before their imprisonment? They could have avoided a lot of pain. Could it be that, due to the birth of this new church, they knew persecution would come upon the believers in Philippi, and that they wanted to demonstrate by their actions that God is faithful and that their citizenship in heaven is far greater than any other?

Which citizenship do you most likely represent in your daily conduct? Your natural one or your supernatural one? What nation are you a citizen of? When you ask most people that question, their first response is American, Australian, British, Colombian, Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, or Indian. You get the point. Here’s a thought. According to Paul, if you are a Christ follower, your first response should be your spiritual citizenship, not your natural one. We have been born again into God’s family, and our citizenship is not natural but supernatural.

Paul says that unless you grasp this truth, you will not be able to live out your Christ identity. Our conduct is directly related to our understanding and acknowledgment of which Kingdom we are from. As citizens of heaven, we represent our King (Jesus) and reflect the values and ways of God’s Kingdom. That gives us the lifestyle that fits the Good News we proclaim. Paul then gives us a brief picture of what that looks like, and it is truly heavenly…

Standing together means there are no divisions among us. One spirit, we are connected through the supernatural power the Holy Spirit gives us. One purpose, we are not confused or deluded about the purpose of our lives. We know who we are, we know Whose we are, and we know why we are here. We do not suffer from a spiritual identity crisis; we are born again from above to represent our King! Fighting together, we don’t fight one another; we contend for the faith, and with faith we overcome. There is not a single mention of me, my, or I. Why? Because “I” is too small a number to represent God’s kingdom. Heaven is not divided; heaven is united and speaks with one voice.

My wife, Miranda, and I raised four boys (by God’s grace). As the boys grew older and left the house to visit a friend or do some activity, she would always say to them: “Son, make sure you represent.” She did not mean represent us; she meant, as a follower of Jesus, to represent Christ. That is what Paul told the Philippians and what the Holy Spirit is telling us: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Hey Philippians, make sure you represent. Hey Christ follower, make sure you represent!

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.

Prayer:

• Pray that you will live a life that is worthy of the Good News of Christ.
• Pray that the Lord will help you to connect with others for the purpose of fighting together for the faith.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to give us all one heart, one purpose so we can stand united for His kingdom.
• Purpose to connect and contend for community, ask for humility and a heart filled with grace. Be willing to endure hardship like Paul and Silas for the sake of others who are learning what it means to follow Christ.

Day 12 – Win or Win

Philippians 1:20-26(NLT) For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. 25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Paul is in prison and awaiting trial. He doesn’t know how this will turn out, except that he has confidence in the Philippians’ prayers and in Jesus helping him. His bold declaration of not being ashamed went beyond mere confidence. It is rooted in the knowledge that his life is covered by God’s providence and his future is secured by God’s grace. To live means Jesus, to die means being with Jesus.
Jesus was everything to Paul, from his roadside conversion on the way to Damascus to his call as an Apostle to the Gentiles. When his life was in danger, such as in Corinth, it was his confidence in Christ that kept him there rather than going elsewhere. Acts 18:9-11 (NLT) One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.

Even now, as he writes this Epistle to the Philippians, his confidence is not shaken, his resolve not weakened, and his hope not abandoned. For Paul, staying alive means doing more fruitful work for Christ’s kingdom. This faithful man of God feels the pull of both staying and leaving. He knows that, because of Christ Jesus, he is in a win-win situation. This pull between staying and leaving is not like our trying to decide what we will have for dinner. The Revised Standard Version states it as follows, “I am hard pressed between the two.” The word Paul uses conveys being between two rocks, like a narrow passage with rock on both sides, where the only way to go is forward.

His desire is to go and be with Jesus; he knows that is the best outcome for us all. “I long to go…” he is saying I am ready to pull up the tent pegs and move on. He echoes what he wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (NIV), “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.” Paul longs for his eternal house. However strong his desire to go and be with Jesus, he is fully submitted to God’s will for his life and knows that if he were to remain, it is better for the other believers, such as those in Philippi.

Paul’s desire is not to stay alive for himself but to encourage the faith of his fellow believers. He knows he is better off being with Jesus, but the Philippians are better off with him alive. Because of his confidence in Christ Jesus, he remarks that the Philippians will be able to take pride in the fact that Paul was spared, and that it will give them even greater confidence to pray and pursue the will of God for their lives despite the opposition they might be facing. Paul becomes an example to them of God’s continued hand of deliverance and providence. They will learn that with Christ you cannot lose.

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 and fulfill God’s call for our lives. There is no such thing as a believer without a call. We are all called to work in God’s vineyard. The joy is in bringing in the harvest and seeing lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The joy is knowing that each day is purposed by God and each moment is an opportunity to plunder hell and populate heaven. The joy is being fully alive with God’s purpose, no matter how young or old we are.

When the curtain is drawn on our lives and our time here is finished, even greater joy awaits us in the presence of our loving Lord Jesus! In life, we live for Him; in death, we go to Him. Yet Christ remains our reward. There is no greater reward than Jesus! Living means glorifying Christ, and dying means being with Christ forever. Regardless, we win! Knowing that we cannot lose frees us from the fear of death and the fear of an unfulfilled purpose.

In Christ you have already won. Hear these words from our Champion: “I’ve told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you’ll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33(GWT) Our Champion has overcome the world, so our present is covered by His grace despite any circumstance. He also said: “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” Revelation 1:18(NLT) Our future is secured by His victory! Living or dying, we have already won through Christ our Lord!

In light of what Jesus has done for us, let’s pick up our cross with renewed zeal and run with purpose at every step. We will never be ashamed, and we will never regret following Christ! Living, we win! Dying, we win! Nothing to lose…

Prayer:

• Take a moment to express your gratitude for what Jesus has done for you.
• Ask the Lord to remind you daily that both your present and your future are secured by His sacrifice on your behalf. Ask the Lord to remove any fear you may have of death.
• Pray for wisdom to make full use of the opportunities you have to proclaim Jesus.
• Re-commit yourself to fulfilling God’s purpose for your life. Simply pray: “Lord, Your will for my life. Nothing else, nothing less, and nothing more. I submit and surrender completely to what You want and desire. Not my will, but Yours! In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!”

Day 11 – Never Ashamed of the Good News

Philippians 1:20(NLT) For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

On the wings of the prayers of the Philippians and the empowering work of the Spirit of Jesus in his life, Paul makes this declaration. “I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed…” Paul’s expectation and hope are not grounded in self-confidence or human bravado. They are grounded in the truth of the Gospel of Christ. His confidence to be bold for Christ rests on the knowledge that through the proclamation of the Good News, lives are forever changed.

When he writes this to the church in Rome: “Romans 1:14-17(NIV) I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 

The Good News of Jesus brings salvation to those who believe. When Christ is preached, lives change. When Christ is embraced, eternal destinies are secured. When the gospel is believed, righteousness is imputed to unrighteous people. How can we ever be ashamed of the Good News's transformative power? We have the greatest news ever told, not just good news but the greatest news of all time! The good news of the Savior Jesus Christ!

The good news says we are forgiven. The good news says we are made free. The good news says we are loved. The good news says we are adopted. The good news says we are sons and daughters. The good news says we will live forever. The good news is not just good news; it is the greatest news ever proclaimed! The good news is the greatest news for those who receive Jesus as the Captain of their Salvation!

Born of a virgin, born in a stable, destined to die, yet in His death, burial, and Resurrection lies our redemption. Through His good news, the liar, the deceiver, the accuser, and their cohorts have received the worst news! The bondage of sin, the sting of death, the grip of the grave, and the terror of hell have been defeated! Therefore, the good news has become the greatest news, producing the highest hope, the most enduring peace, the deepest joy, and revealing the greatest love of all!

We can be bold in proclamation and steadfast in our witness, because to those who declare the Good News, shame is not in their future, regardless of what lies the enemy tries to perpetrate or what the world tries to elevate. The gospel is the power of God to those who believe! But there is more for us who believe. Because we have been recipients of the Good News, we have also become proclaimers of it, so that our lives can bring honor to Jesus, whether we live or die. This means we can have life to its fullest. Abundant life, a God-shaped life, a Christ-honoring life, both in life and in death. How can we lose?

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 expected never to be ashamed and always to be a bold witness for Christ. He trusted that his life would bring honor to Christ, whether living or dying! What a powerful life stance.

As a Christ follower, living life to its fullest means living every day for the glory of Jesus and becoming more fruitful for the work of Christ. There is a subtle danger for those of us who claim spiritual maturity and years of so-called Christian experience, where we cash it in, retire, and feel we are done. If you are truly done, then why is Jesus not taking you home? If there is breath in your lungs, there should be purpose in your steps.

Why not use the rest of your days to help others grow and experience the joy of their faith? What are you waiting for? “Get busy living or get busy dying...” I suggest living!

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to give you boldness to pursue His purpose.
• Pray that you will become more fruitful even as your role in life changes.
• Pray that the Lord will energize you to start today and move beyond the excuses you use to justify not pursuing His plan.
• Take a moment to thank the Lord for the greatest gift of all, Jesus! Unto us a Child is born, and the government now rests on His shoulders… Thank You, Father, for the Good, the best, and the greatest news of all time and for all time!

Day 10 – Praying For One Another – Part 2

Philippians 1:19(NLT) For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

One of the undergirding truths of this beautiful letter that Paul writes to the church in Philippi is the mutual love we see between Paul and the church. It is evident in the way Paul writes and in the way we know the church responded, as seen in all they continued to do for Paul and his ministry. 

They are partners in the grace of God. They are partners in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. They are partners in Paul’s suffering as they face persecution and trials. They are partners in financial stewardship, as evidenced by their continued financial support. They are also partners in prayer, so emphatically that Paul counts on their prayers being answered for his release. He feels their prayers through the empowering of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who helps him in his trials. Praying for one another is an action rooted in our love for one another.

Because the Philippian church loves Paul with the love of Christ, they also partner with him in prayer. We see in his request to the church in Rome that his request for prayer is based on their love for him, not because they personally know him, but because of the love the Holy Spirit pours out in the hearts of all believers. Keep in mind that when he wrote to the Romans, he had never met them. 

Romans 15:30 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. 

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 baptized in the love of God by His Spirit. It is not that the church has a prayer deficiency; we have a love deficiency, and that is the root of our prayer deficiency.

“When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end.”          - R.A. Torrey

Oh, that this were true of us! That we would be so filled with the love of God that we couldn’t help but be on our knees in intercessory prayer for one another. That we would become partners in prayer for the sake of the Gospel of Christ and the building of His kingdom! That we would pray like the early church prayed, in true, heartfelt intercession for God to change hearts and bring about His will. Acts 4:29(NIV) Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

“Lord, consider and enable” are two great words in this verse. When you pray for others, you are bringing them before God’s throne and saying, God, consider what they are going through. Consider the pressure they are under and the attacks they are facing.

In intercession, you are literally holding them up or lifting them up in God’s presence. You are saying, look at them, God, and lift them beyond their present circumstances, failures, or even sin. But you don’t stop there; you take it even further! You are asking God not just to encourage them in their struggle but also to enable them, meaning to give them the grace they need, not just to endure but to overcome.


Would you pray with your fellow saints today? Please use these prayers as an example or a springboard for your own prayer. Fill in the names of those you are praying for.

Prayer:

• When you are praying for someone and things don’t look good. Pray this way, “Lord, remind me that you are working even when I can’t see it. Remind me that you have had a plan long before I ever thought of praying. I pray for Jim and know he is never out of your hand, and he is never out of your care. I will not be moved by what I see, hear, or feel. I know your plan is better, bigger, and wiser than mine, so I stand in the gap for Jim and trust your plan for him.”

• When you are praying for someone, especially when their lives are not in line with God’s purpose, remind yourself through prayer that God has created them, that they are part of God’s creation and therefore under God’s ultimate authority. Acts 4:24(NIV) When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

You could pray something like this: “God, you know that Bill is not walking with you right now, but I know that you created Bill in your image and likeness and that you are God. Father, I trust in your ultimate care and deliverance. I trust because I know that if you can create the heavens and the earth, you can create in Bill a heart to seek after you.”

• When you pray, ask God to reveal what you specifically need to pray for. You might know because you know the person well that you are praying for. But sometimes we assume, and we need to allow God to show us what we need to pray for.

Again, an example: “Father, you know Jenn inside and out, and just as you spoke through David and revealed so many years ago what would take place, I pray that you show me what I need to pray for her. Father, I don’t want to pray without your insight and your guidance, so show me and help me pray your will for her life. In Jesus’ Name.”

• One more way we need to pray is for God’s power to be made manifest in their lives. The disciples prayed not only for boldness to speak but also for God to validate their words through His miraculous intervention. Now, I know there are people who think that God no longer heals and that miracles are no longer possible. I will respectfully and lovingly disagree. More than ever, we need God’s supernatural intervention. I am not going to attempt to validate God’s supernatural works; all I know is that the disciples prayed for God to heal. They prayed that God would demonstrate His power through signs and wonders and heal in the Name of Jesus.

Acts 4:30(NIV) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Ask God to heal, to deliver, to set free. Intercession and intercessory prayer bring those in need of God’s touch before His throne: “God, I pray that you touch and heal Susan’s heart. Lord, I pray that you heal Tom’s emotions. Lord, I ask that you intervene to heal Maggie’s body.”

Demonstrate your glory, Lord. Let all the earth declare that there is none like you. You are our God, and we are your people. We pray for your church worldwide that we would not be intimidated or shrink in fear, but that we would rise in faith. Raise up men and women who are willing to carry others before your throne.

Lord, the earth is yours, and the fullness thereof. The kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Let the church proclaim your glory and display your beauty, just as the heavens proclaim your glory.

Let the church become a symphony of praise, and may the prayer that Jesus prayed be made manifest, making us one! Let your message be proclaimed from nation to nation. May you open the doors of those countries where Jesus' Name is not allowed to be proclaimed, and send laborers into your field. Help us be mindful of our responsibility to pray and proclaim your kingdom. So we pray, let your Kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray all of this in the matchless and majestic Name above all names, the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! 

Day 9 – Praying For One Another – Part 1

Philippians 1:19(NLT) For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Throughout Paul’s ministry, we see two things consistently: he prays for the churches, and he asks for prayer. Some of the most powerful prayers are Paul's prayers over the churches. (see Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21, Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; Philemon 6 and Philippians 1:9-11) 

Also in 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13(NLT) “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.”

What powerful prayers! On days when you struggle to pray, simply open to these references and pray these prayers over your life and the lives of those you pray for. There are several instances where Paul asked the believers to pray specifically for him and his fellow missionaries. There are 8, to be exact, 9 if you include Philippians 1:19 (Ephesians 6:19-20, Romans 15:30-32, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, Colossians 4:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Corinthians 1:10-11, Philemon 1:22, Colossians 4:3-4). The themes we see in Paul’s request for prayer are Protection and Proclamation, as they relate to preaching the Good News of Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (NLT) Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.

The deep partnership and intimacy Paul felt with the church in Philippi are also evident in the fact that, unlike in his other letters, he did not ask them to pray for him. He accepted their prayers as already offered simply by writing, “For I know that as you pray for me…” For Paul, the Philippian church praying for him was not something he needed to request but something he simply accepted as fact. He was not assuming they were praying for him; he knew them, and they knew him, and he knew that they would be praying for him.

Which then turns into his bold exclamation, “Your prayers and the Spirit of Jesus Christ help me…” Prayer is the most indispensable quality for all believers. Praying for one another should not be seen as a duty or a chore. It should be seen as a privilege. How wonderful to know that people are praying for us, praying for God’s protection, provision, purpose, and power working in us and through us. Our confidence should be the same as Paul’s because we know that when people pray for us, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus helps us be and do whatever is required of us.

Paul counted on the power of the prayers of the Philippians for his encouragement, strength, and ultimately his deliverance. We know that these prayers were answered because Paul was released from prison. There is power in the prayers of God’s people. There is power in your prayers for others. Our prayers outlive us. We see in Revelation 5:8(NLT) And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

Every prayer you pray in accordance with God’s will is like incense before Him, noted and recorded in Heaven. As E. M. Bounds so succinctly put it: “God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed to death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God's heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; they outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” - E.M. Bounds    

This should motivate us to pray more, seek His face more, and ask our Heavenly Father to let His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! Whose prayers can you count on? Who can count on your prayers?

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 the power of prayer, as seen in Acts 16. How much greater could the impact of the gospel be if we, the saints, prayed for greater boldness and effectiveness in preaching the Good News? 

Could we see the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 (NIV), “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come,” if we partner in prayer to a greater extent? Paul asked for prayer in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, so should we…

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord whom you can partner with in prayer. If you are married, start with your spouse.
• You have to be willing to be in community, to be known, loved, and supported, and to be prayed for and to pray with others. If you are not in community, what needs to change? 
• Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in finding community so that you can both give and receive prayer.
• Pray for the specific needs of someone you know. Pray for them by name. Then reach out to them and ask what else you could pray for.

Day 8 – Rejoicing Over the Main Thing!

Philippians 1:15-19(NLT) It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t 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. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Division and divisiveness are not new; they have plagued humanity since the fall of man. Wherever there are humans, there is division. If you read the Bible with romanticized eyes, you will get a warped perspective. One of the many reasons I love God’s Word is that it doesn’t hide people’s dysfunctions or embellish their characteristics. It tells us about Thomas’s doubts, John and James’ fiery temperaments, Peter’s hypocrisy, and his water-walking expedition. The good and bad are clearly seen. Sometimes we think that there was only unity in the early church; far from it. How many times do we read in the New Testament about being admonished to strive for unity, to have the same mind, the same purpose, and to be of one accord?

Divisiveness robs us of peace, shrinks our resolve, and limits our potential. One thing I know about divisiveness, beyond the other maladies it brings, is that it saps our joy. However, in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, we see something that reveals a remarkable characteristic. In verse 12, it seems he is responding to an inquiry about his well-being (I want you to know…), and then he goes on to tell them about those who have renewed zeal to proclaim Christ’s message. Among those preaching the Good News, some preach from pure motives, while others preach with selfish ambition. Those who preach without sincerity are making Paul’s imprisonment more difficult. 

We don’t really know what that means except that their preaching made things more difficult for Paul. Nevertheless, we see in Paul a quality I believe we all need to embrace. The ability to keep the main thing the main thing. 

Keeping the main thing, the main thing, can be challenging when we take our eyes off our purpose and focus on people. What is the main thing? The main thing is that we continue to proclaim Jesus' message to the world! Not everyone has pure motives, and not everyone is sincere, but keeping ourselves busy trying to discern people’s motives will prove to be a fruitless venture.

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 message of Christ remains pure! That does not mean we should not strive for pure motives; it simply means we should leave the judging of other people’s motives to the Lord Himself. We barely know how to judge our own motives, so we should tread lightly when it comes to the motives of others. Our purpose is to proclaim Jesus. Are you proclaiming Jesus or judging others?

We need to adopt Paul’s attitude: “18 But that doesn’t 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.” Knowing that the message of Christ is greater than the messengers keeps the main thing the main thing. We should rejoice that the Name of Jesus and His saving grace are being proclaimed, even when it is people we don’t necessarily think are doing it from pure motives. Jesus is in charge of His church. He said, “He will build His church,” so let Him use whoever He chooses, not whoever we approve of.

“God cares nothing about our manmade divisions and groups and is not interested in our self-righteous, hair-splitting, and religious, man-made formulas and organizations. He wants you to recognize the UNITY of the body of Christ.” – M.R. DeHaan

We should focus on the good news that the Good News is being preached and that Christ is being proclaimed. We can rejoice that people have the opportunity to hear about Jesus, and we should double down on rejoicing rather than criticism. So, rejoice today when you hear someone proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, because there is joy in Heaven when one lost sinner repents and returns to God. That is keeping the main thing the main thing…

“When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”  Luke 15:6-8(NLT)

Prayer:

• Pray for people and ministries on the front lines of preaching the Good News of Christ.
• Ask the Lord to help you keep the main thing the main thing and rejoice when people turn to Him.
• Pray that your focus will be on telling others about Jesus instead of judging others’ motives.
• Ask the Lord to help you keep your motives pure.
• Let the Holy Spirit show you a person to pray for, a person to show an act of kindness to, and a person to reach out to with the Good News of Christ.

Day 7 – What Lens Do You Use?

Philippians 1:12-14(NLT) And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

Things happen, both good and bad; that is part of life. None of us has control over what happens to us. This is not a negative statement, it is a statement of truth. We live in a broken and fallen world, among broken and sinful people, and this brokenness is the cause of many of our challenges. One of two things can happen. First, we could resign ourselves and simply throw up our hands and say, “That’s life. It is just the way things are. Nothing to see here.” Or second, we could ask the Lord to give us His perspective and see all things through the lens of God’s goodness, mercy, and ultimately His wisdom.

Paul is writing from prison, not a good place, we can all agree. He is being watched by the Praetorian guard. The Praetorian Guard was the Imperial Guard of Rome. They were set up by Augustus as a select group of 10,000 troops, which later expanded to over 16,000. They were the only soldiers allowed in Rome. It was to the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, their commanding officer, that Paul was handed over to when he arrived in Rome. Acts 28:16(NLT) When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

Paul was essentially on house arrest; however, no ankle bracelets were being monitored (as is done today). He was chained to a guard by a chain that attached to his wrist and the guard's wrist. There was a rotation of guards, especially since Paul was guarded 24 hours a day. In this context, Paul writes to the Philippians and says: “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.” How can being in prison, being greatly limited, be the cause of the gospel being spread?

It all depends on the lens you use. If we look only from a natural perspective, we will see only a prison, a chain, and a prisoner chained to a guard. But if we use God’s lens of goodness, mercy, and wisdom, we will see a chain reaction of the Good News of Christ penetrating the most resistant of all places. What we see as a limitation, God uses as a proclamation. What we see as a difficulty, God uses as an opportunity. What we see as an impossibility, God uses for His glory!

If you think Paul was the captive, you are sadly mistaken. The Lord delivered several different soldiers to Paul each day so he could share the Good News of Jesus with them. Imagine being one of the soldiers chained to Paul as he receives guests, like the gift the Philippians sent through Epaphroditus. I can imagine the guards listening to the stories, watching Paul write the letters, and Paul and his guests sharing about what the Lord is doing in the churches and how the Philippians are sending support to Paul. Their interest must have piqued. The questions must have come, and who better to talk about Jesus than Paul the Apostle?

No wonder Paul writes in verse 13, “For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.” Every one of those guards knew that Paul was in prison not for any other reason except that he served Christ Jesus! Paul could’ve bemoaned what happened to him. He could’ve complained or griped, yet he writes the most joyful letter in the most difficult circumstances because he knows the Lord is using his imprisonment to reach a group of people who would otherwise be hard to reach. Paul uses God’s lens of mercy to extend mercy to his captors. When we shift our perspective from ourselves to our purpose, something happens not only to us but also to those around us.

“And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.” The resolve of the believers in Rome is strengthened, and these persecuted believers are gaining a boldness they would not have had if it were not for Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. Talk about a chain reaction! The guards are hearing the Gospel, the believers are preaching it with newfound boldness, and letters are being sent to the churches that we have the privilege of holding in our hands today! How amazing is our God!

“We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be.” – Oswald Chambers

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 level of joy you possess. The more we realize that we are not in control and that our Heavenly Father is, the more we can live in the joy He has for us.

Maybe it’s time to get on our knees and consult the “Divine Optometrist” for a new set of lenses…

Prayer:

• Ask the Lord to help you let go of the need to control everything and place your complete trust in His wisdom.
• Pray and ask the Lord to give you a fresh perspective on the challenges you face, and invite the Holy Spirit to grant you peace as the Lord brings His purpose and plan for your life to fruition.  Romans 8:28 (NLT) “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” 
• You might not choose what you go through, but you do choose how you go through it. Pray for renewed insight into God’s love so you know you are God’s beloved and that He is working out a greater purpose, even if you don’t see it yet.

Day 6 – Character that Glorifies the Father

Philippians 1:11(NLT) May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

As Paul continues his prayer for the Philippians, he delves deeper into the beautiful reality of what it means to live a fully transformed life. This one verse packs a spiritual punch that will make our flesh stagger and bring us into the reality of a life lived for God’s glory! He prays that they would always be filled with the fruit of their salvation. He leaves no room for guesswork about what that means. The fruit of our salvation is righteous character. 

This righteous character is not produced from a self-righteous action of being good or trying to be good; it is produced by being submitted to Christ Jesus. The fruit of salvation is righteous character formed by Jesus in the good and the bad of life. Godly character is not about trying harder, being more religious, rigid, or narrow-minded. It is about being formed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the beautiful image of Jesus.

Without devotion to Christ, there cannot be a display of the character of Jesus. We cannot separate devotion from formation. The more we walk with Jesus, fellowship with the Heavenly Father, and walk in His Spirit, the more we will display and produce His righteous fruit.

“The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit Divine characteristics in your life, not good human characteristics. God's life in us expresses itself as God's life, not as human life trying to be godly.” – Oswald Chambers

The fruit of our salvation is that our character is being transformed by Jesus so that our lives bring glory, honor, and praise to God. Our character matters! It matters because righteous character glorifies our Father. How is your character? Who are you when no one is around? Are you the same person regardless of who surrounds you, or does the company dictate your behavior?

If your language, behavior, and responses change with the crowd, you need to grow in character. The beautiful thing about righteous character is that it is the fruit of our salvation. In other words, having character should come supernaturally naturally to us who say we believe. Fruit is a natural result of the type of tree that was planted. Orange trees produce oranges and are not concerned with producing apples, because they grow from an orange seed. We are born again by God’s incorruptible seed, and righteous character is the fruit of our salvation.

Ephesians 5:8-12(NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

We are exhorted by Paul to have nothing to do with fruitless works of darkness because we are children of the light in the Lord. This light is reflected in a display of Godly characteristics such as goodness, righteousness, and truth. 

Why is this so important? Because it gives us moral authority. Don’t confuse moral authority with legalistic moral superiority. (I am better than you because I don’t do what you do.) Moral authority simply gives us the right to speak into the lives of others. How can we tell others about something we don’t live ourselves?

Character matters because it glorifies God and gives us the confidence to share the good news with others. Stop waiting for big moments to display Godly character. Character is not a destination to reach, it is a process to embrace. Allow the Holy Spirit to grind away anything in you that does not look like Jesus or represent Him well. Where does He do this? In the secret place of prayer and in the public space of ordinary life. Our character is shaped by every decision we make and every prayer we pray. We don’t just pray, “Lord, give me…”; we pray, “Lord, make me…”.

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 evidence of character shaped by Christ is not becoming more religious and more miserable. It is the complete opposite. It is demonstrating the incomparable joy of Jesus!

How is your character? Your joy might just be the gauge you need to check.

“The test of Christian character should be that a man is a joy-bearing agent to the world.”  - Henry Ward Beecher

Prayer:

• Pray: “Lord, I know that character matters. You have called me to represent You, and I want to represent You well. I belong to You, and I pray that Christ be formed in me. Help me shine Your light in a world that walks in darkness and embraces it. Help me rely on the Holy Spirit’s power, not on my own. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. As You build Your character in my life, help me walk in Your joy. Help me be consistent in character so that my words and actions align. Forgive me where I have failed to walk in the fruit of righteousness, and let me bear fruit that pleases You. Help me display Your character and nature so that the world may see how good You are and that You, Father, are glorified in my life. Thank You, Jesus, for Your gift of grace to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Day 5 – What Really Matters

Philippians 1:9-10(NLT) I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 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.

Paul continues his prayer for the Philippians, saying he prays that their love will overflow more and more. The NIV translation says: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” Love that doesn’t stay the same but grows as we grow in knowledge, understanding, and deep insight. Herein lies our dilemma. Because we have heard so much about love, we think we know all there is to know about it. Love becomes tedious, boring, routine, so we think, “I am all stocked up on love!” Especially for believers, there is a tendency to become self-righteous in our love instead of self-sacrificial.

Paul has been on the receiving end of the Philippian church’s acts of love, yet he still prays for them to overflow more and more in Christ’s love. He prays for their love to increase in knowledge and insight. Knowledge can do one of two things: it can puff you up in pride, or stir you into sacrificial action on behalf of others. Just like Paul admonishes the Corinthian church when He wrote: “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Cor 8:1 NIV)  You can have the right doctrine and the right ecclesiastical belief system and still miss out on God’s best because you lack an understanding of how to love people.

To love others the way God loves us is to have insight and understanding from the Holy Spirit on what really matters. Do you know what truly matters? Love matters, people matter, you matter! We need to grow in knowledge and understanding, but knowledge without love can lead to arrogance. Likewise, it is impossible to develop an understanding without growing in love. We limit our potential when our focus is mainly on acquiring knowledge and seeking understanding, instead of overflowing with love! 

When we understand what truly matters and who truly matters, it enables us to live pure and blameless lives. True joy can only be found in a complete abandonment to the love of Christ. The knowledge of His love for us and for others stirs within us an affection so deep, so pure, and so willing to sacrifice that it transforms unholy people, who only have regard for self, into holy people who place others before self. Oh, that we may run into Christ’s loving embrace so we could turn around and embrace others who desperately need to know that Jesus loves them.

“If the Christian would act on the principle of pure love, he would work no ill toward his neighbor, and if his love toward God were perfect, he would perfectly serve God. Love therefore is a standard which is higher than law, fulfilling the law, and accomplishing through the Spirit what the law could not.” - John F. Walvoord

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 love of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Love is not merely a position we take or something we practice, it is who we are. We know that people matter! They matter to God, and they should matter to us. So, we open our hearts to learn to love others and to gain insight into how to love each individual God’s way, not ours.

1 John 3:16(NIV) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Prayer:

• What stands in the way of you loving others the way you should? Ask the Holy Spirit to cause you to see who truly matters and what truly matters. 
• Pray for a change in approach towards others and ask for forgiveness if necessary.
• Pray that you may grow and overflow with God’s love, especially toward those you find difficult to love. Think of a specific person and sincerely bring their needs before the Lord.
• Ask the Holy Spirit for insight and understanding so that you may love those around you with Christ’s love, and then act on it.
• With whom could you share today about the love of Christ? Will you?