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 +
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NLT
Observation: Of the Teaching:
Christ’s teaching that He is the “vine” is a well known and wonderful illustration of our need to stay close to Him. However, because it is so familiar, it is easy to gloss over, which means we would be wise to ask the Lord for fresh eyes to look closely at what there is to learn even from the most familiar passages. Let’s dissect it and see what reminders or perhaps even some new insight the Spirit (John 14:26) might lead us to in this reading.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
John 14:26
In John 15:5, the following observations can be made:
I [Christ] am the vine
Christ is the source of life
He became human and “made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14)
You [disciples/followers] are the branches
His followers are dependent on Him for life, strength, wisdom …
Those [disciples/followers] who remain [abide/stay – meaning they are truly engaged with Jesus rather than just in it for appearance sake]
2 Cor 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is inChrist they are a new creation the old has gone the new is here
Gal 2:20 says: I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me
And I [Christ] [abide/stay in them [disciples/followers]
will produce [grow/develop] much fruit [evidence of new life]
Galatians 5:19-26 bears witness that followers of Christ will bear fruit when they live by the Spirit
‘but you [disciples/followers] cannot do this without me’
Paul emphasizes this truth in Philippians 4:13 with this antithesis – “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”
Application: How Then Should I Live?
Clearly, we are dependent on Jesus Christ and will only be healthy followers when we remain connected to Him – the Living Word. Abiding in Christ is both a privilege and a responsibility that is ours by Grace through Faith. It is vitally important that we realize this so that we do not neglect the responsibility nor forfeit the privilege by attempting to walk through this life in our own strength or according to our own desires.
LESS OF ME MORE OF CHRIST
This means we must SEEK and STRIVE to ABIDEin Christ and not be pulled away by the desires of the heart/flesh. We must be alert to the enemy’s tactics to steal, kill, and destroy. ABIDING IN CHRIST is our key weapon against our great enemy, the devil! The best formula for ABIDING is for there to be less of me and more of Christ. This happens when we saturate ourselves with Christ, the Word made flesh to dwell among us, John 1:14.
We must be alert to the enemy’s tactics to steal, kill, and destroy.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10
Prayer: Response to the Word
Father, I praise You for sending Your only begotten Son – Jesus – The Living Word and Lover of my soul. So deep and lasting is His love that He gave His life for mine! Sadly, I so often crave other things more – forgive me for these times and work in me a discipline to never put anything before You – my Savior and my God. Thank You for Your faithfulness to love me, to forgive me, to abide in me, and to hear me when I call to You. Change my desires – lessen the hold this world and my flesh have on me. May there be less of me and more of You LORD -that Your glory may be known and seen in me! For Your glory, Amen –
The link shared below is something I found both encouraging and helpful. I wanted to share it with the hope that it will also encourage you to spend some quality time with God. I will preface it with this … prayer can also be spontaneous which Scripture supports in Colossians 4:2, where it tells us to pray continually or devote yourselves to prayer as some translations say, painting a picture, not of praying once a day, but praying throughout the day.
However, as Pastor John teaches in this devotional, Plan for Prayer, prayer is also meant to be a time planned or set aside to spend purposefully with God – for the specific purpose of praying. I will also add – we should set aside time to spend in His Word – the two can be combined but neither should be neglected or we cheat ourselves out of one of the greatest privileges of our salvation – a personal relationship 💗 with the True and Living God💜 . This includes entering into His presence boldly and with confidence both to talk to and to hear from God (Ephesians 3:12 and Hebrews 4:16 [14-16]), knowing that we have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13 [11-18]), and believing He wants us to understand His Word and know His will for us (Luke 24:45, Romans 12:2, and 2 Timothy 2:15) – May this add strength and encouragement to your day and blessings to your weekend 😊
This is a segment of “Solid Joys” from Desiring God, a site I follow by John Piper
Philippians 4:4-8 has long been a favorite of mine and admittedly because I used to deal with crippling anxiety. This was the first resource God gave me to overcome it. Actually He gave it to me quite a few years before I even began to deal with anxiety. Today’s focus verse (4:4) reminded me that I have through the years become so enamored with the peace of God that I lost sight of the first part of Paul’s instruction – “Rejoice in the Lord Always”. This is a necessary and great reminder that if our joy and delight are not found firmly grounded in the Lord we will be wishy washy with our emotions – anxiety, anger, bitterness, disappointments, fears and more will overwhelm us and we will miss out on the blessing of what God’s doing and the peace He wants to give us in Christ. The peace of God that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds, as we live in Christ, will elude us – when our joys and delights are rooted in the circumstances of life rather than in the Lord. So my friends – let’s rejoice in the Lord always and let’s remind each other as Paul did –
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. –
Philippians 4:4
So what exactly does this mean? Well, first of all rejoice is a verb, an action word. It isn’t something we simply ‘feel’ but something we do – either by experiencing or by showing our joy and delight in something or someone. In others words we will either actively experience joy and delight or we will actively express joy and delight. We must understand this to fully grasp and apply the instructions Paul gave to the believers at Philippi. Those instructions were to
Rejoice “in the Lord”
Rejoice “always”
Paul emphasizes the importance of the instruction by “saying it again” – REJOICE.
In life we will find many things to rejoice in – such as sporting victories, a new job, a good time with friends, good grades, and so much more. These things will come and go having us on a mountaintop one day and a plateau or even a valley the next … But Paul’s message – to those “in Christ Jesus” is to – “rejoice always in the Lord”. Keep in mind Paul wrote these words while he was a prisoner – which is not exactly a situation to rejoice in. Yet, his example and his words teach us that when we find our joy and hope in God they will not fluctuate according to circumstances. Life may not always seem good but God is always good. If He given us a job He is good, and if He withholds the job He is still good.
Father you are Good – always good, help my joy and delight be in who You are and not simply the circumstances of my life – so that I will rejoice in You always.
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Colossians 2:8
What do you think? (share your comment below)
In what ways does the world lie to us?
How can we protect ourselves against those lies?
The world can look very attractive when we allow ourselves to forget that the world is in the power of the evil one.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Psalm 107:1-3
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 41:3 NLT
Reflection Question: What comfort do you find in knowing that God knows you and calls you by name?
We have been delivered (or redeemed), not by a distant God who puts all of humanity together, but a God who knows each of us by name.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
Romans 5:1-2 NLT
REFLECTION QUESTION: According to today’s passage, what is the basis or foundation of our righteousness?
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, ask Him to forgive our sins, and commit our lives to Him, we are made righteous. –
READ: JOHN 13:35 AND 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-20; SOAP: JOHN 13:35
John 13:35 New Living Translation
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 New Living Translation
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Don’t forget to check out today’s blog and devotional
One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan,[a] the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
The True Family of Jesus
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers[b] are outside asking for you.”
33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.
35Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
SOAP Passage
In Christ, we have inherited the unbreakable bond of family with all who believe in Him.
Today’s reading shares an answer to one of the questions that appears frequently throughout the Gospel of Mark: “Who is Jesus?” As Jesus went home after appointing the twelve disciples, experts of the law gathered around and tried to answer that question by claiming Jesus was simply a man possessed by demons. In His own hometown, surrounded by people who should have known Him, Jesus was doubted and challenged, while the demons He had cast out knew Him and called Him the Son of God.
Me From the Inside Out 