“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” [1]
“Receive him [Epaphroditus] therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.” [2]
Paul wrote these words “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” [3] He was a prisoner in chains for the sake of the Gospel. [4] Evil people had done him wrong, but he did not press for retribution. No, he urged his followers to shun selfish ambition and conceit, and to esteem others better than themselves, and to look out for the interests of others. AMAZING LOVE! DIVINE AGAPE (selfless) LOVE!
Paul held up to the saints, bishops, and deacons of Philippi the example of Epaphroditus… “Hold such men in esteem.” Epaphroditus risked his life to selflessly and heroically fill a gap that the Philippians Church had failed to supply.
Praise God that He has preserved this first century letter of Paul to the Philippians. Indeed, praise God for preserving the entire Bible! We had not known what true love is unless we had seen, heard, and touched it via the revelation of Christ and His New Testament servants. God is good!
Now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit empower us to embody this message to our generation.
[1] Philippians 2:3-4
[2] Philippians 2:29-30
[3] Philippians 1:1
[4] Philippians 1:7, 13-14
Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 23, 2019
More Than Anything Else
Thanks be to God…
In the Name of Christ His Son…
For every soul…
That HE, Almighty God…
Brings to green pastures…
And to still waters…
Of love for Christ.
For every soul…
That HE, Almighty God…
Brings to green pastures…
And to still waters…
Of love for Christ.
Born sinners…
Stubborn and rebellious…
Forgetting and disrespecting God…
Betraying His love and faithfulness.
Yet, He, Christ...
In His great love for us…
Doesn’t leave us.
In His stubborn love…
Stronger than our rebellion...
Greater than our disrespect…
He pursues us.
Thank You dear Savior…
Our Lord Jesus Christ…
For changing us…
Replacing darkness...
With light…
So, that we with…
David and Paul can say…
I love Your Word…
I embrace Your crucifixion…
I want You…
More than Anything Else.
“Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your Word.
Betraying His love and faithfulness.
Yet, He, Christ...
In His great love for us…
Doesn’t leave us.
In His stubborn love…
Stronger than our rebellion...
Greater than our disrespect…
He pursues us.
Thank You dear Savior…
Our Lord Jesus Christ…
For changing us…
Replacing darkness...
With light…
So, that we with…
David and Paul can say…
I love Your Word…
I embrace Your crucifixion…
I want You…
More than Anything Else.
“Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your Word.
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your Word.
My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Your Word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.” [1]
[1] Psalm 119:169-174
[2] Galatians 6:15
For You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Your Word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.” [1]
“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” [2]
[1] Psalm 119:169-174
[2] Galatians 6:15
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Your Kingdom Come
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” [1]
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’” [2]
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” [3]
“Lord Jesus, please grant us, Your servants, grace to work together for You and for Your Kingdom.”
[1] Matthew 6:10
[2] John 18:36
[3] Matthew 6:33
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’” [2]
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” [3]
“Lord Jesus, please grant us, Your servants, grace to work together for You and for Your Kingdom.”
[1] Matthew 6:10
[2] John 18:36
[3] Matthew 6:33
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Joyfully Accepting God’s Gifts
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...” [1]
Separated: “This is a Hebrew expression, meaning to sanctify, ordain, prepare. Paul is saying, ‘When I was not yet born God ordained me to be an apostle, and in due time confirmed my apostleship.’”
“Every gift, be it small or great, spiritual or temporal, and every good thing I should ever do, God has ordained while I was yet in my mother's womb where I could neither think nor perform any good thing. After I was born God supported me. Heaping mercy upon mercy, He freely forgave my sins, replenishing me with His grace to enable me to learn what great things are ours in Christ. To crown it all, He called me to preach the Gospel to others.”
And called me by His grace: “What prompted Him to call me? His grace alone.”
“On the question of justification, we must remain adamant, or else we shall lose the truth of the Gospel. It is a matter of life and death. It involves the death of the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world. If we surrender faith in Christ, as the only thing that can justify us, the death and resurrection of Jesus are without meaning; that Christ is the Savior of the world would be a myth. God would be a liar, because He would not have fulfilled His promises. Let this be our resolution, that we will suffer the loss of all things, the loss of our good name, of life itself, but the Gospel and our faith in Jesus Christ—we will not stand for it that anybody take them from us.”
“I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me, not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son has done for me.”
“If you want to live unto God, find life through faith in Christ Jesus.”
“It is bad enough that we are wicked sinners and transgressors of all the commandments of God; on top of that to refuse the grace of God and the remission of sins offered unto us by Christ, is the worst sin of all, the sin of sins. There is no sin which Paul and the other apostles detested more than when a person despises the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Still there is no sin more common. That is why Paul can get so angry at the Antichrist, because he snubs Christ, rebuffs the grace of God, and refuses the merit of Christ.”
God was pleased: “God was pleased to freely give us His unspeakable gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?” [2]
[1] Galatians 1:15-16
[2] Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians
Separated: “This is a Hebrew expression, meaning to sanctify, ordain, prepare. Paul is saying, ‘When I was not yet born God ordained me to be an apostle, and in due time confirmed my apostleship.’”
“Every gift, be it small or great, spiritual or temporal, and every good thing I should ever do, God has ordained while I was yet in my mother's womb where I could neither think nor perform any good thing. After I was born God supported me. Heaping mercy upon mercy, He freely forgave my sins, replenishing me with His grace to enable me to learn what great things are ours in Christ. To crown it all, He called me to preach the Gospel to others.”
And called me by His grace: “What prompted Him to call me? His grace alone.”
“On the question of justification, we must remain adamant, or else we shall lose the truth of the Gospel. It is a matter of life and death. It involves the death of the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world. If we surrender faith in Christ, as the only thing that can justify us, the death and resurrection of Jesus are without meaning; that Christ is the Savior of the world would be a myth. God would be a liar, because He would not have fulfilled His promises. Let this be our resolution, that we will suffer the loss of all things, the loss of our good name, of life itself, but the Gospel and our faith in Jesus Christ—we will not stand for it that anybody take them from us.”
“I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me, not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son has done for me.”
“If you want to live unto God, find life through faith in Christ Jesus.”
“It is bad enough that we are wicked sinners and transgressors of all the commandments of God; on top of that to refuse the grace of God and the remission of sins offered unto us by Christ, is the worst sin of all, the sin of sins. There is no sin which Paul and the other apostles detested more than when a person despises the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Still there is no sin more common. That is why Paul can get so angry at the Antichrist, because he snubs Christ, rebuffs the grace of God, and refuses the merit of Christ.”
God was pleased: “God was pleased to freely give us His unspeakable gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?” [2]
[1] Galatians 1:15-16
[2] Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Be Transformed
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." [1]
"Then Saul said to David, 'May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.'" [2]
David had the opportunity to slay Saul who had been trying to kill him but did not because Saul was king over Israel. David had snuck into Saul's camp and took the spear and water jug near his bedside, but he spared Saul's life. When Saul realized what David had done, he blessed him and predicted his success.
David's thinking did not conform to the world's ways. He allowed God to transform his mind and thus, not only did he evade capture by the king and his army, he was blessed and predicted to prevail by that king who wanted to destroy him.
May the Lord help each of us to seek the renewal of our minds... transformed-thinking! So that, we too may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
[1] Romans 12:2
[2] 1 Samuel 26:25
"Then Saul said to David, 'May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.'" [2]
David had the opportunity to slay Saul who had been trying to kill him but did not because Saul was king over Israel. David had snuck into Saul's camp and took the spear and water jug near his bedside, but he spared Saul's life. When Saul realized what David had done, he blessed him and predicted his success.
David's thinking did not conform to the world's ways. He allowed God to transform his mind and thus, not only did he evade capture by the king and his army, he was blessed and predicted to prevail by that king who wanted to destroy him.
May the Lord help each of us to seek the renewal of our minds... transformed-thinking! So that, we too may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
[1] Romans 12:2
[2] 1 Samuel 26:25
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Blessedness of Faith in Christ
“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!” [1]
And years of life will be added to you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” [2]
“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” [3]
[1] Psalm 84:12
[2] Proverbs 9:10-12
[3] Romans 10:5-6, 9-10, 13
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied,And years of life will be added to you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” [2]
“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” [3]
[1] Psalm 84:12
[2] Proverbs 9:10-12
[3] Romans 10:5-6, 9-10, 13
Thursday, May 2, 2019
God Is The Justifier
“By the deeds of the Law…
No flesh will be justified in His [God’s] sight,
For by the Law is the knowledge of sin.
Now the righteousness of God…
Apart from the law is revealed,
Being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Even the righteousness of God,
Through faith in Jesus Christ,
To ALL and on ALL who BELIEVE.
For there is no difference;
For all have sinned…
And fall short of the glory of God,
Being justified freely by HIS GRACE…
Through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS,
Whom God set forth as a propitiation…
By HIS [Christ’s] BLOOD,
Through FAITH,
To demonstrate His righteousness,
Because in His forbearance…
God had passed over the sins…
That were previously committed,
To demonstrate at the present time…
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS,
That He might be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of…
The one who has FAITH in JESUS.
Where is boasting then?
It is excluded.
By what law?
Of works?
No, but by the law of faith.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is…
Justified by FAITH…
Apart from the deeds of the law.” [1]
Propitiation refers to the mercy-seat. [2] On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the “mercy-seat,” and so made propitiation or appeasement with God for the sin of all the people. Christ is called the “propitiation for our sins.” [3] Christ is “the propitiation,” because He atoned (covered) our sins with the sacrifice of His blood on the cross for us.
[1] Romans 3:20-28
[2] Romans 3:25
[3] 1 John 2:2
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