DId God Really Say…

March 10, 2024

Read Leviticus 26, Psalm 69, Philippians 1

Sometimes we enjoy activities or hobbies individually. Reading, crossword puzzles, or mindlessly playing on our phones. Sometimes we enjoy them with other people. Board games, sports, or family trips to name a few. We all have time in our lives for each type, individually or together. What activities or hobbies do you like to alone and which do you like to join in with others to do?  The church is one part of our faith that we cannot do alone. The church is not a building, it is the people who make up the church.

In Philippians 1 Paul starts his letter off to the church in Philippi with a greeting and thanking them for their “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” v. 5. The church had come to Paul’s aid and supplied and supported him in his mission efforts. Even though Paul was in prison, his heart was full of joy for the believers in Philippi whom he was writing to. Four times in six verses Paul used the phrase “all of you” to express his joy and thanksgiving for all the Christians who had partnered with him.

In his letter to the believers in Philippi Paul says “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” v. 6. There are a couple of things to note from this verse. First, it is God who started the work in us, not ourselves, not other Christians. Second, we are not done yet. We are still working on our sanctification and maturity in Christ. The truth is that until we breathe our last here on earth, we will always have room to grow in our walk with God. If we find ourselves being stagnant and not growing in our faith it might be because we have adopted an attitude that we have arrived and know everything we need to know. Nothing could be further from the truth. The other danger is that we could become frustrated with our spiritual growth. We might grow impatient with our struggles and the slow speed that we are walking with the Lord. Do not fall into this trap either. Remember our walk with the Lord is like a marathon and not a 50-yard dash. We must pace ourselves to make the whole race.

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.