LIVING WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL Paul taught the Philippians that they should live as “citizens of heaven,” remembering the gospel in their conduct. 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
DO YOU FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS? Paul prayed that the Philippians would understand what “really matters.” He prayed that their priorities would focus on becoming more and more like Jesus until the Day of completion when Christ returns. What are you focused on today? There are many good things that might occupy our
ARE YOU SPENDING FOR THINGS THAT DO NOT SATISFY? The Lord questioned Israel as to why they labored so hard for things that did not satisfy. Why not come to the Lord and freely receive His food and drink? But Israel had fallen into idolatry. They pursued the blessings of God, rather than God Himself.
ARE YOU DEPENDING ON THE SPIRIT TO LIVE? Two commands are given here, with the first being illustrative to help understand and emphasize the second. They are: 1) Don’t allow your mind and senses to be dulled and dissipated under the influence of alcohol. 2) Instead, be continuously filled with the Spirit, so that your
DO YOUR WORDS EDIFY OTHERS? In a generation of course communication we are to sound a different tone. Jesus taught that our words are an expression of our heart condition, saying, “Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Do you speak for the edification of the hearer or to benefit
ARE YOU WEIGHED DOWN BY IDOLATRY? God gave Isaiah a prophecy against Babylon and its idol worship. It is sarcastic in its imagery, predicting that Babylon’s idols will “bow” down as they are lowered onto ox carts and carried away by the very people who used to “bow” down before them. Even the oxen are
WHAT MIGHT GOD DO THROUGH ONE WHO GIVES HIM ALL THE GLORY? The apostle Paul closed his prayer at the end of chapter three with a beautiful benediction. He reminds us that all the glory (credit, thanks, honor, worship) belong to our omnipotent God. When we are able to rightly give God all the glory,
GOD’S CHALLENGE TO OUR MATERIALISTIC IDOLS The idolatry of today is not unlike that of Isaiah’s day. Explanations of origins were offered by the prophets of Baal. They offered materialistic creation stories and led the people to “exchange the truth about God for a lie, so that they worshiped and served created things rather than
THE INCREDIBLE GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER FOR BELIEVERS Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would understand the incredible greatness of God’s power. Why? That they might live by faith in His power rather than their own. Do you want to see the wonder-working power of Christ in our world today? Then put away human
SPREAD YOUR TROUBLES OUT BEFORE THE LORD When King Sennacherib sent a letter threatening Jerusalem, King Hezekiah put on burlap, went up to the Temple, and spread the letter out on the floor for the Lord to consider. God heard his prayer and defended him. What threat do you fear today? Have you brought it