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April 18, 2022

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Reading along with us in Philippians? Here’s today’s reading:

Philippians 1 (NIV)

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you...........Continue Reading
This Post Has 10 Comments
  1. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
    Paul writes with such joy in such a terrible time for himself. In prison and possibly facing death he still has joy, he still wishes to share the love of Christ, and the knowledge of Christ with others. I love that his prayer is that we would have love that “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” His prayer is that we would love like Christ and that despite our circumstance we would still see the needs of others, that we would still uphold righteousness, and fulfill God’s plans for us!

  2. Ok. Paul’s in chains waiting his trial in Rome. And he pours out his heart about the believers in philippi. Praying for all of them with joy. All of them? I pick and choose who I pray for!! That’s going to change! When God starts a work in us he sees it through to completion. He never gives up on us. Can’t get discouraged one of satans tools. Paul is not mentioning his circumstances. But that the gospel is being preached throughout the whole palace guard. Can you imagine guarding Paul for 6 hours.!! His only concern is that the gospel is being preached. In this country we are caught up in money. Power. Pleasures. Paul’s only concern in life was to speak boldly about Christ and become more like him. Dying is better than living. I can at least agree with that. About the only thing I have in common with Paul. I’m too wrapped up in my own world and my own circumstances. I want to change that. Remembering that suffering is used to build us up. Not to let it tear you down. Paul considered it a privilege to suffer for Christ

  3. As Paul was a prisoner in chains full of joy while facing possible death, reminds me of the Vietnam POWs’ and how the scripture they learned in Sunday school made it Bearable to handle the Isolation and torture they endured on a daily basis. And the question we need to ask ourselves, and I need to keep asking myself , if we find ourselves in the similar situation, how many Bible verses could we pull from memory to get us through such unbearable pain and Lonely times

  4. I am struck by this verse: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

    I want to live pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness – as opposed to a life that is focused on pleasures and selfish gains. I pray I will have discernment so I could live this kind of life that is pleasing to.God.

  5. We see in this chapter that Paul cared deeply about a few things: the glory of God, the gospel of Jesus, the church and the kind of lives God calls us to live. For Paul it was always about what we are building up on the inside that is good and godly and then how that is reflected on the outside both to build up believers and represent the gospel well in word and deed. How wonderful it is to care deeply about people and want to see them be all they can be for the sake of Christ because you are trying to be all the things you can be for the sake of Christ. You do tend to see the efforts of God everywhere, even in things that are not comfortable or even when motives don’t seem to be quite pure. And you do begin to see that to die is really better than to live, but living is good to when our lives are about ministering to and through the lives of others. May we all seek and continue to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ!

  6. “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

    Despite Paul’s imprisonment, his goal remains the same. I think of all of the circumstances where we think that if we are suffering this must not be God’s will! It most certainly is! I have often thought that my situation prevents me from sharing the gospel or being a witness, but that is never true. Even raising my children, I needed to remind myself that raising humans to love and believe in the Lord Jesus is the greatest opportunity to be a true witness for Christ. How you behave in your home, how you treat your husband, wife, children, is who you really are. This lead to the greatest conviction of the Holy Spirit, application of the Word, demonstration of God’s power, forgiveness, love. What better training ground?

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