Tag Archives: Philippians

“The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out” (Proverbs 13:9).

Righteousness shines the brightest when dimming days become the darkest. We are called and compelled as Christians to glow for God during gloomy times. Are you caught up in our culture’s chaos, or do you see a chance to burn brightly for Jesus? Hard times can harden our hearts or humble them, but it is a broken heart that burns the brightest.

Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Light left unattended extinguishes, but light exposed to the air of almighty God’s love illuminates. Difficult days demand dependency on the Lord; so, in fact, your acts of service are fueled by faith. If you panic instead of praying, you will miss out on the opportunities to love others.

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

I often ask, “In my uncertainty, am I more worried about my stuff or the window of opportunity to serve others?” It may mean inviting someone to live in my home for a season, paying three month’s mortgage payments for a friend, volunteering at a local shelter, or increasing my gifts to the church. Righteous light longs to love liberally.

Christ in us invites others to know Him, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Perhaps you invite some neighbors over for a six-week Bible study on money or marriage, and watch what God does.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:14–15).

Prayer: Where can I bring the light of Christ’s love to someone’s dark circumstance?

Related Readings: Job 18:5–6; Isaiah 50:10–11; Luke 11:36; Revelation 21:23

Post/Tweet: Hard times can harden our hearts or humble them, but it is brokenness that burns the brightest. #brokenness

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Worry is a weight that is self-imposed. It uses up today's strength on tomorrow's concerns. Worry worries most when others don't seem worried. It feels the responsibility to be anxious on behalf of friends or family members who are not engaged in anxiety.  A fearful person may even get mad because other people are not concerned enough. If left unchecked, worry crushes confidence and grows into an all consuming fear and faith killer. Worry becomes dramatic and ignores intimacy with Christ.

The remedy for worries is to give them to God for His safekeeping. Like a secure vault inaccessible to man, lock up your worries in the Lord's bank of trust. Your salvation is His safety deposit box of eternal security. Because you trust Him with the eternal, You can trust Him with the temporal. Worry given away stays at bay, but worry held on to—controls you. Anxiety is a discontent master who is never satisfied with future preparations—the worst case is already assumed.

“I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that!” Matthew 25:25-26, The Message

However, when you leave your worries with Jesus, He removes the warts of worry with His liquid love. Your Savior soothes your soul with His sweet presence. Christ is your compassionate advocate who takes your petitions of concern and presents them to your Heavenly Father. He empathizes with your predicament, because He understands the physical pain, rejection, anger, betrayal and aloneness that Jesus experienced. His severe sufferings are for your present hope.

Hope hits at the heart of worry. It removes its fangs of fear and calms you under its peaceful influence. Therefore, embrace hope and drink in this encouraging elixir for emotional wholeness. Your hopeful waiting dismisses worry and invites intimacy. Clear communication with Christ and His followers facilitates faith and casts out fears. Verbally process your inner pain and then gaze out at your soul’s portal of hope. Jesus is your living hope—your resurrected Lord and Savior!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for hope in Christ that overcomes my worries.

Related Readings: Jeremiah 17:3; Psalm 139:23-23; Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Timothy 4:10

Post/Tweet: Worry given away stays at bay, but worry held on to—controls you. #worry

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“For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.”  Ezra 6:22

Attitude is everything; it can lift you up or bring you down. It is the barometer of your heart. If your heart is not right, your attitude will suffer. Attitude is critical because it influences your course of action. If your attitude is negative, then your words and your behavior will be too. There is a difference in being a realist about negative circumstances, and living with a chronic bad attitude. Naïve are those who ignore warning signs of trouble, and carry on oblivious to the storm clouds of sin. However, your attitude is rooted in who you are in Christ, so there is no need to be fearful, guilty, or insecure. 

The attitude that Jesus exhibited was one of humility and servant leadership. His attitude reflected submission to His heavenly Father, which resulted in service, generosity, and love for people. Jesus was joyful and hopeful because He rested in the will of God. Do not allow others’ bad attitude to influence yours. Be the attitude influencer instead. Greet a frown with a smile, crush criticism with affirmation, and listen patiently until fury loses its steam. A positive attitude will eventually outlast and overpower a negative one. Most of all, pray for those who thrive on negativity. Pray for them to be set free from their hurt, anger, guilt, and insecurity. God has you in their lives to reflect the Almighty and to encourage an attitude adjustment through Him.

God is the genesis of a right attitude. He is the right attitude sustainer. He wants His attitude to be our attitude. This is why you need a daily attitude alignment from your heavenly Father. Each day, your attitude gets knocked around and abused by life. If left unattended, your attitude will drift into wrong thinking, harsh words, and bad behavior. Self-pity and anger can begin to replace selflessness and forgiveness. With just a little bit of daily tweaking, your attitude stays in line with His. It is subtle, but sometimes attitudes need to be adjusted moment by moment.

Lastly, slow down and pray when you feel your attitude eroding. When you’re in the midst of a bad attitude, don’t make important decisions; the time isn’t right for that. You will regret every decision you make during a time of emotional upheaval. Be patient, and wait until your anger has subsided, your heart is cleansed, and your attitude is objective. Almighty God is into attitudes that trust Him and reach out to others with compassion and understanding. Open-minded and reasonable attitudes lead to rich and robust relationships. Anyone can be negative; so don’t be anyone, be different. Allow God to shape your attitude on the anvil of His heart.

An attitude molded by God is infectious and transforming. Allow Him to change yours, and then trust Him to change another’s. The Bible says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5).

Taken from the July 26th reading in the 365-day devotional book, “Seeking Daily the Heart of God”… http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Post/Tweet this today: A right attitude leads to rich and robust relationships. #attitude

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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:9-10

I often forget that it’s not about me. Humility reminds me that it’s Him first, them, and then me. I struggle with keeping myself off the throne of my life. Only one King can reign over a surrendered soul and that’s my Savior Jesus. Yet, daily, my old life seeks to dethrone the Lord with its selfish whims and spiritual disengagement. Fortunately, by faith through grace, I am able to resist the flesh’s foolish coup to overtake Christ. 

Love wins, only when we use it as our spiritual strategy of choice. Devotion to one another in love is irresistible to the recipient and extremely fulfilling to the dispenser of grace. Sometimes it seems easier to be devoted to the Lord than to another human being. Yet, devotion to each other need not be fickled when unconditional love is the motivation Devotion loves deeply. Indeed, our unselfish devotion is the fruit of purity.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22

What does it mean to honor another above yourself? How do you honor someone who is not honorable? The gift of honor is not based on whether someone is deserving or not—it is based on whether they are breathing or not. So, as children we honor our parents by involving them in our lives. As parents, we honor our children by being available to aid them. As team members at work, we honor each other by helping one another succeed.

You extend honor when you listen with empathy and show compassion. You are honorable when you value a relationship over money. Honor wins when you respond in quiet humility, not loud hostility. It is honorable not to lower yourself to the dishonorable behavior of others, but to respond with direct and respectful conversation. You represent Jesus well, when you honor both those who know Him and those who don’t.

Above all else, let your honor of others flow from your honor of the Lord. You honor Him best by becoming a living sacrifice of love and obedience to His expectations. Honor Him with your corporate worship at church and your individual service in Jesus' name. Honor Him by giving generously to the poor and needy. Honor Him with your body by remaining pure. Mostly, honor Him by being with Him to love and be loved. You know it’s not about you when you gain joy and define JOY by: Jesus—Others—You.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

Prayer: Dear Lord, show me how to make my life about first honoring You and others.

Related Readings: Psalm 133:1; Proverbs 14:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 13:1

Post/Tweet this today: It’s a foolish coup of the flesh to attempt to overtake Christ. #flesh #Christ

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“The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites… Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." Numbers 13:1a, 30-31

As we face life, we can be overwhelmed by its giant obstacles or be inspired by its giant opportunities. Challenges and uncertainties tend to corrode our confidence. It is in the face of the unknown that we can move forward by faith, or backward in disbelief. What giant obstacles are you facing? How can your obstacles be converted into opportunities? Obstacles are stepping stones for obedient feet to follow. 

Therefore, stay focused with aggressive patience and you will eventually see some obstacles dissolve while others are transformed into treasures. Possibly a financial opportunity is looming large but it seems like an intimidating obstacle. If so, stay true to your integrity by not selectively suspending your core values for much needed results. Instead, remain faithful to wise stewardship and honesty. The right results will follow at the right time. Trust God to use scary giants for His glory.

God orchestrates giant opportunities for His greater good. He told Moses that He was giving His children the promised land; all they had to do was show up and receive His gift. Giant opportunities often require faith, planning, perseverance, and hard work, buy sometimes the reward of obedience and trust in the Lord is enough. So how are you facing the giants in your life; as obstacles or opportunities?

Leaders look and pray for opportunities, exploring them with energy and enthusiasm. Your relentless leadership inspires your family, friends, and work associates to remain faithful and not freak out. Therefore, take the opportunity the Lord has given you. Difficult days and economic challenges are great opportunities for God to get the glory. So be aggressive, increase your efforts, actively pursue heaven with prayer, and by faith receive what your Savior Jesus has already given you. Go after the giant opportunities with gusto and with grace.

The Bible says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NASB).

Prayer: With what giant obstacle, can I trust God to turn it into an opportunity?

Related Readings: Joshua 14:6-8; Isaiah 41:10-16; Romans 8:31-37; Hebrews 11:33

Post/Tweet this today: Obstacles are stepping-stones for obedient feet to follow. #obedience #wisdomhunters

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