Friday, April 3, 2020
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me. Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. Philippians 1:21-30
Those who
have lived long enough to have a sense that their days left on this planet are perhaps
much less than the days they’ve already lived, develop one
of two outlooks:
1.
Frantic activity to catch-up,
to do what has been left undone
2.
At peace with what is, and what
will be.
Apostle Paul
is a study in the thin space between the two.
He was writing from a Roman prison to a group of people he loved
dearly. He sensed there was still much
he could do to help them grow into the Christian force he’d envisioned when
first they met. Yet, Paul was at peace with
the understanding that they were in God’s hands always; Paul was ready to see
Christ face to face.
The one piece
of work left for Paul in his circumstance was to encourage the church to stand with
one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which
is the Good News. He knew accomplishing this
would only come about when believers unreservedly, above all,
commit their lives to the faith. The
mission was in WHO Christ had called them to be, and HOW
Christ had called them to live. It was
all about Christ…never about Paul.
I’m one of
those people with a lot less days ahead.
Truth be told, I tend toward the frantic, frenetic worry that things are
undone. But I have (at least) learned
that is a distraction. The call to
mission is never sounded with fearfulness.
The real mission is always just ahead, no matter how many days that may
be. It is always the next breath, next
step, next person who crosses my pathway.
Like Paul, I’m
enthusiastic about finally coming face-to-face with Christ; like Paul, I’m also
content here, living each day in communion with Him, and fellowship with all
who are Christ’s, and the possibility of ministry to all who need to grow
closer to He who is ABOVE ALL!
Paul called
on the Philippian believers to remember to honor Jesus with the way they lived
their lives. His word calls to us also,
because, in this way we demonstrate to anyone who has eyes to see what it’s like
to trust Christ completely. That is our above
all mission!
For You Today
The old
Gospel song is our final word today on Paul’s wake-up call:
I am
satisfied, I am satisfied, I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the
question comes to me, As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master
satisfied with me?
Go to VIDEO
Other posts
on Philippians 1 see What to Do and Confrontation with God and
Ambivalence
with Confidence
No comments:
Post a Comment