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.
--Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on July 8, 2013 of Psalm 119:41-48; Philippians 2:12-30; 1 Chronicles 8.
The church at Philippi, a Roman colony and military outpost city, was founded by Paul during his second missionary journey and was his first in present-day Europe. Paul always maintained a close and warm relationship with the church and wrote to them with great gentleness, even when addressing their faults, which are only briefly and somewhat indirectly touched upon in what is basically a Thank You note. The church had provided Paul with financial support twice earlier and once again now while he suffered in prison, for Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote this letter and sent it with the return of the Philippian Epaphroditus.
Even though the bulk of this letter is very personal, with Paul offering words of encouragement to his friends in Philippi and exhortations for them to continue in their faith, this epistle also contains perhaps one of the most important doctrinal passages in the New Testament. In a few very polished verses surrounded by warmer, more informal, more personal prose, Paul conveys the humility of Christ who, even though God, did not come to the earth as God but humbled Himself to come as a servant. In Paul's way of thinking, this is part of Christ's uniqueness throughout all the history of mankind, both in the person of Jesus and in His works on earth. In today's focus verses, Paul makes the point that we (although he was directly addressing the members of the church in Philippi, we know Paul is speaking to all believers throughout all time) should have the same disposition of Christ, that we should follow the example that He set.
Paul reminds the Philippians, and us, that while God is firmly behind us, we still have obligations to keep in following Christ's example, we must still stand on our own against the popular culture's influences, with Christ strengthening us. When we are confronted by the traps and stumbling blocks Satan places in our path, we should contend with them without making a big fuss, and without complaining about our fate. The tendency of the modern world is to over-dramatize everything; Christ did not do so and neither should we. We should react to adverse situations the same way Jesus did, and in so doing we can be seen as blameless and faultless children in God's eyes. Jesus came as a Light unto the world (please reference John 8:12, 9:5, and others). If we faithfully follow His example, we can carry on as His light shining brightly to this crooked and perverse generation. As did Jesus, be a servant, be a light. Amen.
O Jesus our Savior, thank You for setting an example for all of us to follow so that our Father in heaven may see us as His children and hold us blameless and faultless. Thank You for coming to us not to be served, but to serve, and by doing so exemplifying the life we ourselves should live. Thank You for being a Light in this dark world, and for allowing us to shine Your glory among man so that all might come to know You and believe. In Your glorious name, our dearest Jesus we pray. Amen.
Even though the bulk of this letter is very personal, with Paul offering words of encouragement to his friends in Philippi and exhortations for them to continue in their faith, this epistle also contains perhaps one of the most important doctrinal passages in the New Testament. In a few very polished verses surrounded by warmer, more informal, more personal prose, Paul conveys the humility of Christ who, even though God, did not come to the earth as God but humbled Himself to come as a servant. In Paul's way of thinking, this is part of Christ's uniqueness throughout all the history of mankind, both in the person of Jesus and in His works on earth. In today's focus verses, Paul makes the point that we (although he was directly addressing the members of the church in Philippi, we know Paul is speaking to all believers throughout all time) should have the same disposition of Christ, that we should follow the example that He set.
Paul reminds the Philippians, and us, that while God is firmly behind us, we still have obligations to keep in following Christ's example, we must still stand on our own against the popular culture's influences, with Christ strengthening us. When we are confronted by the traps and stumbling blocks Satan places in our path, we should contend with them without making a big fuss, and without complaining about our fate. The tendency of the modern world is to over-dramatize everything; Christ did not do so and neither should we. We should react to adverse situations the same way Jesus did, and in so doing we can be seen as blameless and faultless children in God's eyes. Jesus came as a Light unto the world (please reference John 8:12, 9:5, and others). If we faithfully follow His example, we can carry on as His light shining brightly to this crooked and perverse generation. As did Jesus, be a servant, be a light. Amen.
O Jesus our Savior, thank You for setting an example for all of us to follow so that our Father in heaven may see us as His children and hold us blameless and faultless. Thank You for coming to us not to be served, but to serve, and by doing so exemplifying the life we ourselves should live. Thank You for being a Light in this dark world, and for allowing us to shine Your glory among man so that all might come to know You and believe. In Your glorious name, our dearest Jesus we pray. Amen.
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