Philippians 4: 2 - 9
There are 2 thieves that rob us of our well-being. They steal from us the feeling of richness in our own lives, of joy and of peace. Paul addresses both of these villains in Chapter 4 of Philippians. The thieves are Anxiety and Discontent. Anxiety attacks the mind. Discontent attacks the heart. The mind and the heart are the parts of you that make life possible ... meaningful ... rich.
First, consider the mind. Consider the role that anxiety plays in robbing your mind. The Greek word translated, anxiety, is merimnao. One of the definitions of this word is "to have a distracting care". Notice, it is not to have cares ... we all have cares and concerns about people we love and circumstances we must navigate. It is when the care becomes so distracting that you cannot live your life ... it has moved over into the realm of anxiety. We also get some insight from our English word, worry. It comes from an Anglo-Saxon root which means, "to strangle". Same idea. Your life is strangled when anxiety rules supreme.
So, what's the antidote? Paul mentions 5 mental practices that will help us do battle with our tendency toward anxiety. They are things of discipline. They are things we can literally 'practice'.
Number 1 ... Believers are to agree in the Lord - not in the flesh - in the Lord. Not according to the ways of the world - but in the Lord. Doesn't mean we will all think alike. What does that phrase mean to you? How can you practice it in your own life? It's important. Unity in the body of Christ is of utmost importance. Jesus prayed for it ... He said it would be the proof to the world that God had really sent Him and He was the Son of God. (John 17) Need to practice?
Number 2 ... Paul tells us in verse 4 to rejoice - always! It is command language. It is instruction language. It does not depend on circumstances. Need to practice? Are you having to live through circumstances right now that could rob you of joy in your life? Don't let them! Choose to practice joy in the Lord. What does that mean to you?
Number 3 ... Paul tells us in verse 5 that our 'gentleness' should be evident - observable. This is not talking about people who have a natural temperament of gentleness. All believers need to be observably gentle spirited. Definitions for this Greek word include: "seemingly, suitable, equitable, fair, mild, gentle." Are you? Do you practice?
Doing battle with anxiety is worth the effort. These give us enough to 'practice' for one day!
(To be continued ...)
February 29, 2012
February 25, 2012
Philippians - Example (Lesson 6 - Post 3)
Philippians 3: 17 - 4:1
Paul, centuries ago, described our own culture! How did he know where we would be iin 2012? Perhaps he described all cultures, regardless of place or time, that exist for their own purposes. He calls them "enemies of the cross." The description is in verse 19.
He nails it! Our world is the same. So many people live for their own appetites only. So many people in our day find some kind of glory in shameful things. There is no thought to anything other than things of this earth ... the money, position, power ... that exist in this world. And they do not even realize that the end of such focus is destruction. Fight that mindset! Every day. Every moment. Our citizenship is NOT here.
To fight such a mindset, Paul encourages these people whom he loves to follow his example. Wow! Follow his pattern. That's a bold statement. He makes it because, as we have seen over and over in this little letter, his focus and mind are on his Lord, on Jesus, on the position he holds in Christ, and on fulfilling God's purpose for him.
Some questions for us today ... who is following your example? Is it your children? Perhaps a spouse or a friend? To whom do you need to be an example? Could it be some folks you have interaction with who are not believers? What do they think of Christ and Christianity because of their association with you? Could you be bold enough to say "follow my example?" Or do you tend more toward the statement, "Do what I say, not what I do"?
We, too, need to follow Paul's example. And that challenge rises high above the pettiness and the self-centeredness of our culture. May you walk as an example today ...
Paul, centuries ago, described our own culture! How did he know where we would be iin 2012? Perhaps he described all cultures, regardless of place or time, that exist for their own purposes. He calls them "enemies of the cross." The description is in verse 19.
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
He nails it! Our world is the same. So many people live for their own appetites only. So many people in our day find some kind of glory in shameful things. There is no thought to anything other than things of this earth ... the money, position, power ... that exist in this world. And they do not even realize that the end of such focus is destruction. Fight that mindset! Every day. Every moment. Our citizenship is NOT here.
To fight such a mindset, Paul encourages these people whom he loves to follow his example. Wow! Follow his pattern. That's a bold statement. He makes it because, as we have seen over and over in this little letter, his focus and mind are on his Lord, on Jesus, on the position he holds in Christ, and on fulfilling God's purpose for him.
Some questions for us today ... who is following your example? Is it your children? Perhaps a spouse or a friend? To whom do you need to be an example? Could it be some folks you have interaction with who are not believers? What do they think of Christ and Christianity because of their association with you? Could you be bold enough to say "follow my example?" Or do you tend more toward the statement, "Do what I say, not what I do"?
We, too, need to follow Paul's example. And that challenge rises high above the pettiness and the self-centeredness of our culture. May you walk as an example today ...
Lord, may I walk with You today in such a way that those around me can see You.
May my children see You through me.
May the people I am with today see You through me.
May I live this day so that anyone copying my focus, my mindset, my priorities
will find themselves focused on You.
That will only happen as I surrender SELF today and allow You, through Your Spirit, to live through me.
May it be ... to Your glory.
February 24, 2012
Philippians - Forgetting (Lesson 6 - Post 2)
Philippians 3: 12 - 16
As we consider these beautiful verses again, today focus your attention on Paul's comments about "forgetting what is behind."
To what degree would you say your past dictates your behaviors and choices in your present? We are all shaped by our pasts. Paul has been. Our family of origin, our experiences, our training, our failures and our successes all contribute to the way we react and make decisions in our present ... which effects our future.
Paul said,
Paul also had to "forget" the exalted place of special revelation that had been granted to him by God (2 Corinthians 12: 1 - 6). That remarkable place could lead one to conceit and arrogance! So Paul chose to "forget" it.
Now think of your own life. Are there failures that you are allowing power over your present? Can you get so depressed over past failure that you find yourself paralyzed in the today? Perhaps fear of making the same mistakes keeps you from stepping out in your faith. Paul encourages us to "forget" it! Confess the sin ... repent and turn around ... and press on. God is faithful and forgives the confessed sin, holding it against you no more! (1 John 1:9) Remember - that's why Jesus went to the cross! Do you believe God?
Or perhaps you tend to relish and live in past successes? This is the "good old days" mindset that keeps us from living in the today - from pressing on into our future with anticipation and hope. This is remembering past spiritual high places - not to thank God for them, to celebrate His hand in them - but to believe that nothing will ever be as good again. Paul encourages us to "forget" it!
I love the image of a rear view mirror in our cars. A rear view mirror is important. So is your past. Check it out occasionally. Learn from the errors - celebrate the successes. But never try to drive focused on the rear view mirror. You will crash! You drive by looking forward. You also live best by, in Paul's words, "pressing on to the goal for which God has called us heavenward."
As we consider these beautiful verses again, today focus your attention on Paul's comments about "forgetting what is behind."
To what degree would you say your past dictates your behaviors and choices in your present? We are all shaped by our pasts. Paul has been. Our family of origin, our experiences, our training, our failures and our successes all contribute to the way we react and make decisions in our present ... which effects our future.
Paul said,
"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."Obviously, forgetting is not some kind of mind-zap that eradicates memory from us. But it is getting to a place where the experience or memory no longer controls behaviors. It means the past does not dictate my choices or my direction in the "now". Paul had much to "forget". For one thing, he had to refrain from despair over the way he zealously persecuted Christians before he knew the Lord - the way he pursued believers in his effort to squash faith in Jesus - the day he stood by watching and supporting those who stoned Stephen to death because of his faith in Jesus (Acts 7: 54 - 8:1). Those failures could have paralyzed Paul. He had to "forget".
Paul also had to "forget" the exalted place of special revelation that had been granted to him by God (2 Corinthians 12: 1 - 6). That remarkable place could lead one to conceit and arrogance! So Paul chose to "forget" it.
Now think of your own life. Are there failures that you are allowing power over your present? Can you get so depressed over past failure that you find yourself paralyzed in the today? Perhaps fear of making the same mistakes keeps you from stepping out in your faith. Paul encourages us to "forget" it! Confess the sin ... repent and turn around ... and press on. God is faithful and forgives the confessed sin, holding it against you no more! (1 John 1:9) Remember - that's why Jesus went to the cross! Do you believe God?
Or perhaps you tend to relish and live in past successes? This is the "good old days" mindset that keeps us from living in the today - from pressing on into our future with anticipation and hope. This is remembering past spiritual high places - not to thank God for them, to celebrate His hand in them - but to believe that nothing will ever be as good again. Paul encourages us to "forget" it!
I love the image of a rear view mirror in our cars. A rear view mirror is important. So is your past. Check it out occasionally. Learn from the errors - celebrate the successes. But never try to drive focused on the rear view mirror. You will crash! You drive by looking forward. You also live best by, in Paul's words, "pressing on to the goal for which God has called us heavenward."
Let's take Paul's words to heart today. Forget your past ... press on into your future. It is glorious if it is nestled in the life of Christ Jesus our Lord. That doesn't mean it will be easy ... but it will be glorious. To the praise of God the Father!
February 22, 2012
Philippians - Press On (Lesson 6 - Post 1)
Philippians 3: 12 - 16
Paul waxed so eloquent in the first half of Chapter 3 explaining the source of our salvation. He left not one doubt that it does not come from any position or heritage or work or resume that we may have. It is COMPLETELY from God by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Period. So ... how to live?
The antinomians of Paul's day were a group of people who denied that there was any law at all in the Christian life. They declared that they were within the grace of God so it did not matter what they did. No discipline, no effort, no nothing. Paul adamantly refutes that thought! How in the world can a person who has received such amazing grace not respond with love and service to the giver of such a remarkable gift?
He began the second half of this chapter with the language of "pressing on". The very language speaks to effort, to striving, to determination. It reminds me of Paul's words about "work out your own salvation." It does matter how we live. It does matter that we strive to fulfill the purposes for which God has called us.
Paul was captured on that road to Damascus (Acts 9) and he was forever changed. Now his life is driven by "one thing" ... and that is pressing on to the Lord.
This "pressing on" is a theme Paul uses in other places - it matters to him. Listen to what he told Timothy, the young man he was training:
Paul waxed so eloquent in the first half of Chapter 3 explaining the source of our salvation. He left not one doubt that it does not come from any position or heritage or work or resume that we may have. It is COMPLETELY from God by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Period. So ... how to live?
The antinomians of Paul's day were a group of people who denied that there was any law at all in the Christian life. They declared that they were within the grace of God so it did not matter what they did. No discipline, no effort, no nothing. Paul adamantly refutes that thought! How in the world can a person who has received such amazing grace not respond with love and service to the giver of such a remarkable gift?
He began the second half of this chapter with the language of "pressing on". The very language speaks to effort, to striving, to determination. It reminds me of Paul's words about "work out your own salvation." It does matter how we live. It does matter that we strive to fulfill the purposes for which God has called us.
Paul was captured on that road to Damascus (Acts 9) and he was forever changed. Now his life is driven by "one thing" ... and that is pressing on to the Lord.
This "pressing on" is a theme Paul uses in other places - it matters to him. Listen to what he told Timothy, the young man he was training:
"Train yourself to be godly. Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value to all things, holding promise for both the present and the life to come."
1 Timothy 4: 7 - 8So ... you know the questions we must ask. And I challenge you to answer them ... don't just read and blow past them. In fact, I suggest you write your answers down - writing helps clarify your thoughts and will help you see if you have any answer at all.
- Are you in training ... or just 'going with the flow'?
- What things are you doing to train yourself in godliness?
- How often do you focus on those things?
- What is God's purpose for you?
- Are you straining to accomplish that?
Lord, our world is in such a horrific mess. Our cities and communities are rampant with evil and pain. They need people who "know Christ and the power of His resurrection". They need Christians who are trained in godliness - who know what it means to live according to Your will and purpose for their lives. My Father how we want to be one of those! Help us want it more. Help us not to be content with a closed-off form of Christianity that only focuses on what I want, when I want it. Help us ...
February 19, 2012
Philippians - Heart's Desire (Lesson 5 - Post 3)
Philippians 3: 7 - 11
What is your heart's desire? Do you ever think about it? Does it usually revolve around things of this world ... or relationships with people of this world? In these few verses, we get a glimpse into the very heart's desire of Paul. Nothing else is as important to him. Everything else can go except for this one thing.
I want to know Christ ...
Today ... write verses 10 - 11 on a card for yourself and carry it around with you all day. Let it be your reminder ... I pray that the very words will be transformative in each of our lives ... that we will deepen our own longing for such knowledge of God.
What is your heart's desire? Do you ever think about it? Does it usually revolve around things of this world ... or relationships with people of this world? In these few verses, we get a glimpse into the very heart's desire of Paul. Nothing else is as important to him. Everything else can go except for this one thing.
I want to know Christ ...
"The word Paul chooses for "know" is part of the verb ginoskein and that word almost always indicates personal knowledge. It is not simply intellectual knowledge; it is not the knowledge of certain facts or theories or even principles. It is the personal experience of another person." (William Barclay)Consider - in the Old Testament, when we are told that "Adam knew Eve and she conceived and bare Cain", we see that the word "know" is used to refer to sexual intimacy between a man and his wife. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word ginoskein is used. Paul uses the same word in the cry of his heart. He longs for the most intimate, personal, experiential relationship with God. And everything else he willingly releases for that kind of "knowing".
Today ... write verses 10 - 11 on a card for yourself and carry it around with you all day. Let it be your reminder ... I pray that the very words will be transformative in each of our lives ... that we will deepen our own longing for such knowledge of God.
February 15, 2012
Philippians - Circumcision (Lesson 5 - Post 2)
We are studying Philippians 3: 1 - 11. Today focus your attention on 3:3 - 6.
Circumcision was a sacred practice for the Jewish people. God established that covenant sign in Genesis 17 with Abraham. It was physical. It marked the males as belonging to the people of God. It was to be the physical evidence that marked a people surrendered to the will of God - committed to fulfilling His purposes for them. It was never meant to be a sign devoid of its meaning. And yet it became just that.
Even in the Old Testament, God clarified the real purpose ...
Deuteronomy 10: 14 - 16 "To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer."
Jeremiah 4: 3 - 4: "This is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: 'Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done ...'"
And then Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, nationally as pure as the driven snow, gets it. He understands the meaning and intent behind circumcision. He explains it in Romans 2: 28 - 29 "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, but the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."
Many Jews believed that the outward sign was all that was needed. That sign placed them in the family of God. One did not have to deal with the heart - Lordship - submission.
Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles - all warn us about that false thinking. We can succumb to the same temptation when we place any physical thing, even good and necessary things, in the place of heart submission to God. We can place a particular church membership, regular attendance, Lord's Supper every week, even baptism in the place of a circumcised heart. And when we do ... we model after these Jews rather than after our Lord.
So my question for us today ... Have you been circumcised? Yes, ladies, I am even talking to you! Circumcise your heart.
Paul does not leave us in the dark ... he reveals some evidence so that we can know.
Those of the true circumcision ...
Circumcision was a sacred practice for the Jewish people. God established that covenant sign in Genesis 17 with Abraham. It was physical. It marked the males as belonging to the people of God. It was to be the physical evidence that marked a people surrendered to the will of God - committed to fulfilling His purposes for them. It was never meant to be a sign devoid of its meaning. And yet it became just that.
Even in the Old Testament, God clarified the real purpose ...
Deuteronomy 10: 14 - 16 "To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer."
Jeremiah 4: 3 - 4: "This is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: 'Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done ...'"
And then Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, nationally as pure as the driven snow, gets it. He understands the meaning and intent behind circumcision. He explains it in Romans 2: 28 - 29 "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, but the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."
Many Jews believed that the outward sign was all that was needed. That sign placed them in the family of God. One did not have to deal with the heart - Lordship - submission.
Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles - all warn us about that false thinking. We can succumb to the same temptation when we place any physical thing, even good and necessary things, in the place of heart submission to God. We can place a particular church membership, regular attendance, Lord's Supper every week, even baptism in the place of a circumcised heart. And when we do ... we model after these Jews rather than after our Lord.
So my question for us today ... Have you been circumcised? Yes, ladies, I am even talking to you! Circumcise your heart.
Paul does not leave us in the dark ... he reveals some evidence so that we can know.
Those of the true circumcision ...
- worship by the Spirit of God ... worship is a way of life, not an event
- glorify Jesus above all else ... relying on Him for our place in the family of God
- put NO confidence in the flesh ... no confidence in human effort. NOTHING we do places God in our debt. We are forever in His debt.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 5:1
Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:25
February 14, 2012
Philippians - False Teachers (Lesson 5 - Post 1)
Lesson 5 is Philippians 3: 1 - 11. After reading the passage, go back and focus your attention on verses 1 - 3.
We cannot read these verses without realizing the seriousness of the false teaching about which Paul was so concerned. The continual problem that faced the New Testament churches was the false teachers who were insisting that the only way to be a Christian was to be a Jew first. One had to be circumcised. Those teachers seemed to have followed Paul. We read much regarding that false teaching in Galatians. The way Paul describes these pseudo-prophets is harsh and vivid. Three descriptors ...
It matters ... who you listen to. Jesus, Himself, warned about false teachers. In Matthew 7:15 he said, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
How do we do that? The warnings are real and incredibly serious. So, how can we know? A few thoughts for your consideration ...
We cannot read these verses without realizing the seriousness of the false teaching about which Paul was so concerned. The continual problem that faced the New Testament churches was the false teachers who were insisting that the only way to be a Christian was to be a Jew first. One had to be circumcised. Those teachers seemed to have followed Paul. We read much regarding that false teaching in Galatians. The way Paul describes these pseudo-prophets is harsh and vivid. Three descriptors ...
- dogs - not the lovable family pets that we think of when we hear the word. These were the street dogs that often ran in packs causing havoc and trouble. It was the name that Jews called Gentiles - the undesirable ones. Even as late as the writing of Revelation, in Revelation 22:15 as Jesus describes those who will be outside of the New Jerusalem of God, he said "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Paul called these false teachers "dogs".
- men who do evil - the Jews saw themselves as the ones who worked righteousness. But Paul identifies these teaches as working evil, not righteousness.
- the mutilators - rather than the circumcised ones (which was a spiritually significant sign) Paul calls them the mutilators (a practice strictly forbidden for the people of God - Leviticus 21:5). The word had to do with cutting oneself, even castration.
It matters ... who you listen to. Jesus, Himself, warned about false teachers. In Matthew 7:15 he said, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
How do we do that? The warnings are real and incredibly serious. So, how can we know? A few thoughts for your consideration ...
- Jesus said in Matthew 7 that you can know by the fruit that is formed. Does a teacher produce good fruit - greater faith, more love for God, obedience to the will of God? Or does the teaching produce dissension and quarrelling and self-righteousness?
- Does the teacher glorify Christ? Does he/she point to Christ or point more often to him/herself?
- Keep yourself immersed in the Word of God so that you know what Jesus said to see if the teaching is true and consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
- Pray that the Spirit of God will give you a spirit of discernment and wisdom. James tells us in James 1:5 "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."
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