Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
Summary: Paul’s gladness puts all of our complaints in perspective when we consider that he is in chains while writing his letter.
To put this passage into context, we have to look back to the beginning of Paul’s paragraph. His thought begins with these words:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing…” (Philippians 2:14).
Continue reading “Philippians 2:17b-18 – Paul’s Plan”
“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”
… to the glory of God the Father.
Summary: Everything Jesus did was to bring glory to his Father. His life is an inspiration to all who believe in him.
There is a saying you might have heard that goes like this: ‘If you know, you know.’ It suggests that you have to be part of the ‘IN’ group to get the meaning.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:11b – If You Know, You Know”
… 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!”
…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
Summary: The name of Jesus has been exalted above every name, but not everyone on Earth has gotten the message yet.
Do you ever wonder why every knee doesn’t bow to Jesus now?
Continue reading “Philippians 2:10a – Of Self and Sin”
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”
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”
[Jesus]… did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
Summary: The nature of Jesus comes into focus in this passage. Understanding who Jesus is helps us understand how he wants us to live.
Who, exactly, is Jesus?
If you have read the Bible, or even if you have just heard about him from others, you probably know he is the “Messiah” (Matthew 16:16), the “Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
Continue reading “Philippians 2:6b – Fire and Ice”
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
Summary: In this passage, Paul challenges us to see things as God sees them.
There is a theme that runs through the Bible that goes something like this:
Continue reading “Philippians 2:3b – Perspective”