Philippians 2:25-30 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
Epaphroditus, a servant of the Lord, faithfully served Paul in Rome. The Philippian church had sent him to take care of Paul's needs. During his stay in Rome he became ill primarily due to the work of Christ, maybe due to toiling excessively hard for the work of the cross. No one really knows the details, but Paul says this dear brother almost died, and he was risking his life to make up for the help you (the Philippians) could not give me. Whatever happened to him, he was sick unto death, but God intervened, sparing him from death at that time, causing Paul to rejoice for Epaphroditus was much loved by him. Paul seemingly was concerned that Epaphroditus might die away from his homeland and loved ones: Paul states: God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Because of God's mercy, Epaphroditus journeyed back to the Philippians with a letter from Paul. He was spared from death to fulfill the mission God had for him. This is our life as believers in a nutshell: we are to journey where God has asked us to journey; we are to live each day to fulfill God's will in our lives, serving where He calls us to serve. The script for each person's life has been written in blood, the blood of Jesus Christ. We no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ; HE lives in us and we in HIM. As Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) THIS IS THE GLORIOUS LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN!
We often clutter our lives with the noise, activities, and countless diversions of this world that distract us from completing the mission God sets before us. We miss God's purposes by eating and drinking our way through life. We are not literally eating and drinking, but we ignore our reason for living by entangling our lives so deeply in the world that we cannot hear anything but the voice of others and the concerns of the world. In today's electronic age, we hear about all the world's problems in nanoseconds: every bombing, shooting, disruption, and exhilaration. We also learn of every difficulty or excitement our acquaintances experience. We learn all of this immediately by the gadgets we hold in our hands. This is where many of us live out our lives. In doing so, God's will for us has been put aside, definitely placed in a secondary position in our purposes for living. Jesus said: The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matthew 6:22-24) When we become so involved with this side of eternity, we forget the main goal of life: to love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul. Consequently, we neglect the activities important to the Spirit within us: to love and serve others. Instead, we substitute electronic communication for intimate interactions. We express our concerns for others from a distance, rejecting any tangible involvement. Yes, we tend to clutter our lives with everything but God and his ways. Likewise when we lose sight of our real purpose in life, we teach our children to clutter their lives with activities, always pressing on to the next idea, adventure, or thrill. With no time to rest, we continue eating, drinking, and being merry. The journey God desires is eaten up by gluttonous desires and selfish pursuits. We become lost in this finite world of darkness when we exclusively follow this path through a wasteland. With no oasis near, no rest for our souls, no time to think about God or the purpose of life, is it any wonder people become tired and weary? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight percent of the population twelve and over are depressed with the highest rates among individuals aged forty to fifty-nine. If we added the statistics for drug and alcohol abuse, we would see we are not providing a peaceful and happy life for many in our country with all its allurements. Many lack comfort and healing, a safe harbor.
There will be a day, just as Paul assessed Epaphroditus' life, when God will assess our lives. There will be a day that our lives will be opened up like a book. Then God will investigate our lives in a loving, intimate way. He will investigate whether we heard his voice as we journeyed. Did we follow him to green pastures, where still waters exist? Did we hear his voice restoring our souls, helping us to navigate this life, providing a sure avenue through the shadow of death? Did we accept his words of comfort, stamping out the fears of life, providing hope when we faced confusion? Did we read in his Word that we are righteous, and He will never leave us nor forsake us, or let the enemy of our souls defeat us? Did we know assuredly that the oil of the Spirit has anointed us completely? Were we sensitive to hear his words that goodness and love will follow us every day of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever? Breakfast companions, do not clutter your lives with the constant noise and activities of this world. God's still, small voice is beseeching us to live his life in this dark world. Let us cease from listening to the constant haranguing clamor of the world that keeps us from hearing his quiet voice. Faith is needed to listen: we must believe God is speaking and desires to communicate with us. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) If we fail to realize that God is alive and is willing to help us through life, we will be as people on an endless merry-go-round, never stopping, but never going anyplace either. The noise eventually will become shallow, even maddening, certainly meaningless. We will begin to understand the activity of the ride is but a facade, all of it covering up the real journey of life, to know God and his love. Dear friends, do not fall into depression and unbelief by following the activities and sounds of the carnival of life. You will never find peace or satisfaction in this life if you follow that canard, that deception. Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6) Seek the Lord, for his voice is always active, and He wants you to know his voice today.
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