Humility & Obedience

Philippians 2:8-9 "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:"

"Wherefore" is always an important word. It implies that the preceding statement is the reason for what is about to be said. Therefore understanding the preceding statement is vital to understanding what is about to be said.

The glory and exaltation which Jesus received came at a cost. The perfect Son of God, the King of kings, humbled Himself and became a helpless baby. And not only did He humble Himself, he was obedient in everything, all the way up to dying a horrible death on the cross, bearing our sins, and enduring the separation from His Father.

WHEREFORE...as a result of Jesus' actions and attitude, God has highly exalted Jesus. WHEREFORE...because of what I just said, God has given Him a name above every name.

As a Christian, I am called to walk in Christ's footsteps. Humility and obedience. How am I doing so far today?

But Also To Suffer

Philippians 1:29 "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;"

While there are many religions that have suffered persecution, as far as I know, Christianity is the only one that makes an outright promise that suffering will come.

2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

1 Thessalonians 3:4 "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know."

1 Peter 3:14 "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;"

Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Shall suffer, should suffer, but and if ye suffer, when you are persecuted...Pete, Paul, and Jesus Himself made it clear - suffering and persecution were going to be part of the Christian's life. It is not something to run from or shun. Rather, it should be cause for rejoicing. As they say, the devil will only attack a Christian if that Christian is threatening his evil work.

When was the last time you suffered persecution? What was your response? What are you doing in your life today that is preventing you from potentially facing suffering?

Knowledge & Judgement

Philippians 1:9 "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;"

In today's culture, love is usually a quality people try to possess and exercise by itself. If it is paired with other qualities, it is usually peace or something along those lines. And there's nothing the matter with that necessarily. However, Paul makes a point here that many would balk at today.

His prayer for the Philippians was that their love would grow and overflow more and more in knowledge and judgment. Knowledge and judgement are not usually associated with love. But here you have it. Many would argue that you don't need to know anything to love and many more would argue vehemently that judgement and love are nearly complete opposites.

As Christians though, we know that love without truth is not love at all. That is why knowledge of things ethical and divine and judgement (of moral discernment in ethical matters) is required for our love for others to grow.

Are knowledge and judgement included in the way that I love God and others? What would it look like if they were? If they weren't?

Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

Walk: "to make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities. Hebrew for: to live, to regulate one's life, to conduct one's self, to pass one's life."

Walking in the Spirit is an all-encompassing thing. Paul is not just talking about going to church and reading your Bible. Walking in the Spirit means that our life is spent walking in the Spirit. That is what we do with our time both actively and passively.

So what does that look like? Well obviously walking (living and conducting ourselves) in the Spirit looks like not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh as listed further in the passage. It also looks like love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance naturally flow from our actions. The Bible says these things are fruit of the Spirit, meaning that they naturally grow out of walking in the Spirit. You cannot force fruit to grow through will power. All it takes is the right seed and the right cultivation, and the fruit naturally comes.

Am I walking in the Spirit today? What fruit do I see coming from my life?

Liberty of Christ

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

The fact that Paul has to command us to stand fast in the liberty of Christ tells us that we have opposite tendencies. The Bible does not waste space. All Scripture is there for our betterment. Therefore, the fact that this command is necessary says that we will be pulled in the opposite direction toward bondage of the law.

It's important to note that Paul does not just say "stand fast in freedom." He specifies exactly what freedom he is talking about - the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. This is not lawlessness and licentiousness. This is freedom from the bondage of the law, sin and self. Freedom to live a life pleasing to God that is also the most beneficial to us.

Do you feel that pull away from the liberty of Christ? What is it that moves you that way? Can you stop right now and make it your goal to stand fast in His freedom today?

Son & Heir

Galatians 4:6-7 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Sons of God. Heirs of the Creator. No longer servants under bondage. But freed children of God possessing the Spirit of His Son!

These are incredible, encouraging thoughts. Until, maybe, we look in the mirror and see all our faults. Until we have a bad day, lose our temper, or face a grave disappointment. In those moments, are position as children of God may not seem as real. But it is in those moments of hardship and temptation that we are to cry out, "Abba, Father!"

Just that simple cry ought to remind us of our position, of our station in Christ. Not just sons and daughters of the King of kings, but heirs to His Kingdom. This heirship gives new meaning to our command to pray that God's Kingdom comes. As heirs, suddenly we have a personal interest in that prayer, a personal stake. What a privilege to be God's child and heir!

The Curse of the Law

Galatians 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

While He was on this earth, Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Yet because He loves us, He allowed Himself to be made a curse for us. It is hard to take in this thought.

The law had brought the curse of death and judgement on all who failed to live up to its standard of perfection. We were incapable of meeting those standards. And that is why Jesus had to come. The price was too high for us to pay, so He came to redeem us.

Think of something that you know is right, and yet is hard to do. How does it compare to the sacrifice that Jesus made?