Philippians 1:2
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Encouraging Words…
Paul’s salutation is a great reminder of the mindset that we should always be in with relationship to those in our lives. We should always be offering God’s grace and peace to everyone. We should be living our own lives under God’s grace and peace for we are truly blessed as we are also blessings to others. Glory be to God!
All the works of the humble are evident before the Lord,
But the ungodly will be destroyed in the evil day.
Personal Challenge…
Our salvation begins and ends with humility, our willingness to submit our will and our desires to our Lord. And what comes between the bookends of life will be measured on that scale of humility and how much we have been willing to put God and others before ourselves. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
My favorite poem has long been “A Bag of Tools” by R. L. Sharpe. This one is now added as a close second place. We watched the movie Interstellar (very good by the way) last night and this poem was used throughout the movie and is an awesome reminder to live out our lives fully and completely. I am sure that this is what our Lord wants us to do as we approach the end of our days here on earth. Glory be to God!
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Personal Challenge…
We have been given such a blessing…life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is our responsibility as well as our privilege to share this blessing with those whom we come into contact with. We should always be ready to give out God’s word with grace and love for the other. Glory be to God!
Philippians 3:8-11
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Encouraging Words…
Paul reminds us so clearly here that what God provides for us who follow Him is greater than anything, even life itself. He is not talking about wealth or stuff here. This is not some kind of prosperity gospel. Our righteousness comes for Him. Our salvation comes from Him. Everything we have and everything we are come from Him. So why shouldn’t we count it all as loss for Him.
Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Personal Challenge…
We see here again that our salvation is not a one time singular event or some special canned prayer that we say. This may have been what set us on our path of obedience to God, but our salvation is a lifelong process doing the work of God as He works within us to do His will and work. We are not on this journey alone. Glory be to God!
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Personal Challenge…
Does Christ permeate my every fiber? Is my every breath filled with Christ? If I were to die this moment would it be my gain? If I am truly pursuing Christ as my Lord then my answers to these questions need to be moving more and more to a resounding, “Yes!” If I am dying to the world around me, and more importantly to myself, then dying is my gain. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Philippians 1:15-18
Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
Personal Challenge…
Paul experienced those people in his life that challenged his belief and preached a partial gospel of Christ in order to confront him. He also experienced those who carried on his preaching and shared the gospel of Christ in all of its truth. And in both cases Paul was grateful because the gospel of Christ was being preached. Should we not also follow in his footsteps and be grateful that even those who are preaching and following partial gospels today are still spreading the gospel. God can still use partial truths about Himself to build His kingdom and save the lost.
Verse of the Day 