Author: David Short

Philippians 1:27-30

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Personal Challenge

How is it possible to live up to the first phrase of this passage, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ”? On my own power, this is not possible. Through the love of the Father, the work of the Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, this can become the focus of my life journey. How does the gospel of Christ play out in the conduct of my life? By loving God and my neighbor, by not being judgmental and lifting others up, and by becoming transparent so that others do not see me, but see God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Acts 6:8

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Personal Challenge

What a great witness Stephen was for Christ and an example for me. It is so easy to get wrapped up in desiring something other than what I have and miss the opportunity to be performing great wonders and signs where God has planted me. Even if what I desire is good, like being in a place where I could do God’s work rather than man’s work. If the desire becomes so strong that it hinders me from being full of faith and power in my current place then I am not fulfilling God’s purpose in my life…to glorify Him. God knows that I am unworthy to be His witness, His emissary, His child, and yet He pours out His love and mercy, upon me anyway. Glory be to God, not me! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalm 117 (116 LXX)

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
Praise Him, all you peoples,
For His mercy rules over us;
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Encouraging Words

God alone is worthy of my praise and worship for He has ruled over me, a Gentile, with His great and divine mercy. He pours out His love upon me when I do not now, and never will deserve it. His love and truth embrace me and hold me near to His heart. Glory be to God!

1 John 4:7-9

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Personal Challenge

If all of Christianity had to be summed up in one word, that word would be, “Love!”. God loved us so much that He gave us His Son. Jesus loved us so much that He became a man and gave up His life for us. I am commanded to do only two things with my life; love God and love my neighbor. Without this love, I am not His. The challenge is to love relentlessly, expecting nothing in return, just as God does. Lord have mercy on me, the sinner!

Philippians 2:14-16

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Personal Challenge

So, what light is it that shines through me to those around me when I am living my life for God? It is not me! It is not my good works! Could it be that the light others see when I am living a life that glorifies God is His uncreated, glorious light? If I am living for Him, loving others for Him, caring for others through Him, then I am becoming an icon, a portal, through which others can see God. I become transparent and therefore, disappear so that He can become apparent and appear before others. I must decrease so that He can increase.

1 Timothy 4:7-8

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Personal Challenge

So much of the Christian walk comes down to balance. Balancing what we do in our lives so that we are not over-focusing on any one area. Just as the athlete cannot just focus on one form of exercise or practice, but must have a suite of exercises to develop his whole body, so too must the Christian develop all aspects of his walk with Christ to be able to grow in godliness. This included reading and studying the scriptures and teachings of the saints, participating in the worship and liturgical traditions of the church, being a part of the church body through fellowship, cleansing ourselves of the toxins of our actions in the world through confession and repentance, and exercising our faith through prayer, fasting, serving, giving alms and tithes, and whatever else our Lord asks of us. The Christian walk is a marathon and requires diligent and persistent work.

Psalm 143:1 (142:1 LXX)

O Lord, hear my prayer; Give ear to my supplication in Your truth;
Answer me in Your righteousness;

Personal Challenge

Does God answer my prayers? Always! Do I recognize these answers? Not as often as I should! There is a very valuable truth about proper prayer in this little nugget, “my supplication in Your truth”. I can pray and pray for all the things that I want from God. Any many of these things may be good and proper things. But if I am truly walking in Christ, living my life close to Him, being obedient and submissive to Him, then He will reveal to me those things that I should be praying for. I will then be praying in His truth. This is when I truly see His answers in righteousness. This is when I accept His “No” answers as readily as His “Yes” answers. A true Christian life is lived within Him, for Him, by Him, with all abandonment of self and love of this world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

John 2:9-10

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus constantly invites us to partake in His special wedding feast. We get to this every time that we partake of the Eucharist. He is the Groom, ad were are both the bride and the guests. He takes that which is plain and bland, our earthly and unrepentent selves, and turns us into new creatures that taste sweet and are aromatic to the lost world. I cannot do this by myself, but only He can. glory be to God!