Devotionary

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Ep 703 – Philippians 3:12-21 Nov 19, 2018

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Are you satisfied with Christ? Be careful. It's a trick question. On the one hand, we should be satisfied with Christ. He is all we need. He is more than enough. And Paul stressed the need for godly contentment. But he also warned of the danger of growing complacent or content with our current spiritual status. For Paul, there was such a thing as divine discontentment. And he refers to it in Philippians 3:12-21. It's an attitude that is marked by a constant striving to know Christ better and to grow in our likeness to Him. When we come to know Christ, we receive the righteousness of Christ. But we don't automatically receive the nature of Christ. We still retain our old sin nature and the propensity to live our old life styles. That is why Paul insists that we "put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you." As long as we live on this planet, we will be faced with the constant need to grow more like Christ, and that will require a divine form of discontentment.

Ep 702 – Philippians 3:1-11 Nov 18, 2018

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How well do you know Christ? For many Christians, we know Him well enough to know that we are going to heaven. But is that all He promised us? Is that the extent of what it means to know Him? For Paul, Christ was far more than a one-way ticket to heaven. Which is why, in Philippians 3:1-11, he stresses his desire to know Christ in an ever-increasing and ever-more intimate way. Paul knew Jesus as Savior, but he also wanted to know Him as Lord. He wanted to understand the power that came with a relationship with Christ. He wanted to experience the kind of suffering that Christ suffered. Not because he was a glutton for pain and punishment, but so that he could better experience God's power in the midst of his own weakness. Paul wasn't interested in knowing more about Christ. He wanted to know, intimately and personally, Christ Himself – on an ever-increasing basis.

Ep 701 – Philippians 2:19-30 Nov 17, 2018

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There's a shortage in the church today. And I don't mean a financial shortfall. What we seem to be missing are godly young leaders who will help take the church into the next phase of its existence on this planet. It's not that these men and women don't exist, but that the church has done a less-than-stellar job of raising them up and preparing them for their future responsibilities. But, in Philippians 2:19-39, Paul was able to list the names of two young men who he knew were ready, willing and able to minister to the church long after he was gone. He knew, because he had helped to prepare them for their future roles. The church is always in need of godly leaders, but these kinds of individuals aren't born, they're made. It takes discipleship and the commitment of older men and women in the church who are willing to pour into the lives of the next generation. The church is only as strong as its leadership. But godly leaders don't just happen.

Ep 700 – Philippians 2:12-18 Nov 16, 2018

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We are in this together. As believers, we are not meant to be independent contractors, operating on our own and obsessed with our own individual relationships with God. We have been adopted into the family of God. We have brothers and sisters who we are intended to love and care for. And, because the body of Christ is a melting pot, made up of people from all walks of life and every conceivable background and personality type, we face a formidable challenge. Not all of us are lovely or loveable. We all bring our sin natures with us when we come to faith in Christ. And, while the penalty for our sin is taken care of, our propensity for sin remains. But we have the Holy Spirit to assist us. And Paul would have us recognize that our transformation into the likeness of Christ shows up best when we allow the Spirit of God to assist in loving the people of God. In Philippians 2:12-18, Paul will remind us we are to be lights shining in a dark world and our light shines brightest when we love one another.

Ep 699 – Philippians 1:27-2:11 Nov 15, 2018

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What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? For Paul, it was to think like Christ thought and to live like Christ lived. It was to emulate the attitude that Christ displayed while He walked this earth: An attitude marked by humility, selflessness and obedience. We are not to use one another as our standard of holiness, but Jesus Christ Himself. And He set the bar high. He was sinless and perfectly obedient to His heavenly Father. But before we give up in despair, Paul would have us remember that we have the Spirit of God living within us. We have all the power we need to live the life we've been called to live. And in Philippians 1:27-2:11, Paul gives us a much-needed reminder that our lives are to look a lot like Christ's. We are to share His mindset when it comes to the things of this world and our purpose for life in this world. We are to hve the mind of Christ. Which translates into a life of selfless service, willful obedience and humble submission to His will.

Ep 698 – Philippians 1:12-26 Nov 14, 2018

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There is a huge difference between stubborn resignation and joyful acceptance of one's lot in life. Saying you believe in the sovereignty of God does not mean you particularly like it or submit to it willingly. But for Paul, the circumstances of his life, whether good or bad, were ordained by His loving, all-powerful, and completely-in-control God. And in Philippians 1:12-26, Paul displays his confident trust in God by declaring his contentment with his imprisonment in Rome because he knew that it had resulted in the further spread of the gospel. Paul had longed to visit Rome. Now, he was there. Not in the kind of circumstances he had expected, but he was okay with it. Because he knew God was in control. Rather than focus on the perceived negative conditions surrounding his imprisonment, Paul chose to be motivated to make a difference. He saw his condition as the perfect opportunity to preach the gospel, and to encourage all those churches he had helped to start.

Ep 697 – Philippians 1:1-11 Nov 13, 2018

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This is the first in our series on Paul's letter to the Philippians. Written while he was a prisoner in Rome, this letter is one of what are known as the pastoral epistles, letters written by Paul and intended to encourage the churches he had helped to start. Paul had a pastor's heart that showed up in his intense desire that the believers in Philippi grow up in their salvation. These people were near and dear to Paul. They had even provided him with financial support. Like a loving father, Paul wrote to his children in the faith, encouraging them to keep on growing in Christ-likeness. In the opening chapter, and the first 11 verses, we will see Paul lifting up a heart-felt prayer on behalf of his friends in Philippi. He may be separated from them by many miles and prevented from visiting them because of his imprisonment. But he could pray for them, and he did. He was grateful for their friendship and support, but also for their increasing faith in God and their determination to live lives that mirrored that of Christ.

Ep 696 – Colossians 4 Nov 12, 2018

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As we come to the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Colossian believers, we will hear him make a call that they live wisely. He will encourage them to make the most of every opportunity that faces them. For Paul, the Christian life was not simply about forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. It was about visible life change and a tangible evidence of God's power of redemption and renovation in the hearts of men. God saves us, not just to one day transfer us into His eternal Kingdom, but so that He mighty transform us, right here, right now. Our life on this planet, while transitory and temporary in nature, is not meant to be treated as some kind of a grab-all-the-gusto-while-you-still-can kind of moment. Our new life in Christ doesn't start when we arrive in heaven, it began when we placed our faith in His sacrificial death on the cross. And when God saved us, He didn't take us. In other words, He didn't take us to be with Him. No, He left us here so that we might grow up in our salvation and share the good news we heard with others.

Ep 695 – Colossians 3:18-25 Nov 11, 2018

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For Paul, faith in Christ was to have practical application. In other words, it was to reveal itself in actions and attitudes. The believer's position as a representative of Christ required a lifestyle that reflected the character of Christ. And the fact that each and every believer has the Spirit of God residing within them, means that they have a ready power source available that makes Christ-likeness not only possible, but non-negotiable. In Colossians 3:18-25, Paul provides his audience with some tips on practical piety. This is where-the-rubber-meets-the-road kind of stuff. Christianity was intended to be life-transformative. Not based on human effort alone, but because of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Paul demands lives that model mutual submission, selfless love, radical forgiveness, and a no-holds-barred pursuit of holiness. We have been called to live starkly different lives that act as lights in the spiritual darkness of this world. Lives of practical piety that bring glory to God, not us.

Ep 694 – Colossians 3:1-17 Nov 10, 2018

Show notes

When was the last time you thought about heaven? Was it at a funeral or the result of a sermon you heard at church? For the apostle Paul, heaven was on his mind constantly, because he knew that was his ultimate destination. For him, this life was a detour on the way to some place much better. It was a temporary assignment where he was to live out his faith and fulfill his God-appointed assignment until such time as God called him home. He commonly referred to believers living in this world as sojourners, aliens and strangers. As the old song states, this world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through. But for too many Christians, the world is their home. It's heaven that seems distant and difficult to comprehend. The very concept of a heavenly dwelling place where we will live for eternity is hard to get your head around. But Paul would have us make heaven our focus, not this life. This world, like our earthly bodies, is not meant to last. So, one day God will remake it. He'll create a new heaven and a new earth. Perfect. Filled with His presence. Marked by perfect peace. And designed to last an eternity.

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