Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
Summary: Paul declares that his entire life before Jesus was a waste. Is that true? The question makes us ponder the timing of Jesus’ birth.
Have you ever worked hard on something, only to get to the end of it and realize it wasn’t really what you wanted or needed to do?
Continue reading “Philippians 3:7 – Wasted Effort”
[We] … who boast in Christ Jesus…
Summary: Sometimes, to appreciate what we have, we need to look at what we wouldn’t have if we didn’t have what we have.
As we read ahead in this chapter, we find that Paul is about to give us a masterclass on the art of boasting in Christ Jesus. But for now, before we get into the details, it might be good to take a minute and consider what boasting in Christ means.
Continue reading “Philippians 3:3c – Something to Boast About”
“children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…
Summary: Paul’s words point us to one of the most important questions facing Christians: How do we know we are saved?
What does he mean by suggesting that we can become “blameless and pure” (Philippians 1:15a) and “children of God without fault?” Is he suggesting that we can attain some level of perfection as believers in Christ?
Continue reading “Philippians 2:15b – Star Light”
… for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Summary: Faith is not merely believing in God, but allowing Him to work in and through us for His greater purpose.
In our last meditation, we looked to Abraham as an example of faith lived out in action (See “Philippians 2:12b – Faith and Action”). Now, Paul has us examining how God worked in Abraham’s life and why action is such an integral part of faith.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:13 – God’s Good Purpose”
… and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
Summary: Verbal acknowledgement is powerful.
Part of exalting Jesus to the highest place is proclaiming his name … out loud. The “out loud” part is important.
“Why?” you ask. Well, let’s explore …
Continue reading “Philippians 2:11a – Say it — Jesus Christ is Lord!”
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place …
Summary: When we consider where the “highest place” is, we open the door to considering the nature of the universe and the supremacy of the spiritual realm.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:9a – The Highest Place”
… 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:
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8c – Life and Death”
… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
Summary: Examining Christ’s humility and obedience opens a fascinating line of inquiry into our Lord’s personality and the world we live in.
Arrogance is the opposite of humility.
Another way of putting it is that arrogance is “self-centered,” while humility is not.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8b – Our Selfless God”
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).
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8a – Two Things”… being made in human likeness.
Summary: As Paul turns the conversation to the nature of Jesus Christ, we discover a dangerous detour that tempts us away from Paul’s main point into a tarpit of our own making.
Before we dive into today’s passage, we need to have a little talk about theology.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:7c – Two Natures”