“My eager expectation and hope is
that I will not be ashamed about anything,
(Pause and let that sink in....
to not be ashamed about anything)
but that now as always,
with all boldness,
Christ will be highly honored in my body,
whether by life or by death.”
Philippians 1:20
It is Christ.
Christ goes before us and
Christ comes after us.
Honor God by not staying in shame,
Honor God in whatever circumstance you're in,
Honor God because He died to set you free.
“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit,
but in humility
consider others
as more important than yourselves.
Everyone should look out
not only for his own interests,
but also for the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4
I need to practice this more with the Spirit's empowerment and with intentionality. To let go of the fear and confusion that hinders me from this. To let go of legality/law, and operate from grace in this area. To serve in a Christ-honoring way. To distinguish between feeling and obedience.
“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —
even to death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:5, 8
“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.”
Philippians 2:13
“Therefore, welcome him in the Lord
with all joy and hold men like him in honor,
because he came close to death
for the work of Christ,
risking his life
to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.”
Philippians 2:29-30
I am thankful for those who work hard to support the Body when I am not.
I need:
Clarity
Faith
Grace
Love
“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ”
Philippians 3:8
My one thing remains: Christ.
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind
and reaching forward to what is ahead,
I pursue as my goal the prize
promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, all who are mature
should think this way.
And if you think differently about anything,
God will reveal this also to you.
In any case,
we should live up
to whatever truth we have attained.”
Philippians 3:13-16
What we have today is what God has given us to proceed boldly--moving forward. Forget what is behind that may cause shame and move forward with the grace and truth of the Christ.
--
What does it mean to be an enemy of the cross of Christ?
“For I have often told you,
and now say again with tears,
that many live
as enemies of the cross of Christ.”
Philippians 3:18
Enemy: noun. someone hated or competed against
To live a life of someone who competes against the cross of Christ.
How might we compete against the cross?
To live as if we are still in bondage.
To live as if we can still be in shame.
To live in such a way that we deny grace.
The question is, could I be living as an enemy of the cross of Christ?
“Their end is destruction;
their god is their stomach;
their glory is in their shame.
They are focused on earthly things,
but our citizenship is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:19-20
Help me Lord not to live as an enemy of the cross. To not make my stomach my god or to glory in my shame. To not focus on earthly things, but to fix my eyes on heaven--as my home.
“He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.”
Philippians 3:21
Boom.
This condition may be ugly or unfitting in the world, but Christ can and will transform the ugly and unfit into the likeness of His glorious body, because He has been given that power to do so. He will do so, and our part is to acknowledge that in the humility of our laying down--laying down our trying to not be ugly and unfit in this world.
Meaning we may at points in our lives feel with intensity an ugliness or unfitting (attached to a feeling of being unlovable) sense of self, but remain in the Word that Christ will transform us into the likeness of His glorious body.
“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
Philippians 4:10-11
My attitude and the attitude I should consider to be in my brothers and sisters is that of this here, where Paul writes that he is grateful for renewed support, but not because of need.
"But lacked the opportunity to show it"
Possibly speaks of Paul considering the best of his brothers and sisters at all times, whether they were able to support or not.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit.”
Philippians 4:23
Clarity.
Faith.
Grace.
Love.
Amen.
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