“I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-12)
The Philippian church was born out of struggle and pain. In Philippi there was no synagogue that Paul could use for contacts, so he, Luke, Silas, and Timothy went to a small stream just outside the city gates where they heard there might be a prayer meeting, and there was. They spoke the gospel there, and Lydia believed. She invited them to her home, which is where the church began. Paul and Silas, however, were soon arrested for casting a demon out of a young slave girl. Her outraged owners had them thrown in jail and purposely had them put in painful circumstances. As Paul and Silas sang hymns at midnight, an earthquake broke open the chains and doors of all the prisoners. When the panicked jailer saw this, he started to kill himself and save himself from a more painful death, but Paul’s voice stopped him. “We are all here.” The relieved jailer came to faith that night and was baptized. The next day the alarmed city officials, when they discovered that Paul was a Roman citizen, came and begged them to leave Philippi. After greeting the church, they did so.
No mention is made of Lydia when Paul wrote the Philippian church. She was a businesswoman, so it is very possible that she re-located. He did mention several, and one of them was Epaphroditus, who was mentioned twice. Epaphroditus had journeyed to Rome: 1) to see Paul, 2) to help with the situation, and 3) to deliver a gift of money to Paul. The Philippian church was a partner-church for Paul.
In this context, Paul thanked the Philippian believers for their generous gift, and he made the statement in the verses above. Through the years Paul experienced times where there was an abundance of finances and times when they were very slim. He saw times when he was able to eat, and times he was unable to eat.
Sometimes when folks go through difficult times, whatever the circumstances may be, there can be a tendency to wonder where God is, what He is doing, and why He doesn’t help more. Abundance tends to create comfort, but lack tends to create criticism it seems for some. Who knows, Paul may have done some of that himself, but he says, “I have learned the secret of being content.” Through the years he had learned to rely wholly on the strength that Jesus provides, regardless of the circumstances that might exist.
All of us face circumstances that, at times, may be very good and positive, and, at times, may not be so good. They might be relational, financial, medical, educational, or such, but whether the circumstances are good or not so good, this principle applies. In any circumstance, we turn to the Lord, seek Him, and rely on His strength. And we do so consistently, trusting Him to provide direction.
Lord, May our focus always be toward You, whatever the circumstances. Amen.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Don’t Worry?
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 CSB)
Do you know of anyone who never worries? Everybody worries, at one time or another, in one form or another. Some worrying is self-centered (“What’s going to happen to me?”), and some focuses on others (“What’s going to happen to her?”). Worry is an experience common to every human being. It is an anxiety that is derived from a problem or predicament that usually involves an uncertain and fearful potential outcome, often one that appears beyond our control. The degree of worry is directly proportional to the degree of a fearful outcome. Illness, money, decisions, directions, and such are simple examples of some of the sources of worry.
Some who read Paul’s words tend to think he is saying that a really spiritual person does not worry. That is not what he is saying. In fact, Paul himself admitted to worrying daily about the welfare of the churches he started. All of them were having problems, and he was fearful that the churches would take negative rather than positive directions. What Paul is saying is that we should not remain in a state of on-going hand-wringing worry, as if there were no hope. We move away from that state of worry when we move to prayer (talking with God), to petition (asking God), thanksgiving, and bringing our requests to the Lord. We entrust our worries to the Lord, and as we do so God’s peace, in ways that are unexplainable, will guard (literally, “build a fort around”) our hearts and our minds in the sovereign and redemptive Christ Jesus.
Worry we will. Inevitably. But the point is that we do not have to stay there. We can move from the discomfort of anxiety to the comfort of peace by taking our worries to the Lord and entrusting the outcomes to Him. He may then point us to a solution. Or, He may provide a solution. And then, He may just say, “Trust me.” Taking our worries to the Lord will help provide us with some perspective.
Lord, We really do not like the feeling and discomfort of worry or the stress it brings to our lives. Sometimes we even worry about worrying. We recognize that the real solution is to turn to You with these heavy concerns, so we bring them now to You. We ask You to point us to solutions or provide solutions. But mainly, we just express our trust in You. Amen.
Do you know of anyone who never worries? Everybody worries, at one time or another, in one form or another. Some worrying is self-centered (“What’s going to happen to me?”), and some focuses on others (“What’s going to happen to her?”). Worry is an experience common to every human being. It is an anxiety that is derived from a problem or predicament that usually involves an uncertain and fearful potential outcome, often one that appears beyond our control. The degree of worry is directly proportional to the degree of a fearful outcome. Illness, money, decisions, directions, and such are simple examples of some of the sources of worry.
Some who read Paul’s words tend to think he is saying that a really spiritual person does not worry. That is not what he is saying. In fact, Paul himself admitted to worrying daily about the welfare of the churches he started. All of them were having problems, and he was fearful that the churches would take negative rather than positive directions. What Paul is saying is that we should not remain in a state of on-going hand-wringing worry, as if there were no hope. We move away from that state of worry when we move to prayer (talking with God), to petition (asking God), thanksgiving, and bringing our requests to the Lord. We entrust our worries to the Lord, and as we do so God’s peace, in ways that are unexplainable, will guard (literally, “build a fort around”) our hearts and our minds in the sovereign and redemptive Christ Jesus.
Worry we will. Inevitably. But the point is that we do not have to stay there. We can move from the discomfort of anxiety to the comfort of peace by taking our worries to the Lord and entrusting the outcomes to Him. He may then point us to a solution. Or, He may provide a solution. And then, He may just say, “Trust me.” Taking our worries to the Lord will help provide us with some perspective.
Lord, We really do not like the feeling and discomfort of worry or the stress it brings to our lives. Sometimes we even worry about worrying. We recognize that the real solution is to turn to You with these heavy concerns, so we bring them now to You. We ask You to point us to solutions or provide solutions. But mainly, we just express our trust in You. Amen.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Focus on the Right Things
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 CSB)
Everybody has a past. Many events in our past may have been quite positive and good, but all of us have some regrets. There may have been some wrong turns, some wrong directions, some mistakes, some sins. Paul certainly had his regrets. The regret factor seems to have a way of pushing its way to the forefront. We have these events of the past, so how then do we deal with them effectively?
In a word, we “forget” them. So, how is that accomplished? When we just mention “the past” and regrets, those memories pop up quickly, showing us that, in fact, we have not forgotten them. We forget, but yet we do not forget. How then can we engage in “forgetting what is behind” as Paul says, while even he himself did not forget his past?
Obviously, we do not forget, just as Paul did not. Those memories are there. So maybe what that means is that Paul meant something other than a literal forgetting of the past. What Paul is talking about is simply laying down the events of the past. We are to take our regrets and our guilt, and we are to let go of them and just lay them down before the Lord. Two actions are important in doing this.
The first action is very simple, though not easy. It is simply a decision. How do you forget what is behind? You bring your past to the Lord, and you decide that you will leave it with Him. And then second, you pursue the goal, what is ahead. You lay aside what your goals were and what your life was, and you pursue the goals and the life that God has for you. You shift your focus from the past to the present and to the future. You follow God’s call on your life as He leads you into His future for you.
Additional verses in Philippians point us to some practical applications. Verse 16, for example, says to live up to whatever truth you have attained. Verse 17 suggests that you imitate the examples of other godly people. And verses 19 and 20 suggest that we not focus on earthly things but on heavenly things where our true citizenship lies and to which we are going.
We can no more forget the past than we can stop breathing, but we can decide to lay aside the aspects of a life outside of Christ that once had value and choose to shift our focus toward the goals God has for us and pursue them. That is what makes each new day fresh and exciting.
Lord, The power of Your redemption is truly awesome, and we thank You that You give each of us a new day each day, full of opportunity to pursue what You have for us. Help us to choose daily to go in that direction. Amen.
Everybody has a past. Many events in our past may have been quite positive and good, but all of us have some regrets. There may have been some wrong turns, some wrong directions, some mistakes, some sins. Paul certainly had his regrets. The regret factor seems to have a way of pushing its way to the forefront. We have these events of the past, so how then do we deal with them effectively?
In a word, we “forget” them. So, how is that accomplished? When we just mention “the past” and regrets, those memories pop up quickly, showing us that, in fact, we have not forgotten them. We forget, but yet we do not forget. How then can we engage in “forgetting what is behind” as Paul says, while even he himself did not forget his past?
Obviously, we do not forget, just as Paul did not. Those memories are there. So maybe what that means is that Paul meant something other than a literal forgetting of the past. What Paul is talking about is simply laying down the events of the past. We are to take our regrets and our guilt, and we are to let go of them and just lay them down before the Lord. Two actions are important in doing this.
The first action is very simple, though not easy. It is simply a decision. How do you forget what is behind? You bring your past to the Lord, and you decide that you will leave it with Him. And then second, you pursue the goal, what is ahead. You lay aside what your goals were and what your life was, and you pursue the goals and the life that God has for you. You shift your focus from the past to the present and to the future. You follow God’s call on your life as He leads you into His future for you.
Additional verses in Philippians point us to some practical applications. Verse 16, for example, says to live up to whatever truth you have attained. Verse 17 suggests that you imitate the examples of other godly people. And verses 19 and 20 suggest that we not focus on earthly things but on heavenly things where our true citizenship lies and to which we are going.
We can no more forget the past than we can stop breathing, but we can decide to lay aside the aspects of a life outside of Christ that once had value and choose to shift our focus toward the goals God has for us and pursue them. That is what makes each new day fresh and exciting.
Lord, The power of Your redemption is truly awesome, and we thank You that You give each of us a new day each day, full of opportunity to pursue what You have for us. Help us to choose daily to go in that direction. Amen.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Commitment Costs
“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8 CSB)
Paul, when he used to be Saul, had every reason to boast. He had all the qualifications and skills for leadership and greatness in the Jewish community. He was a rising superstar. He had a brilliant career ahead of him and much to gain. But following Jesus cost him all of it. Not just that, but following Jesus resulted in the loss of everything he once considered gain. Faith in Jesus became his all-consuming passion, and everything he gave up became like refuse to him. The word “filth” means trash or refuse, but more literally it refers to “off-scourings,” which was a nautical term that referred to the human filth that was washed off of the rowing deck on a Roman ship.
A commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment or it is nothing. Either we commit to Him, or we do not. There is no middle ground. A qualified or quasi-commitment is the same as no commitment. “I will follow You IF,” does not work. Commitment at this level costs us everything we may have once considered “gain.”
It comes down to a question of values. What do you value? What do you value the most? Is your personal relationship with Jesus the supreme value in your life, the one that supersedes everything else?
Only when our commitment and our values are clear can we know what our goals are. Otherwise, any goals are irrelevant. They really don’t matter. Clarity of commitment and values, however, produces clarity of goals. Paul stated his goals clearly in verse 10: 1) to know Jesus, 2) to know the power of His resurrection, 3) to know the fellowship of His sufferings, and 4) to reach the resurrection of the dead.
Commitment costs.
Lord, The grace You lavish on us is free to us, but it comes at great cost to You. Help us to understand the principle of cost as it relates to commitment. May our commitment before You and to You be genuine and solid. Amen.
Paul, when he used to be Saul, had every reason to boast. He had all the qualifications and skills for leadership and greatness in the Jewish community. He was a rising superstar. He had a brilliant career ahead of him and much to gain. But following Jesus cost him all of it. Not just that, but following Jesus resulted in the loss of everything he once considered gain. Faith in Jesus became his all-consuming passion, and everything he gave up became like refuse to him. The word “filth” means trash or refuse, but more literally it refers to “off-scourings,” which was a nautical term that referred to the human filth that was washed off of the rowing deck on a Roman ship.
A commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment or it is nothing. Either we commit to Him, or we do not. There is no middle ground. A qualified or quasi-commitment is the same as no commitment. “I will follow You IF,” does not work. Commitment at this level costs us everything we may have once considered “gain.”
It comes down to a question of values. What do you value? What do you value the most? Is your personal relationship with Jesus the supreme value in your life, the one that supersedes everything else?
Only when our commitment and our values are clear can we know what our goals are. Otherwise, any goals are irrelevant. They really don’t matter. Clarity of commitment and values, however, produces clarity of goals. Paul stated his goals clearly in verse 10: 1) to know Jesus, 2) to know the power of His resurrection, 3) to know the fellowship of His sufferings, and 4) to reach the resurrection of the dead.
Commitment costs.
Lord, The grace You lavish on us is free to us, but it comes at great cost to You. Help us to understand the principle of cost as it relates to commitment. May our commitment before You and to You be genuine and solid. Amen.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Real Leadership
“For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care for your interests.” “Because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life.” (Philippians 2:20, 30 CSB)
People often view Paul as a “Lone Ranger” type of individual, but in reality he was far more people-oriented than that. He was genuinely team-oriented in fact. He was willing to work without a team if he had to, but he very much preferred working with a team and actually worked more effectively that way.
Leaders sometimes appear to be effective in and of themselves, but behind every leader there is a team. The effectiveness of a leader depends to a great extent on the effectiveness of those he surrounds himself with, and the more effective leaders will surround themselves with other leaders and give themselves to the development of those leaders. That is what Paul did.
The two verses above refer to two such leaders that Paul developed – Timothy and Ephaphroditus. These two men were very different, and Paul developed their leadership according to their spiritual gifting. Timothy was more of a pastoral type of person, gifted by the Spirit to have a genuine concern and care for others. Ephaphroditus was more of a risk-taker type of person, gifted by the Spirit with a passion for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
God gives all of us the opportunity to influence someone. Influence is mainly what leadership is all about. It isn’t about, “How can I keep on being the leader.” It is about influencing and developing others. We would all do well to take a page from Paul’s leadership manual and serve more effectively by influencing and developing those the Lord brings into our lives.
Lord, Enable us today to influence and develop those around us in Your name and for Your glory, so that we and they may all fulfill the potential You have placed in us. Amen.
People often view Paul as a “Lone Ranger” type of individual, but in reality he was far more people-oriented than that. He was genuinely team-oriented in fact. He was willing to work without a team if he had to, but he very much preferred working with a team and actually worked more effectively that way.
Leaders sometimes appear to be effective in and of themselves, but behind every leader there is a team. The effectiveness of a leader depends to a great extent on the effectiveness of those he surrounds himself with, and the more effective leaders will surround themselves with other leaders and give themselves to the development of those leaders. That is what Paul did.
The two verses above refer to two such leaders that Paul developed – Timothy and Ephaphroditus. These two men were very different, and Paul developed their leadership according to their spiritual gifting. Timothy was more of a pastoral type of person, gifted by the Spirit to have a genuine concern and care for others. Ephaphroditus was more of a risk-taker type of person, gifted by the Spirit with a passion for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
God gives all of us the opportunity to influence someone. Influence is mainly what leadership is all about. It isn’t about, “How can I keep on being the leader.” It is about influencing and developing others. We would all do well to take a page from Paul’s leadership manual and serve more effectively by influencing and developing those the Lord brings into our lives.
Lord, Enable us today to influence and develop those around us in Your name and for Your glory, so that we and they may all fulfill the potential You have placed in us. Amen.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Stars
“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose. Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among who you shine like stars in the world.” (Philippians 2:13-15 CSB)
Most people in the United States believe that a star is either a little point of light in the sky or someone who lives in Hollywood. The superficiality of our American culture believes that someone who can pretend to be someone they are not, who can tweak imaginations with facial expressions, voice inflections, and carefully scripted and edited films are stars. Indeed, these folks have spent years working on and developing their skills in acting (well, some of them at least), so this is not to denigrate them necessarily. For the huge majority to set those parameters in defining the “stars” of our culture, however, is a testimony to how far our culture has deviated from the intent of the founding fathers.
The true “stars” of our culture are those who are the children of God who stand for the causes of the kingdom. The real stars are those who are willing to cut across the grain of current cultural norms and mores and stand for the truth that is represented in the Bible. Daring to be different, in this sense, is what makes them “stars” in our culture.
We must not minimize the complexity and difficulty of this. There are clear costs involved. If you have not noticed, a star in the sky is one point of light, pretty much isolated for other stars. Taking a stand in our culture can result in isolation and even polarization, and that can create hurt in some folks’ hearts. They therefore need strength to be able to stand, and God is the One who supplies it. He is the One who is in us, enabling us to will and to act according to His purposes.
Taking a stand like this can create a touch of cynicism in us at times, and that is part of the reason Paul says that we should do everything without grumbling or complaining. It would be all too easy to complain and do nothing, but there is a great cost to that in terms of kingdom advance. A testimony to the world is way too easy to lose. So, it is important on a daily basis to practice humility and faith, and to allow God to carry out His daily transformation of us, shaping us further and further into the image of Christ.
Father, We humble ourselves before You this day and each day, and we ask that You continually use us to shine forth Your light, so that our world may come to know You. Amen.
Most people in the United States believe that a star is either a little point of light in the sky or someone who lives in Hollywood. The superficiality of our American culture believes that someone who can pretend to be someone they are not, who can tweak imaginations with facial expressions, voice inflections, and carefully scripted and edited films are stars. Indeed, these folks have spent years working on and developing their skills in acting (well, some of them at least), so this is not to denigrate them necessarily. For the huge majority to set those parameters in defining the “stars” of our culture, however, is a testimony to how far our culture has deviated from the intent of the founding fathers.
The true “stars” of our culture are those who are the children of God who stand for the causes of the kingdom. The real stars are those who are willing to cut across the grain of current cultural norms and mores and stand for the truth that is represented in the Bible. Daring to be different, in this sense, is what makes them “stars” in our culture.
We must not minimize the complexity and difficulty of this. There are clear costs involved. If you have not noticed, a star in the sky is one point of light, pretty much isolated for other stars. Taking a stand in our culture can result in isolation and even polarization, and that can create hurt in some folks’ hearts. They therefore need strength to be able to stand, and God is the One who supplies it. He is the One who is in us, enabling us to will and to act according to His purposes.
Taking a stand like this can create a touch of cynicism in us at times, and that is part of the reason Paul says that we should do everything without grumbling or complaining. It would be all too easy to complain and do nothing, but there is a great cost to that in terms of kingdom advance. A testimony to the world is way too easy to lose. So, it is important on a daily basis to practice humility and faith, and to allow God to carry out His daily transformation of us, shaping us further and further into the image of Christ.
Father, We humble ourselves before You this day and each day, and we ask that You continually use us to shine forth Your light, so that our world may come to know You. Amen.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
An Authentic Direction
“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4 CSB)
In an authentic church, how does fellowship get built, and how does it thrive? Paul captured the essence of the answer in these few words. To build an authentic Christian fellowship, each person should look out not only for his or her own interests but the interests of others as well. When everyone in the fellowship is oriented in this direction, building the fellowship is everyone’s joy and focus. Humility is the key.
Several descriptors are in work in getting to this point. Encouragement is certainly one of them. Loving consolation is another, along with affection and mercy. Unity of thought and feeling are also crucial. With these foundations the church is then able to focus on one goal – the salvation, strengthening, and support of people in the growing of the Lord’s church. Negative directions like rivalry and conceit then become out of place an inappropriate.
A church focused in this direction attracts people by its authenticity. What could be more appealing that than?
Lord, Help us each day to focus on "the main thing," and to do whatever it takes to build authentic fellowship. Amen.
In an authentic church, how does fellowship get built, and how does it thrive? Paul captured the essence of the answer in these few words. To build an authentic Christian fellowship, each person should look out not only for his or her own interests but the interests of others as well. When everyone in the fellowship is oriented in this direction, building the fellowship is everyone’s joy and focus. Humility is the key.
Several descriptors are in work in getting to this point. Encouragement is certainly one of them. Loving consolation is another, along with affection and mercy. Unity of thought and feeling are also crucial. With these foundations the church is then able to focus on one goal – the salvation, strengthening, and support of people in the growing of the Lord’s church. Negative directions like rivalry and conceit then become out of place an inappropriate.
A church focused in this direction attracts people by its authenticity. What could be more appealing that than?
Lord, Help us each day to focus on "the main thing," and to do whatever it takes to build authentic fellowship. Amen.
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