Author: Jeff Englund

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Philippians 2:12a – Trust and Obey

A man stands looking at an ominous doorway (Grok)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence…

Summary: Paul’s commendation of the Philippians’ obedience points us to a vital truth: that true obedience is only possible when we rely on God to guide us. 

Paul’s words about obedience in this passage are like a key that opens many doors. One door leads to doing God’s will. The others, however many there are, lead into darkness. 

Discerning the right door without God’s help is beyond human understanding. 

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Philippians 2:10b – Spirit and Flesh

a man bows before the cross surrounded by spirits who also kneel (Grok)

… in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Summary: Paul’s simple little phrase about places above and below the earth opens a door of wonder about how things work in the spiritual realms.   

This is an interesting passage. Paul could have said, “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,” and left it at that, but he didn’t. Instead, he added these words: 

“… in heaven and on earth and under the earth…”

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Philippians 2:9b – God’s Rose

A wild red rose bush grows at the base of a cross. (Grok)

[Therefore God exalted him to the highest place]

    and gave him the name that is above every name…

Summary: Paul’s words about Jesus’ name give us a reason to pause and think about why names have meaning and how Jesus’ name reflects who he is.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

— Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

As a kid, I sometimes wondered,“How do we get names and why are some more important than others?” 

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Philippians 2:8c – Life and Death

Jesus and the cross (Grok)

… even death on a cross!

Summary: The challenge of understanding who Jesus is continues to haunt us as we read more of Paul’s words. It is one thing to jump on a grenade to save your friends; it is entirely something else to allow yourself to be flayed alive and hung on a wooden cross until dead.   

In our last meditation, “Our Selfless God,” we stumbled across what the Bible calls the “stumbling stone.”* In our version of the “stumbling stone,” we realized: 

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Philippians 2:8a – Two Things

A picture of a leaf with two drops of water on it (Pixabay)

And being found in appearance as a man…

Summary: Paul is walking us through what it means to think like Jesus. His understanding of the Lord is reflected in the clarity of his description of what sets Jesus apart.  

Paul is in the middle of describing the mindset of Jesus Christ. 

Whatever you might think of Jesus, it seems obvious he was in a pickle. Here he was, the one through whom all things were made (John 1:3), reduced to being a social outcast in his own creation. (His disciple, Nathanael, when he found out Jesus was from Nazareth, said: “Can anything good come from there?” — John 1:46). 

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