FRIDAY 11th
Philippians 2:14-18
NIV (v16) – ‘. . . as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain.’
ESV (v16) – ‘. . . holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.’
I have included this verse in our studies for I see in this a plea from the heart of Paul to those who have received the word of God, a plea from the shepherd heart of God’s servant to the sheep that are under his care. ‘hold fast to the word of life.’ It has a twofold purpose, one is that they will hold fast, secondly so that as a result Paul might be proud or could boast in the day of Christ that all that he has done was not in vain, in other words, by holding fast they would be the proof or the evidence or the substantial fruit of his ministry. Paul’s being proud here or being able to boast isn’t in a gloating sense where he could say ‘look what I have done’ but that they would be the fruit born out of his obedience to go as he was commissioned by Jesus himself to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:15) and they were the joy of his labouring. They would have gladdened his heart.
With the Galatian Church Paul had concern that he may have laboured over them in vain, ( ‘I am afraid I may have laboured over you in vain.’ 4:11) you will remember that they were turning to something else, and he entreated them to come back, but for the Philippians, they were still running the race or as he puts it in 2:12 working out there salvation with fear and trembling and he longed for this to continue.
This should be the longing of the heart of every pastor, everyone who has been called to shepherd the flock of God, that the sheep ‘hold fast to the word of life’ that they keep going, keep growing, keep trusting, keep running the race of faith right up to and through the winning post. But at the same time, it should be the sheep’s own personal longing as well!
Here at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Gateshead there have been many who have had the privilege and responsibility of shepherding the flock under their care, at the present this is myself along with the oversight and we would join alongside Paul and say ‘hold fast to the word of life.’ The enemy would love to distract us, he would love to get us to find a hole in the fence and to wander off, he would love to see us get caught in some briar of some sort, issues that cause us to get tangled or entangled with the affairs of the world, but may I encourage each one of us, for myself as the shepherd as well that we don’t give the devil an inch, cause there is no doubt he would try to take a mile, but instead that we remain steadfast, holding onto the word of life.