Philippians 2

Philippians 2:1 - rhetorical question, yes indeed. A question made but not intended for an answer to be expected. It is mostly just stating a fact. This is what Paul does in this verse! Paul reminds the reader that THERE IS: consolation in Christ, that THERE IS comfort of love, that THERE IS fellowship of the Spirit, that THERE IS affection and mercy. Believers are united because God's Holy Spirit lives in them. Philippians 2:2 - work together for one purpose Philippians 2:3 - See Luke 9:23, letting go of selfishness is hard, but not impossible. Pray for God to help you if this is one of your struggles; honestly I think it is a struggle for all believers :) Philippians 2:4 - There is a balance! Yes, you can look out for yourself at times, but consider others and their interests as well. Consider the example of Jesus, He thought of us above all the suffering He took for our good. Philippians 2:5 - Think like Christ Jesus did... Philippians 2:6 - Jesus here is called God, plain and simple. And Jesus, did not think pityfully on Himself when He let go of living in heaven and being served by angels day and night when He came down to Earth Philippians 2:7 - We are so concerned about our reputation. What others will think of us, but Jesus cared less and came to Earth and became a bondservant, looking and experiencing life as a human Philippians 2:8 - If all this was not enough, Jesus comes to Earth and HUMBLES Himself. If you think about it, He is the ONLY ONE that should never be in this position, but be exalted at all times, yet He humbles Himself (shows self control, sovereignty - knowing why He was going to endure all this for, much love, values, etc) and obeys! If Jesus obeyed, why don't we? He obeyed even though it cost Him His life. See Hebrews 12:2 - it tells us how Jesus was able to do all this! Also says that nobody has suffered for sin like Jesus did. Philippians 2:9 - There is a promise for those who humble themselves before God. See Mathhew 23:12, 1 Peter 5:6 and James 4:10. Philippians 2:10 - Every knee ... have you bowed your knees before God? how about your heart? Philippians 2:11 - Every tongue... no excuses! Everyone will somehow or another recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether they admit it or not; whether here on Earth or in God's presence, the only difference is that those who do not believe and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior here on Earth will not only do so in His presence but then with that truth have to go to hell and suffer knowing that they had the opportunity to not only confess Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior but get to know His love for them on Earth and forever in heaven. All of this brings glory to God the Father! Philippians 2:12 - Because of all that we have reviewed in the previous verses, love for one another united by the Holy Spirit of God and the example of obedience, humility and love in Christ Jesus, we are to produce much fruit! Yes, your salvation should produce fruit! Because you love God you should produce fruit! Philippians 2:13 - Ever wonder why you want to do something for God and then you do it? God puts it in you! Its all Him. Why? Because it pleases Him... ps: remember there are blessings for those who serve God. Philippians 2:14 - This is hard, I know, but its a commandment! Pray if you need to for help in this. Philippians 2:15 - To become blameless and harmless is a process. It takes time. Remember Philippians 1:6. It is not that we are sinless, but we do sin less. This difference will shine like a light in this world of darkness and evil. Be different from this world to be a difference! Philippians 2:16 - What should you hold on to? The Word of God. Doing so will ensure you run the race and win! Jesus did give you victory already, but if you are distracted, discouraged, etc in this world and you dont hold on to the Truth in His Word, then you might consider walking away from your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that would lead you to eternal death in hell. Philippians 2:17 - Sometimes serving others might feel like they are pouring the life out of you, but remember, all that you do you do in service and for the glory of God, so it is as if you were pouring your life at Jesus' feet, like an offering pleasing to God. Service to others should come to you in gladness and joy.See 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 123:1-2, Matthew 25:35-40. Philippians 2:18 - A call to serve those who already serve God, and do it with joy and gladness. Philippians 2:19 - Jesus was in control of when Paul or Timothy or any of their co-workers in defending the faith would go visit those in Philippi or other places. Have you asked Jesus to be Lord of that too in your life? Everywhere you go? See Psalm 139, 139:3*. Philippians 2:21 - Paul says that Timothy does not seek for himself when considering visiting the church in Philippi, but he does take upon Christ Jesus' attitude, mind, and heart when visiting them. Philippians 2:22 - Nobody needs to tell of your character, your character will speak for itself. Philippians 2:25 - Sometimes not everyone can go and help a servant of God so they send off one of them only, and in this case it was Epaphroditus. Pray that you too, be a fellow soldier and fellow servant of God. Philippians 2:26 - Distressed, when someone is sick in the church, do you feel for them? pray for them? visit them and make sure they are ok? Philippians 2:27 - God having mercy. God is in control of how and when we die. God here spared the life of Epaphroditus and Paul says that it was God's mercy on them both so that Epaphroditus didn't die and that Paul, being in jail, would not have to suffer the death of his friend while in jail. Philippians 2:28 - Paul sends Epaphroditus back to Philippi, so that the church rejoices in seeing him healed and well and this joy of the church will then make Paul happy. Are you happy when other believers are happy? Philippians 2:29 - "in the Lord" ... giving praise to God for sparing Epaphroditus' life and sending him to visit them. Paul also says to hold these type of servants of God in esteem, meaning that we should help them, serve them and encourage them Philippians 2:30 - Here we see that Epaphroditus follows Jesus' example of not valuing his life before the call God makes in his life. We are to do what God calls us to do, even if it makes us come close to death or even death. For Epaphroditus, his call was to serve Paul (remember Matthew 25:35-40), what is your call? Ask God in prayer if you don't know, and if you do know, obey like Jesus did. See Philippians 2:5-8.

Phillipians 1

Philippians 1:1 > Slaves of Christ Jesus? See 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Philippians 1:1b > Writing to: God's holy people ... including the elders (overseers, bishops) and deacons Philippians 1:4-5 > What brought joy to Paul was that the Philipian believers shared the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 > Called to evangelize? Paul says this to the Philippians, who were sharing their faith, God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:7b > Have you ever wanted to take part of someone else's special favor? of a blessing they might be enjoying? Here Paul states that the Philippians have shared with him such a blessing, the blessing of his imprisonment, and of defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. How do you share in someone's imprisonment? You visit them, you take any possible commodities, and most importantly you pray. Sometimes when we defend the Truth, its when it is most confirmed. Philippians 1:9 > Paul would pray for the Philippians to grow ... in love, knowledge and understanding. Do you pray for others? or do you get annoyed easily? See Job 28:28b to know what true wisdom and true understanding really are. Philippians 1:10 > God many times over and over again will transform our thinking. With it, we mature and see this world, life, people and situations differently. Fashion and fun, for example, will take third, fourth, fifth place... you get the picture! Lately, this has happened to me, no I don't try to walk out of my house wearing pijamas, and i dont just walk out of my house to get the mail, I do go out with friends, and I do need a little make up but the difference is that now I consider. Consider what? If the time spent out will be productive, beneficial, and if the clothes I am wearing will get me the wrong attention or will anyone would actually pay attention to me if I spoke to them. Philippians 1:11 > Fruit of righteousness, it is only a fruit Christ Jesus gives us when we believe in Him. Don't let anyone/anything take it from you, this is one of the many joys God gives you and in this verse it says that not only does God give you this fruit through the sacrifice Christ Jesus suffered for us, but that it brings God MUCH glory and praise! Philippians 1:12 > Talk about being confident not only of God's promise in Romans 8:28 but that God will use all circumstances in your life to not only bring Him glory but do His will through your life experiences. God's will through Paul was to defend the Good News (Philippians 1:16). Philippians 1:13 > Do ALL those who surround you in your circumstances, whether good ones or bad ones like imprisonments, including those who imprisoned you and guard your imprisonment, know that you are imprisoned, bound in chains, because of Christ? And this verse does not blame God for the imprisonment, it defines God Sovereignty - meaning that He is ALWAYS in total control. No matter if it makes sense to us or not, no matter if for us it seems to contradict something, God does not contradict Himself, but our brains do have limitations to understanding. So God allowed Paul to be imprisoned in order for guards and others to see how someone who has the joy of salvation will and can endure hardships for his/her faith and still remain in peace and with much joy. Philippians 1:14 > Have you ever considered that if you go through a trial, or in Paul's case, imprisonment, you will bless other believers by encouraging them, strenghening them and God using your circumstance to give them boldness to share their faith in Christ Jesus? Many times we selfishly pray for God to spare us from trials. Philippians 1:15 > Good an bad motives for sharing the Gospel of Christ Jesus. What are your motives? However, the motives of others do not burden Paul much as we will see, he focuses in his personal relationship with God, and his personal motives that he will give an account for to God. Philippians 1:16 > Do you know your purpose? do you know what God has called you to do? Not that God NEEDS you or NEEDS you to do something for Him, no not at all. God blesses those who serve Him, and grace is given something that we do not deserve, and so, its through grace that God allows you to serve Him. If you don't know what God would like to bless you through serving, ask Him to let you know where He wants you, what gifts He has given you, etc. Philippians 1:17 > We saw what brough joy to Paul, now we see what brings him pain... selfish ambition when spreading the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:18 > Philippians 4:4 says that we should rejoice in the Lord always and again (Paul) says rejoice! So what would bring such rejoicing for Paul? That the message about Christ be preached! Philippians 1:19 > Prayer is important to those imprisoned. Also, and most importantly, it is good to note that the Holy Spirit helps us in all of our circumstances we face in life. Philippians 1:20 > Boldness and humility. We know us better than others know us, not more than God know us though. In this verse, Paul says that he expects and hopes never to be ashamed but to always stand up boldly for Christ. Do you have this boldness? if not, pray and ask God for it for God's glory. Also ask others to pray for you in regards to this, see Philippians 1:21 > Who do you live for? Maybe you are not only not living for Christ, but we might be living for something. Philippians 1:22 > Though Paul holds tightly to our promise to go straight to heaven, a promise for those who have called upon Christ Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior and have turned their backs to sin, in verse 21, Paul says that the blessing of remaining here on Earth is to do more fruitful work for Christ. Philippians 1:24 > Is your service to God making someone else's life better? It should, whether they admit it, notice it, etc. Philippians 1:27a > Does your life bring honor, respect and does it reflect that one day you will walk as a citizens in heaven? More importantly, are our lives bringing honor, respect, and does it reflect that we believe in Christ Jesus, that we love Him, that we follow Him? Philippians 1:27b > Integrity: whether others are watching you or not, will we be doing what is pleasing to God? Remember, He sees us at all times Psalm 139. Philippians 1:28 > Are you terrified, afraid, anxious... take this verse to heart and remember it. Pray God gives you in His grace and for His glory this faith ... a faith that reminds me of the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, see Daniel 3:17. Philippians 1:29 > Have you been priviledged to be a bridesmaid, a flower girl, a wedding dress train holder? Priviledges in our minds seem to paint a beautiful picture, not of suffering. In this verse, God tells us that when we suffer for Him, the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Savior, our God, our Lord, our King, that we are priviledged. Imagine getting priviledged by royalty. Well whom else would you like to be priviledged from but by God the King of kings Himself. See Matthew 5:3-12. Philippians 1:30a > Have you ever fallen into the lie that what you are going through that you are the only one going through that? Here Paul shares one of his struggles and mentions that it is a struggle that at least him and the Philippians were sharing. The struggle: living out our faith. Brother, sister, we are in this struggle together. Philippians 1:30b > Have others seen you in your struggles? If its family, meaning the church of Christ, do not let that bother you or discomfort you. Allow them to not only see you in the midst of it, but allow them to pray and comfort you as much as they can.

Joy - Part 2

2 Corinthians 4: 8-12:We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

Have you had it hard all these years? all your life? throughout your walking with God? Well, it should not be of surprise to you. Let me list what you should embrace and later we will review why embrace it:

pressed on every side by troubles,
We are perplexed,
We are hunted down,
We get knocked down,
Through suffering,
live under constant danger of death,
we live in the face of death.

Now why should we embrace it?

1. Because it is something every Christian faces. Jesus said: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33) It was to my surprise that I had to once come to agreement with God that not only is life a war, therefore the armor of God found in Ephesians 6, but also that pain, suffering, trials, etc were going to be part of my life.

2. In the same verses in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 it says why we embrace all these though seasons in our lives:
but we are not crushed,
but not driven to despair,
but never abandoned by God,
but we are not destroyed,
our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies,
because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies,
but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

Are these not the best buts you have heard of? Definitely better than many excuses. Matter of fact, they are not excuses! They are promises!! God promises these to us.

All in all, yes we are going to face some pretty ugly seasons in life, but take heart, God has overcome the world, once again, John 16:33. And the greatest thing is that when you trust God with each and every promise He gives you, you can and will have peace in the midst of chaos. How? Why? Because in Christ, you have it. Remember always, you have peace with God through Christ (Acts 10:36, Romans 5:1)

Joy - Part 1

2 Corinthians 4:3. If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Now let me remind you how priviledged we are whom believe in Jesus as Christ, Savior and Lord. Once, the choosen people of God were so afraid to hear of God themselves that they sent Moses to speak to God, Moses would then come back and intruct God's people with God's commands, but Moses' face shone so bright that after giving the people the instructions he would cover his face with a veil. Here, in 2 Corinthians, we realize how we have the same opportunity to be unveiled as Moses was before God, knowing what God wanted him to know, God has revealed the mistery of His Son Jesus Christ to us.

2 Corinthians 4: 7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

How could we miss the obvious? In verse seven we read that it is clear, obvious, no doubt, no questions asked.... that it is not us but God who is the source of power. We are fragile clay jars, we rattle in our box, sometimes out of fear, lack of trust in God, etc. But God is the great treasure, the light, in our hearts... shining! Most importantly we shine without a veil... 2 Corinthians 3:13-18:
13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Another point not to miss: Let me emphasize the words SEE and REFLECT in verse 17.

American dream in your backyard

We wake up at 6:30 in the morning, we eventually make it in the shower an then the rush begins; getting ready is like a circus presentation. Then we are set in our car ride, getting out of others' way and getting to our destination for the next 8-10 hours. Then we head back home, spend some time chatting, organizing and relaxing just before making our way back to bed.

We work, always on the go, but do we ever enjoy? Have you taken time to enjoy your blessings? Take a look out your window or step outside your room. Now you see all that you have but most importantly those who surround you. Yes, they were there yesterday and the day before, and the day you got upset and slammed the door, and the day you could not stop smiling. Look into their eyes, take time to see how much older they are getting, the time they have spent with you. Value them, their smiles, jokes, facial expressions, support and uniqueness. It only took 5-20 minutes, now you tell me, was it worth it?

Do you love me?

Have you ever heard a kid ask: "Do you love me?"

If they are asking you, you are stunned and a little hurt. Wondering, have I not demostrated my love to this him/her? If they are asking someone else, you think its so cute. Ok, I have to admit, these would be my reactions, not everyone is moved the same way. However, what if someone was in a way begging you for love? What if one day you find yourself hearing very clearly the cry of someone for love?

Sometimes we go around serving here, there, everywhere not realizing that there are people around us that feel like the woman who touched Jesus' hem. I am not trying in any way to say that we are Jesus, in any way Jesus or at all comparable to Jesus, but what I am trying to say is that those around us need not only to hear the Word of God but also feel/know the love of God. And while I know only God can give them true love, I believe we can make having a relationship with God vivid and desireable to those around them with how we treat them. For example, I know a brother in Christ who has grown close to my family and he and his wife at times come over to our home. We share many memories, but in these years of building a relationship, I have at times wanted to give God's Word to him and her, however, I noticed not to long ago, that while I was thinking on what to say, I had never even realized that I had never side-hugged my brother. I realized this once, when hugging some other brothers I suddenly was before him, and I had to ask him: Have I ever given you a hug? His response: no. Here I was wondering what I could share (Word of God) with him, and what I had forgotten to share was God's love.

Then, another example. Clearly did I hear a cry to be loved. My father once in a conversation said to me: "Nobody asks me how I am doing". How could I have missed it? How/What has kept me from loving my father? How can I be an example to my father of God's love, if I do not care enough to ask him this on occasion, and really care for him? Yes, this is something I need to work on, pray for me in regards to this.

Now, not to take away from the importance of all this, I need to say, that I personally unconsiously I think, categorize, specially certain males as not needing the extra attention, care, and love. In these scenarios I shared, my brother in Christ, is a tough looking, certain minded guy, while my father, well, a hard working father. However, this, obviously, does not entail that they do not yearn for love and care.

Think about this. As you go about your days, who have you forgotten to love. Its like 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 says:

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing

Unanswered prayer

God gives us one of three answers:
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Wait.

The unanswered prayer is the one not prayed for. This is not to say that God is not at work, with or without our prayers; for He will not only fullfill His work in us (psalm 138:8) but has already won the war (Romans 8:37). However, God says to call unto Him and He will answer and show us great and mighty things which we don't know (Jeremiah 33:3).

Have you been longing, waiting, even expecting for God to move in a certain area? Maybe you want to see a "generation that seeks His face" like the song "Give us clean hands" mentions. Maybe you want to see many have saving faith in Jesus Christ, or maybe its just one person, a friend, a father, a mother, a child. Whatever it is, God knows your longing yet He longs to hear you and show you.

1 Thessalonians 5:17: pray without ceasing

Luke 18:1-8: 1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”