encourage – Three Minute Bible

July 7, 2025July 7, 2025

Philippians 2:1a – Specks and Planks

A young boy looks up into a sky filled with planks and specks (Grok)

[Therefore] if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ…

Summary: It has been several days since we took a break from Philippians, so it might be worthwhile to review our last meditation, “Philippians 2:1-2 – Paul’s Request,” before continuing with this one.

There is a theme that runs through Paul’s collection of claims and clauses in his sentence. Behind the workings of his finely tuned academic brain, I hear a question that seems to come from his heart. It sounds like this:

June 28, 2025June 28, 2025

Philippians 2:1-2 – Paul’s Request

A graphic representation of a building (sky scraper) made from words. (Grok)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Summary: Paul’s thoughts are sometimes complex. In this meditation, we take a 30,000-foot view of Paul’s thoughts in his passage in hopes of seeing the “bigger picture.”

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you are probably shocked to see a meditation that is based on two entire verses at once. Never fear! We will, no doubt, dissect this in future meditations. However, given the complexity of Paul’s thought here, I thought it best to begin with an overview.