So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1-4 ESV
In this portion of his letters to the Philippians believers Paul was encouraging them to live in unity with each other. So important was their unity that he equated it with completing his joy, as one who had mentored them in the faith. When believers are motivated by the same love, the love of Jesus Christ – when they are motivated by the same purpose or cause, salvation for those who are lost – when they are full of compassion and affection for each other …. when we think more about someone else more than we do ourselves – only then will there will be true joy in the midst of us all, and perhaps especially for those who are teaching or shepherding us in the faith. This type of unity won’t always be easy but Paul gives the perfect pattern for success as he encourages the believers to consider their attitude … namely, the same attitude of Christ (vs 5-8) who, though He was God, didn’t consider equality to God something to be grasped … instead He took on human flesh, and in the form of a servant He humbled Himself – even to the point to death on a cross +
For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope. Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify [praise and worship] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:4-6
I recently purchased a sign for my home with a saying that is now engrained in my mind and is etching it’s way into my heart. “Fall is proof that change is beautiful”. Perhaps you’ve heard it before but it is new to me and I love it. While I am a creature of habit and don’t necessarily go looking for change, it has never really bothered me – with the exception of senseless or absurd change – but that’s a discussion for another day. I think the reason this statement grabbed at my heart and ended up in my shopping cart is because many people in my life either battle change or are weathering the storm of age and change can almost be detrimental to them. Somehow this writes a different story though, maybe not for all change but it is certainly true of the change that comes with fall, especially here in my native West Virginia. God bedazzles the hillsides and the mountaintops year after year with extraordinary colors that are great competition for my beloved green buds of spring or the flower filled yards of summer. I’m not a fan of snow. However, despite the chaos it can cause, I must admit, even it can be beautiful when it is stretched out across the hills and valleys like a down-comforter piled high upon the earth.
As I have contemplated the truth of the statement on my new sign, I began to realize that in actuality it could be said of every season – for to those who adore the snow, or the beautiful colors of spring and summer the meaning would no doubt take on the same wonder it has for me when applied to fall. However, it also strikes me that God’s Word offers the same truthful reality that change is beautiful. After all, was it not His spoken word that brought creation into being?1 The dark sky lit with stars and a captivating full moon, or the blue sky and its dazzling display of fluffy clouds, or the billowing waves of the ocean riding in on the shore. John refers to Christ as being the Word that was with God in the beginning and then later says that same Word became flesh and dwelt with man on the earth – and boy, did that bring some beautiful change and hope to a lost and dying world. Because, as John goes on to write, “we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.”2 That grace and truth changed everything!3 It set the captives free4 and has turned darkness into light,5 and death into life 6– for those who believe.7 Which brings us to our verse for today – and the written Word of God, which Paul says was given for our instruction and our encouragement through the Scriptures to not only help us endure but so that we might have HOPE. For me, the change that comes with the seasons is the constant reminder for believers that God, our God, is radiantly beautiful and this is made clear through His creation8. Likewise, the change that comes through His written Word in us9 changes us from the inside-out10 and by it we grow into radiant lights11, living testimonies12, savory salt13, and beautiful messengers of the good news14 that brings faith, hope, and love to the world.15
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Father, You are good. You are Holy, righteous, and true – and You are my God! Your WORD is eternal, bringing life and health and peace to all who hear and believe. For those who have never heard, I pray they will hear and believe even today! For those who have heard BUT NEVER BELIEVED, I pray You will melt their hearts of stone – that they might believe and be saved. For those without a messenger will You open their eyes to Your creation – for Your Word makes clear that everything You’ve made displays Your invisible qualities – Your eternal power and divine nature – so that NO ONE has an excuse for not knowing You. Raise up messengers to go in Jesus’ Name and translators to translate in Word or print and supporters who will send and pray. All of this to Your eternal glory and the salvation of the lost. – … Father, for those who have both heard and believed but have turned away to the right or to the left and find themselves wandering in a wilderness, stuck in a pit, swallowed up by the world’s ways, or bound again by a yoke of slavery – will you please open the eyes and ears of their hearts Lord – to hear You, the One who is their faithful Shepherd, who has left the 99 to find them. Help them to reach out for Your rod and staff and to walk free of their chains and all that binds them and keeps them from You. – Again, all of this for Your eternal glory and the redemption of Your people. Amen in Jesus’ Name and Power!
Father, You are Good! And Your goodness beckons me to draw near. My heart longs to walk closer and closer to You in this world of hurts and disappointments. Hurts and disappointments not just in the world but the truest heartbreak is in seeing and experiencing believers pitted against, or simply not loving, their fellow believers. My soul is filled with anguish and with sorrow – a sadness that is wearing on my mind and heart and causes me to seek You even more! To seek and to know Your guidance, comfort, and peace, Your strength, mercy, and grace – not only from You to me but from me toward others; and yes, Father, forgiveness toward others even as You have forgiven me. I also seek your healing Father – both of Your people’s hearts and minds and of my own weary and downcast soul. Hear my prayer Father – hear my prayer in Jesus’ name.
And Your Spirit replies …
Why are you discouraged? Why is your heart so sad? Put your hope in God! Praise Him again—your Savior and your God!
Do you ever find yourself distracted by the actions of others – your mind caught up in their behavior and pelted with anger? Or maybe you awaken to thoughts of your past that are hurtful and bring sorrow, or shameful and evoke guilt which in turn evokes lies and/or captivity that leads you away from God instead of toward Him. Whatever your trigger point is to thoughts that disrupt your peace and unity with God – He makes it clear through His Word that our minds are to be fixed on Him. He promises in the Old Testament as well as the New that when our minds are set or fixed on Him we will know His perfect peace.
You will keep in perfect peace all trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.
Isaiah 26:3
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Paul’s instructions to the believers didn’t stop with prayers that would bring peace. Instead, he encouraged them to fix their thoughts on other things – things that would replace the “anxious” thoughts so that God’s peace would continue to guard their hearts and minds as they lived in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
It strengthens us to take thoughts that are not beneficial or pleasing to Him captive, making them obedient to Jesus Christ – who holds the power over sin and death.
Fixing our thoughts on Him is a Spiritual discipline that takes effort and practice. It is part of the Spiritual training mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:8 that promises benefits not only in this life but in the life to come. Fixing our thoughts on Him not only fills us with His peace but as 2 Corinthians 10:5 teaches, it protects us from arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. It strengthens us to take thoughts that are not beneficial or pleasing to Him captive, making them obedient to Jesus Christ – who holds the power over sin and death.
Father, my mind is sometimes a battleground and I plead for You, in Your mighty, omnipotent, omniscient power, to guard it. Block all thoughts that invoke unrighteous anger and bitterness toward others, and protect me even from the righteous anger that arises so that it does not take my thoughts captive and distract me from Your voice, Your guidance, and Your presence. Keep me from judgmental thoughts and the critical words they provoke. Guard me from fearful thoughts or thoughts of the past that provoke shame and regret, and all other erroneous thoughts that do not bring You glory and ultimately hinder a right relationship with You, diminishing the light of Your presence in me, which is meant to be evident in my life – both in the deeds that I do and the words that I speak.
Instead, as Paul wrote to the Colossians, help me to make allowance for other’s faults and to forgive anyone who offends me, help me to remember You have forgiven me and set me forever free from the past. I pray that You would empty my mind of what doesn’t belong and instead – fill it with and fix it on things that are true and honorable, and right and pure, and lovely and admirable. Whatever is excellent or worthy of praise, Father, help me to think on these things. 💜🙏 In Jesus’ Name – amen! ❣️
Let the Words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You oh Lord, my Rock and Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Make allowance for each others faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And because You are good – ALL is well with my soul. Sin and shame are covered in the blood of Your Son. Fears are covered with Your peace that passes all understanding. Sorrows are comforted by Your all-compassionateLOVE. Needs are met from Your glorious riches that have been given to me in Christ Jesus. Through Him Your mercies are new every morning and I find Your all-sufficient GRACE daily meets me where I am – to offer love, forgiveness, guidance, wisdom, strength, and everything I need for life and godliness. – In the light and presence of such goodness – is it any wonderthatmy heart singsand resonates with the words of this song?!
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
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Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
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My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!— My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
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For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
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But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
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And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
James says it like this, Dear brothers and sisters, whenever you face troubles consider them an opportunity for great joy, for you can trust that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow, so let it grow – because when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete needing nothing, James 1:2-4. The Psalmist said it like this, I have set the Lord always before me and because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken, Psalm 16:8. And, as a Holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” I believe we will all face, have faced, or even now are facing ‘troubles’ in our lives. I am learning the truth of James’ statement, the troubles of this life -whether big or small – help deepen our faith.
Faith may not change our ‘situation’ but fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our Faith certainly changes our perspective.
Fears are turned to peace, comfort replaces sorrow, where there are desperate needs we witness gracious provision; and when the thing needed is not provided – it is through faith we wait or through faith that we learn to do without. Through the eyes of faith, we witness miracles or walk in hope where none seems possible. Through faith we love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, and we cling to what is good rather than turning to the wrong we may desire. In faith, we turn to God when a doctor delivers unwanted or unexpected news. Through faith, we sit by the bed of a loved one or walk the halls of the hospital. With faith, we rise out of bed in His strength – even when we feel too week, sad, or lonely to go on, and in faith, we say good-bye to those God calls home. As John wrote in 1 John 5:4, and the old hymn repeats … “Faith is the victory that has overcome the world.” Faith doesn’t just move mountains it moves hearts closer to God. We lean on Him through our troubles and we find that He is trustworthy and true – and so when the next trouble comes we run to Him – through this habit the roots of our faith are deepened and we are made stronger – until God’s love runs deeper than the deepest pit of hatred and death … and we are able to consider the hardest of situations a joy because we know that God is with us … and the very knowledge of His presence keeps us from being shaken. This, my friends, is a Faith that moves mountains.Me – From the Insideout
Insight is like a life-giving fountain to the one who possesses it, but folly leads to the discipline of fools.
Proverbs 16:22 NET
This morning’s prayer starter by Criswell Freeman was absolutely perfect and such a needed reminder and source of encouragement for what we are facing in the world and in our individual lives. I have chosen to share it in its entirety. I have included a few definitions of some of the words in the proverb – since I found them helpful for myself. I pray it is a blessing to all who read it and that You will seek, know, and choose God’s wisdom, peace, comfort, and guidance every day.
*Insight: wisdom, knowledge, understanding
*Discipline: 2A branch of knowledge, learning, or practice
*Folly: a foolish act, idea, or practice
Microsoft Bing dictionary
“Where will you place your trust today? Will you trust in the wisdom of fallible men and women, or will you place your faith in God’s perfect wisdom? When you decide whom to trust, you will then know how best to respond to the challenges of the coming day.
Are you tired? Discouraged? Fearful? Be comforted and trust God. Are you worried or anxious? Be confident in God’s power and trust His holy Word. Are you confused? Listen to the quiet voice of your heavenly Father. He is not a God of confusion. Talk with Him; listen to Him; TRUST Him. He is steadfast, and He is your Protector, now and forever.” Criswell FreemanPrayers to Start Your Day, #67, p65
Dear Lord, You are my Teacher, Help me to learn from Your wisdom. And then, let me show others what it means to be a kind, generous, loving Christian. Amen.
Criswell Freeman- Prayers to Start Your Day, #67, p65
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.
2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Malachi 4:1-3
The Coming Day of Judgment
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and then read it again only to say – huh? Sometimes you just have to use a commentary or call someone smarter than you. I opted for a commentary with today’s passage from Malachi, and before I finish this I won’t be surprised if I need to call someone. .
Reading through several trusted commentaries I learned that the phrase – “The sun of Righteousness” in verse 1 typically refers to the coming Messiah. I reread that first verse and the phrase “healing in His wings” jumped off the page, revealing, yet again, the HOPE that comes from being in Christ – belonging to God. Reading on through verse 2 with this fresh awareness I found myself smiling at the scene – where, in stark contrast to the wicked, described in verse 1 as being consumed — roots, branches, and all – we, who fear His name, are set free – “leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture”. As I mulled this one over – I was reminded of one of my favorite verses “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free …” Now, I don’t know if a Bible scholar would put these two verses together in any way, but for me, one highlights the other – for I am no longer bound or held captive by the law of sin and death instead, I live in freedom because the Messiah came to set me free. Oh, how I love when the Old Testament meets the New Testament, or visa versus, and defines its or at least shines a light on it.
The next part is still puzzling to me, but what I did notice was the description of God as – “the LORD of Heaven’s Armies” is the same reference of hope that the Psalmist used in our reading from Psalm 46 on Friday. Remember? He was referenced as being “on our side”. This picture goes with the commentary I found in my NIV study Bible for Malachi, that says –
“These last verses of the Old Testament are filled with hope. Regardless of how life looks now, God controls the future, and everything will be made right. We who have loved and served God look forward to a joyful celebration. This hope for the future becomes ours when we have trusted God with our lives.”
NIV Study Bible Note on Malachi 4:2-3
Some 400 plus years after these words from Malachi, the Messiah was indeed born, and with Him came the deliverance that had been promised and long-awaited. As believers today, we revel in the freedom received through Faith in the One who was born of a virgin, suffered, bled, and died for our sins, and rose again from the grave – delivering us from the bondage of sin and death. He is our Hope, the Anchor for our soul, and the reason we can proclaim with confidence – God is in control! I have nothing to fear! Christ, “the Sun of Righteousness,” is the reason we wait with confidence and not dread of the coming day of judgment when we will stand before God in the Righteousness and freedom of Christ and we will echo the words of the Psalmist and of Malachi – The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is on our side!
I relied completely on the Lord, and he turned toward me and heard my cry for help. 2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, out of the slimy mud. He placed my feet on a rock and gave me secure footing.
Psalm 40:1-2
God is good! I know I can completely rely on Him – because He is Trustworthy. This isn’t just book knowledge for me. I have tasted and seen His goodness for myself. Even as the Psalmist said, I have turned to Him – I have cried out to Him and He heard my cry. I have been in the watery pit, sinking in the slimy mud – with no vision of hope or proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” – BUT He rescued me! He sat my feet on the Rock and gave me secure footing. He pointed me to Jesus, the Anchor of my soul.
I am forever grateful for His goodness, mercy, and love. I am thankful that He rescued me and is always teaching me to TRUST. I can look back over the course of my life and see that He has been training me to not give into the doubts that inevitably come with pain and suffering, or disappointments, or the unknown factors of this life. He has led me often to the teachings of Paul to ‘put off” what doesn’t belong in the believer’s life and to “put on” what pleases Him – that which is good and right and honoring to Him … Trust over doubt … peace over fear … kindness and forgiveness over anger and bitterness … love over hate … godly desires over fleshly ones – and the list goes on. I have learned that just as salvation is dependent on God, so to is the practice of putting off and putting on. I can’t do it in my own strength, but the One who knows my heart and mind, the One who wants me to be safe and secure has placed His Spirit in me, giving me all that I need to live a godly life.
His divine power has given us everything we ne3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
2 Peter 1:3-4
Prayer: Father, I am thankful to know that You will never leave me or forsake me. I know I can depend on You come what may. May this confidence be reflected not only in my words but in my actions and countenance as well – so that others may see and know You – the true, living, and TRUSTWORTHY God – In the name and power of Jesus – Amen!
Me From the Inside Out 