Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice And Again, Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If and when you rejoice in the Lord always, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  In this passage, the Spirit of God emphasizes rejoicing by having Paul write: I will say it again: Rejoice!  If we want peace in this world, peace in our hearts and minds, our focus needs to be on the Lord, not on the things of this earth.  In our previous breakfast, we wrote about two women in Philippi who were disputing with each other about some issue that was troubling them.  Whatever it was, they felt strongly enough about it to hurt each other with words and actions.  Paul provides the solution to these kinds of problems and other cares of life by telling us, through the Spirit's inspiration, to rejoice always, to rejoice in the Lord.  If we want peace in our hearts, our words and actions should be measured by God's will, not the fleshly will.  Our primary focus should  be on the eternal, heavenly realities.  We should remember that we are eternal beings, born again through the actions of Jesus.  Paul says, we should turn our eyes on Him and rejoice because of what He has done for us.  We should not be anxious ABOUT ANYTHING, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Then, the reality should be that we leave our concerns with the Lord.  All of this is easily said, but very hard to do, for our lives and the concerns of the flesh are very precious to us.  Earlier in the letter, when Paul tells the Philippians to do everything without arguing and complaining, he also says that even if he is being poured out like a drink offering, he also serves without complaint.  He wants them to know his heart: I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  (Philippians 2:17-18)  In this rejoicing, they will find the peace of God.  As Paul wrote to the Colossians, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  

On the other hand, Paul realizes life has many struggles for the believer.  In this world, we always will have trials and difficult situations to address.  Jesus said, In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.  (John 16:33)  Anxiety and fear will sometimes grip our hearts when circumstances stretch us beyond our abilities to cope.  Life is not always easy for believers.  The Bible would not tell us to love our enemies if we were not going to have enemies.  James said to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.  (James 1:2)  Even Paul experienced many hardships for the sake of the gospel.  He wrote to the church in Corinth: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.  (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)  Paul stresses the point that when we suffer for Christ, we are revealing his life through our own bodies to the world.  Knowing this reality, we can rejoice in the Lord, we can rejoice always.  In our conversations, we talk a great deal about the blessings of the Lord and how much we thank the Lord for his presence in our lives.  Although trials come and there are many struggles to overcome, we are so blessed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and the joy He brings into our lives, the inexpressible joy.  Speaking of joy, Mother Teresa said, "If you are joyful, do not worry about lukewarmness.  Joy will shine in your eyes and in your look, in your conversation and in your countenance.  You will not be able to hide it because joy overflows."  This is an excellent expression of the joy of the Lord.  When we are filled with his joy, it does overflow.  People are attracted to those who have experienced God's joy; they want that joy for themselves.  Real joy is contagious and brightens a dark day.

The prophet Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  (Nehemiah 8:10)  Nehemiah was announcing a celebration, and he wanted everyone to be included.  He said to share the joy with everyone--send some to those who have nothing prepared.  Nehemiah wanted to make sure everyone was part of this event.  Today, the Holy Spirit reminds us to rejoice, for we have reason to rejoice.  Christ has come: He has saved us from our sins.  We need no longer fear tomorrow or feel guilt over the past.  We can rest in the Lord, free from doubt and full of peace.  Peter wrote: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  (1 Peter 5:7)  Casting is an action, so when the cares and anxieties come, we are free to give them to the Lord, to consciously say, "I give you my worries and my fears, Lord.  I trust you to take care of me; I choose to rejoice in you, my Savior and my Lord."  Have you ever thought about how easily doubt, fear, mistrust, and other sins of the mind creep in and we find ourselves in a quandary of unbelief?  On the other hand, faith is a definite choice and does not come quite as easily.  But if we seek the Lord, He is there to help and to guide.  We have the Holy Spirit within us, telling us the truth when we listen.  As Paul told the Romans, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Romans 10:8-9)  The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us to keep us in all our ways.  This is why Paul could say to the Christians at Philippi, Rejoice in the Lord always.  Paul knew who he was in Christ, and he knew who they were.  He could tell them to be gentle and to pray to God because the Lord was near to them.  He knew the peace of God was not something far off but a promise of God through Christ his Son.  Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  (John 14:27)  Walk in that peace today, dear friends as you rejoice in the Lord and rejoice again. 

Philippians 4:1-3 Unreconciled Christians!

Philippians 4:1-3  Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!  I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.  Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Paul tells the church, his joy and crown, that they should stand in the manner he has just described to them, by following his example with their minds on heavenly things, remembering all that Christ has done for them.  Then he brings up Euodia and Syntyche, saying he pleads with these two to agree with each other in the Lord.  Whether they have had a disagreement concerning a spiritual matter or an argument over some matter outside of the church, Paul knows their discord detracts from the harmony of the body of Christ.  He wants them to settle their differences, and he lets them know they should be at peace with each other.  He further asks their brothers and sisters in Christ who have aided him in the cause of the gospel to assist these women in a reconciliation.  He mentions the reality that all of their names are written in the book of life, perhaps a sobering reminder to these workers for the Lord as they deal with a problem of the flesh.  Some of the people Paul is writing to helped him evangelize in Philippi and were part of the church from the beginning.  They know his heart for God and the importance he places on godly living.  As he has already told them in this letter, he presses on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:14)  There would not be any room in his mind or heart for bad feelings over some squabble or disagreement with someone in the church.  If there was a problem in a church, Paul would want to settle it quickly and not create a separation, for his mind would be set on spiritual things.  Paul would honor the words of Jesus who said: Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.  (Matthew 5:23-24)  He has given these followers of Christ sound teaching, and he would expect them to put it into practice.

One aspect of this passage of scripture that stands out is the importance of the body of Christ in the daily life of a believer.  Paul tells Euodia and Syntyche that he wants them to make peace with each other, but he does not drop the matter with this admonition.  He wants to make sure he has done all he can to help these two who are experiencing difficulties in reaching a place of unity.  Therefore, he calls the church to come to their aid.  Paul understands the body of Christ: he knows we all need each other to survive and prosper in our faith journey.  In Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus, we read about the gifts God gives to the church by placing apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers in the body to help the people grow until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  (Ephesians 4:13)  This is God's plan to bless his people and to provide nourishment and strength for the church.  He did not intend for his people to abide in isolation.  His will is that they function as the body of Christ on Earth, a place where the Spirit of God dwells and where sinners are saved and lives are changed forever.  Speaking of the body of Christ at another time, Paul mentions there are many spiritual gifts given to people by the Holy Spirit, including wisdom, knowledge, healing, miracles, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.  Even though each gift is important and valuable to the church, Paul explains: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  Paul goes on to say that while each part of the body is important, one part is not more important than the rest, and one part cannot say to another part that it is not needed because every part is needed.  As he writes, If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  We do well to remember his conclusion, If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  (1 Corinthians 12:12, 19, 26-27)  Consequently, Paul was not meddling in the lives of the church members when he asked them to help those who were in conflict.  He was asking those with spiritual gifts to use those gifts to settle a problem, so the church could go forward peacefully.

Of course, we all can think of situations where today's verses apply.  Perhaps we have a grievance with another person or we know someone in our church body who is struggling in a relationship that needs mending.  Maybe the Holy Spirit nudged you as you were reading this breakfast.  You might simply have someone you have been avoiding on Sunday mornings.  You have decided you don't need that part of the body.  The Spirit may be saying to you that we all need each other.  Sometimes the people we think we do not want to associate with turn out to be special people in our lives.  What is important is that we listen to the Holy Spirit, to that still small voice that speaks truth to us.  Our son, Doug, is our pastor.  He says if you have a question in your life and need an answer, just ask God, and He will answer you.  Let's say, you are wondering if you have offended your sister, and you want to know wether you should ask her forgiveness.  Doug would say you should pray to God: "Lord, should I ask my sister if I offended her, yes or no?"  Then listen carefully, and you will hear a yes or a no.  It is quite amazing how often you do hear a yes or a no when you pray this prayer.  Mom believes the Lord has led her many times when she has done this.  We should not be surprised that God would answer such a prayer, for we read in the Word, If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  (James 1:5)  We should all take advantage of the giftings in the body of Christ.  There are people in the church who will pray for us for wisdom, healing, help and so on.  We have friends at church who want to encourage us in our difficulties and trials, but so often we rush out the church doors at the close of the service without any time for ministry or fellowship with other believers.  The Bible says, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7)  We all are blessed to walk in the light of the love of God, but are we experiencing the fellowship of other Christians?  Are we allowing brothers and sisters to help us and are we using our gifts to encourage and help others?  Today is a new day to walk in the Lord's favor and to shower that favor on someone else.  Bless you dear ones.  

Philippians 3:17-21 Inconsequential God!

Philippians 3:17-21  Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.  For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Their mind is on earthly things.  Is God an inconsequential God in our lives?  Is He placed aside until we feel we need him?  Is He like the thermostat in our homes, we run the furnace only when we feel cold?  Or, is He always the center of our lives, forbidding any activity, interest, or plan to interfere with his prominent place?  Is our citizenship in heaven a part of our daily consciousness or has that reality been lost in the clutter of our existence?  Since He already knows the answer and we cannot hide anything from him, we need to ask ourselves: Is God consequential in our lives?  Does He have the place of utmost importance to us, above all else?   Are we like the Psalmist in the Old Testament who cries out to God that He is all he wants from life: Then I pray to you, O LORD.  I say, “You are my place of refuge.  You are all I really want in life."  (Psalm 142:5; NLT)  Is God all in our lives or do we place prayer, Bible reading, meditation in the parts of our lives where nothing much is happening?  When we lack passionate faith, we relegate God to the corners of our lives, not center stage. If we go on a spiritual fast to try to make up for our lack of commitment, do we fast nonessential things and times?  Do we expect God to be pleased, when we fast a breakfast that we rarely eat anyhow, or stop using our electronics from five to eight in the morning?  When we do such things, we think God doesn't know our hearts, that He doesn't know what activities and pursuits are really important to us.  Serving God has always demanded a cost.  He is worthy of the most important position in our hearts and minds.  He will not be pleased when we give him the time that is least valuable to us, when it costs us little or nothing.  When our minds are on earthly things, we allow our lives to be incessantly swirling with our own interests, activities, and necessities, and we lose out with God.  We lose the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  We lose the peace of God.  We lose the voice of God.  Those blessings remain available to all God's children, but we will not find them in the midst of the world's cacophony. 

Paul ask the Corinthians to follow him as he follows God.  He knew his life meant serving God at all times: to be constant in prayer, to sing songs of praise from his heart, to meditate on the good things of the Lord, to display God to the world with his tongue and with his deeds.  God was not inconsequential to him.  So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.  That is why we live by believing and not by seeing.  Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.  So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body.  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.  We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.  (2 Corinthians 5:6-10) His life was centered on Christ.  We are to be centered on Christ.  The glorious reality that his life is in us and we in him is the essential story of the lives of all believers.  Because of our faith in him, our lives are to be lived out for him.  Paul says, For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.  Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ.  (Philippians 1:21-22)   The Psalmist in Psalm 62:2-6 expresses well his love and need for God in his life: Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you!  I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.  You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.  I will praise you with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.  Are we that much in love with our Savior or are we basically ignoring him as being essential to our daily living?  When does He take the center of our lives?  Is it only when we are in trouble, when we need an answer.  Is it when we are sick, needing a healing; lonely, needing a companion; desperate, needing, rescue.  Or, can we say we are so much in love and infatuated with our Lord, we long for his presence, feast on his Word, and follow his paths: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.  (Psalm 119:103-104) 

Why should we love the Lord so passionately that He holds center stage in every part of us?  Why should we be in constant prayer?  Why should a song of praise be on our lips at all times?  Why should we be thinking of how to benefit and serve others rather than always ourselves?  Why should we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength?  Why should we love our neighbor as ourselves?  We know all this is necessary because we know God's Word: If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:15-16)  He gave us Jesus to pay the price for our sins.  God allowed his beloved to be sacrificed for us, to make us holy in his sight.  We are now known as children of God, placed in the very presence of a holy God.  We are holy only because of Christ's work.  Because of his shed blood, we are adopted brothers and sisters in the family of God; we are precious to God as Jesus is precious to God.  We are blessed beyond our imaginations.  We have no concepts in our language to express the wondrous position we now have with the Creator God.  We were considered unredeemable, but now, because of Christ's work, we are forever new creatures, born again, children of God.  Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  (Romans 5:1-2; NLT)  Yes, we have much reason to praise God continually, to have him in the center of our lives, and to serve others.  God is not inconsequential, He is everything, even our very breath.  If you have strayed to the pathways of this world, if you have let the things of this world dominate your attention, the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to renew your faith in our wonderful Savior and Lord, Christ our King!       

Philippians 3:12-16 Press On By Faith In Christ!

Philippians 3:12-16  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.  And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 

What have we already attained?  Through faith in Christ and his works, we have attained righteousness, peace, love; harmony with God.  No longer are we outside of God's plan of restoring humans to an intimate relationship with him, a closer bonding than walking and talking with him in the Garden.  His plan of creating children who abide eternally with him in the inner most part of his heart is our inheritance.  On the cross, Jesus paid the complete price for this close relationship.  Through his works alone, we have obtained salvation: right standing with God the Father.  We are no longer considered God's enemies, but his friends, his beloved children.  Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  (Romans 5:1-2)  We have attained this privileged position because of God's grace and mercy.  He has fulfilled both sides of his covenant with mankind: his side and ours as humans through the works of Jesus Christ.  Jesus became human to fulfill our side.  We, in our flesh, fall short of perfection: sinlessness.  We are unable to keep his law of righteousness; we are lawbreakers, covenant breakers, our hearts without Christ are deceitfully wicked.   "We will do it," as the Children of Israel proclaimed when the law and its regulations were read, is often our proclamation to God, but we eventually discover that our wayward spirits will not do it.  Our basic nature is not conducive to following God's laws, his plans.  We cannot fulfill our part of the covenant of righteousness through our works.  Consequently, Paul exhilarating message is to leave the old ways of pleasing God through our works and let us live up to that which has already been attained through the work of the cross: God's mercy and grace, liberally poured out on all flesh through the work of his Son.

What goal are we pressing on to win?  What prize is there for us?  Paul says in verse 11, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Are we not living in the presence of God through faith in Christ's work?  Are we not new creatures, born again by the blood of the Lamb?  Paul realizes we have been given the genesis of a new creature.  From the throne of God, we have been given righteousness, justice, peace, love.  All of this and more is part of the nature of God, freely given to mankind if we will partake of what God freely offers.  As sure as God is real, not an imagination, so are these attributes of God.  They are not just good thoughts, psychological states, emotional ways of thinking.  No, they are as real as God himself.  They penetrate our hearts if we allow them to enter our domain of thinking and acting.  Paul is pressing on to allow God's attributes to become his total character, personality.  He is pressing on to allow God's nature to replace his nature in everything he does.  Paul desires his life to be moving heavenward, moving into the nature of an adopted son of God, which someday will culminate in full bloom at his own resurrection.  At that day, he will be fully known as a child of God.  We also have that inheritance before us.  We will be know as his children: his sons, his daughters when we pass onto the other side.  As we read in the Word: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  (Romans 8:16-17 KJV)  All of us who are mature in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his works should understand our true nature as sons and daughters of the Most High.  If we have difficulty catching hold of our true nature in God, we should remember the works we have already attained.  

Now, let us consider the practicalities of living for Christ.  Even though, Jesus has given us right standing with God and his Spirit, we still live in a world of struggle and temptation.  We often fall short of displaying God and his attributes to the world.  Even though we have the nature of God in us: his righteousness, his peace, his joy, his justice, and so on, we many times fail to demonstrate HIS image to the world through our actions and reactions.  We claim to have his Spirit within; yet, at times we fail to reveal his grace and mercy to others.  Rather than behaving Christ-like, we become short tempered, judgmental, or even self-righteous.  In times when we are anxious, troubled, upset, or depressed, we can accentuate fleshly thinking rather than heavenly thinking.  When faith in God loses its preeminence, we tend to lose sight of God and his purposes, substituting the reactions of the flesh, which carry dire consequences.  Paul says, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  I press to know Jesus in my everyday life.  I strive to exercise his resurrection power that makes me new, a creature of heaven and not of this world.  I ignore things of this world that will drag me down to cringing, fearful actions and thoughts.  I will not let anger seduce me, to create in me hurt and devastation.  I will not be up one day and down the next day, violating the divine nature of God within me, his steadfastness.  God is the same yesterday, today, and  forever.  Of course, living for Jesus, putting on his nature, is a constant challenge for all of us.  We cannot say as the Israelites said so many centuries ago: "We will do it."  We will be good.  We will please you, God, at all times.  No, we cannot even come close to God's nature in our flesh, but what we can do through Bible reading, prayer, and meditation, is renew our minds daily.  We can display God by loving others, by being sensitive to God's words and his divine instruction inside of us.  We are his hands, we are his feet.  GOD LIVES, HE LIVES IN US.  HE LOVES THE WORLD.  WE ARE TO LOVE AS HE LOVES.  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  This we will do by the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we know: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Zechariah 4:6)  

Philippians 3:7-11 Take Up the Cross, Follow Jesus!

Philippians 3:7-11  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

Paul lost everything in this world when he made the decision to sell out for Christ.  As we read in the previous breakfast, he had status in his religion, culture, and community: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  (Philippians 3:5-6)  Paul's family and friends must have been very proud of him as he gained recognition, position, and reputation within the Jewish society.  Paul, as a young man, was on top of the world as far as success in this world was concerned, but now we see Paul after his conversion, happy that he has lost his position for the purpose of gaining Christ in his life.  Paul considered all that he previously had gained in the world as rubbish, as dung, as a manure pile in reference to knowing Christ and his righteousness.  He now has a righteousness, an acceptance with God, not of his own, but of the Son of God.  He now has favor with God the Father.  How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.  Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  And this gave him great pleasure.  (Ephesians 1:3-5)  Paul understood that faith in Christ and his works made him holy and without fault in his (God's) eyes.  The sacrifice Paul paid for following Jesus was nothing compared to the richness of God's love towards him.  He would gladly suffer all things to win Christ and God's approval.  He would endure all things to win eternal life, to be placed forever in the body of Christ.  Paul wanted to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.  He wanted Christ's resurrection power to flow through him, causing him no longer to be bound to this earth, but to eternity.  

Paul also wanted to know the fellowship of sharing in his (Christ's) sufferings, becoming like him in his death.  Jesus died to this world.  This world had nothing in him.  He did not live to gain the world but to save the world.  Jesus knew salvation would come through his suffering, his death, not his great accomplishments or his miracles and success in the world.  He held no throne, no position of honor in this world; yet through his suffering and death, He brought life to "whosoever will."  We who are IN CHRIST are the "whosoever will."  Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Mark 8:34-37, KJV)  Jesus wants us to live for the Kingdom of God and not this world.  As we deny ourselves the things of this world, take up the cross of Christ, we become his followers, people of the Way.  If we live for his kingdom, we will bring life and light to the world; but if we live for our kingdom, we will benefit only ourselves in this dark and desperate world.  To attain to the resurrection from the dead, Paul had to commit his life totally to Christ; anything less would fall far short of God's purposes for his life.  This is the life we embrace as believers, a life totally committed to the One we love.  When Peter told the church that they might suffer for righteousness sake, he also said concerning Christ, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.  (1 Peter 2:24-25)

We who live in the twenty-first century have the same obligation upon us as Paul.  We have been crucified with Christ and raised in newness of life by the Holy Spirit within us.  We are to be one-hundred percent in for the cause of Christ.  Anything less will not be acceptable to God.  Jesus told the disciples He must go away to send the Holy Spirit to teach them and to convict the world of righteousness.  Jesus also said, when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  (John 16:13)  We can walk in the truth, doing God's will as the Holy Spirit leads us.  As Paul told the church at Ephesus, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:10)  If for fleshly reasons, we fail to produce good works, we are failing God's purposes for our lives.  We cannot be half in and half out.  We cannot have sweet and bitter water coming from the same container.  We cannot be a chameleon, changing our allegiance whenever it pleases us.  One day we are in the world completely; the next day we are sold out for Christ.  We cannot partake from the containers of violence and sin; then supposedly drink heartily at the fountain of living water.  We cannot complete the race of Christ by running half-heartedly.  We should be passionate about serving the Lord, fully committed.  Our minds should constantly commune with God.  Our lips should express faith and praise in words and songs.  If we are not zealous for God, this world is too much with us.  If we do not want to deny ourselves of any of the "goodies" of this world, we must wonder what Jesus meant when He asked us to deny ourselves and to take up the cross.  Paul says, Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  (Romans 8:5-8)  Dear ones, let us please God in word and deed.  Let us yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing him to shape and mold us into the image of our dear Lord. 

Philippians 3:1-6 Rejoice By Faith!

Philippians 3:1-6  Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!  It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.  Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.  For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reasons for such confidence.  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 

Paul concludes his instructions and admonitions from chapter 2 with the statement: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!  He says to the church at Philippi, regardless of how successfully you have been serving the Lord, rejoice in the work of Christ purely because He is your propitiation for sin.  He is the creator of the new life in you, and we glory in Christ Jesus, putting our trust in his sacrifice for our sins.  Even though the Philippians might be circumcised and legalistically righteous by their obedience to the law and its tenets, Paul tells them to give Jesus the glory, for He alone has made them completely righteous before God.  The Bible says, whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  (Romans 14:23)  In our everyday lives, there are many instances when we do not live by faith.  There are times when we are filled with anxiety or fear because of what might happen in difficult situations, such as a sickness, a financial collapse, a job lost, and so on.  In these situations, our faith often subsides and our fears or anxieties mount.  We allow our assurance in God to fall to the wayside as we think of all the terrible possibilities ahead of us.  In those moments of faithlessness, we are telling God that He is not enough for our lives.  We wrestle back the control of our lives from him when we need him most. These are times when we are living outside of complete faith in God and his love.  All of us go through these times.  Yet we must remember what we read in God's Word: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.   How can we live to please God, if our basic feelings, honest feelings, can be viewed as outside of God's will for us?  SOLUTION: WE TRUST IN CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT OUR OWN!  WE TRUST IN GOD'S GOODNESS AND NOT OUR OWN.  WE TRUST IN GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND NOT OUR OWN.  All of us who believe in Christ by faith will be in that position of trust when we breathe our last breath.  We will of necessity have to trust completely in his righteousness, goodness, and faithfulness; for we will not be able to help ourselves any longer.  This of course is the faith that spans eternity; this is the faith we lay at God's feet, when we are on the brink of death.  Not our own life, but his life.  Only faith in Jesus takes us to the other side.  

In chapter 2, we hear Paul speak about Jesus becoming a servant to all and how Christ humbled himself and became obedient to death.  (Philippians 2:8)  We too are to humble ourselves, to take on the role of a servant to all.  We are not to take our place of equality among our brethren as being necessary, but to become nothing for the service of God.  But all of this can just become a process of good works, doing good because God expects us to be good, to be like him.  To be perfect!  But Paul says at the beginning of this chapter: rejoice in the Lord!  The lifestyle of a servant is good, helpful, and Christ-like.  Yes, serving is the Christian thing to do; yes, it reaps wonderful results; yes, it changes the lives of everyone around you, including your family; but all of these admonitions and instructions fail to make us as God is, even though the scriptures say, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 2:5)  This kind of mind in us, through the flesh's efforts, mirrors God; but nothing can change the true nature of man into God's nature other than the miraculous work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  His work alone perfects us.  His work alone makes us children of God.  Nothing else will change our basic nature, accommodate the eternal presence of God.  We will sometimes fail to do the right thing, to have the wrong attitude in us, our self-willed mind; but God's work in us through Christ identifies us as his own.  Our souls' DNA has been changed permanently.  We have been changed from sinner to saint, from alien to friend, from orphan to family.  We are no longer alone in the universe: we are his children.  Therefore, Paul says emphatically: rejoice in the Lord!  We have a tremendous hope, as Paul wrote: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)

Now, Paul understood how easily people rejoice in their own exploits, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom.  He understood how easily men and women justify their lives before God, relying on their religiosity and works rather than Christ's finished work at the cross and his continuing work in every believer.  Paul put no confidence in the flesh, though I myself have reasons for such confidence.  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  He lists his qualifications not as a way of bragging but to show that he is faultless in fulfilling the tenets of the law.  Before he came to Christ, he was as other Pharisees: meticulous in following the law, even to tithing one-tenth of their spices to God.  He undoubtedly received much praise for his zeal to God from the people surrounding him.  The leaders of the Jewish religious elite favored him by giving him the heavy responsibility of destroying any apostasy within the Judaic religion, thus the persecution of the Jewish Christians.  But he counted all his favors and elevation within the Jewish community as dung.  He counted all of his previous religious and life experiences as worthless that he might win Christ.  He knew that nothing, even a circumspect life, could win God's favor, eternal life; only Christ's work could win God's approval.  He wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  (1 Timothy 1:15-16)  Therefore, nothing could distract Paul from putting his trust totally in Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Dear breakfast companions, Christ's work and his work alone has made us acceptable to God.  Rest in that knowledge!  Work for him!  Live for him!  The Creator of all things has brought new life to us, eternal life!  He is our Grace!  Praise him, children of the MOST HIGH.  

Philippians 2:25-30 Live For Jesus, Not the World!

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.