October 2, 2021
CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD Paul told the Philippians that before he trusted Christ, he had worked to earn righteousness through obeying the law. But when he encountered Christ, he saw his attempts at righteousness as worthless in comparison to Christ’s infinite worth. He recognized that his own righteous acts produced by attempting to keep
September 30, 2021
LIVING WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL Paul taught the Philippians that they should live in a “manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” When we live as worldly, our message has no consistency and the gospel comes across hypocritical. Our lives should be consistent with the Good News we profess. Our lifestyle should in fact cause
September 29, 2021
DO YOU HAVE A GOSPEL PERSPECTIVE? The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi from his jail cell in Rome. He wrote to encourage his gospel partners, so that they would see that his chains were actually increasing the “advance of the gospel.” He noted that the gospel had become evident to
October 3, 2020
WHAT KINDS OF THOUGHTS FILL YOUR THINKING? As the apostle Paul closed his letter to the Philippians, he urged them to always rejoice in the Lord. He gave them a couple of spiritual strategies for joyful living. One, was that they should turn their worries into prayers, not being anxious about anything, but praying about
October 2, 2020
THE PERFECT BODY YOU ALWAYS DESIRED This is what we believe, that the Resurrected One will return and our bodies will be transformed to be like His. Christ is the “firstborn” (Greek: “prototokos”) from among the dead, the “prototype” for the glorified bodies that we will receive at His return. Those who believe will have
September 30, 2020
ARE YOU WORKING OUT WHAT GOD IS WORKING IN? Physically, we are born with the muscles that God gave us. Yet, it is up to us to work them out. As we learn to crawl, then walk, and ultimately to run, we “work out” the physical strength that God has “worked in” us. If we
September 29, 2020
DO YOU HAVE A GOSPEL PERSPECTIVE? The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi from his jail cell in Rome. He wrote to encourage his gospel partners, so that they would see that his chains were actually increasing the “furtherance of the gospel.” He noted that the gospel had become evident to
May 31, 2020
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Philippians 3:7-14
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faith
As we begin to return to life outside our homes, what have you learned about what really matters to you? Having so many things closed and isolated from school mates, neighbors, church attendance, even family… what have you missed the most? And have you considered whether everything in your formerly busy life should be just added back willy-nilly? Or should we carefully consider how we order up our lives going forward, asking what really matters?
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he challenged them to follow his conviction that faith in Jesus Christ is what really matters above all other things in life. We can choose to see our faith in Jesus Christ as what really matters most in our lives.
May 10, 2020
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Philippians 4:4-7
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anxiety
Over the past few weeks, we have talked about how troubled times can cause us to be overwhelmed by fear, by
depression, and by doubt. Today, we want to consider how trouble can cause us to feel overwhelmed by anxiety. Certainly, the “uncertainty” of this time has caused much anxiety in our world today. Yet, even before COVID 19, anxiety was a pervasive condition for Americans.
Are you overwhelmed by anxiety today? Do you have a constant sense of unease? A kind of nervousness? Have the uncertainties of what’s coming next overwhelmed you with worry? The truth is, there will be trouble in this world. But do we have to be overwhelmed by anxiety as we face it? In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he taught them to turn to the Lord when overwhelmed by anxiety. We can learn to turn to the Lord when we are overwhelmed by anxiety.
February 29, 2020
TURN YOUR WORRIES INTO PRAYERS It’s Leap Day and there is no OYB reading for today, so I have chosen one of my favorite Scripture passages to consider. With the all the anxiety over the Coronavirus, politics and the economy, it seemed a good time to offer God’s prescription for worry. Consider what worry