WEDNESDAY July 10th
Philippians 2:14-17
‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 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.
It was back in Philippians 1 that Paul says that he prayed for the believers, and we looked at the various points, one of which was that they would be ‘pure and blameless for the day of Christ’ (v10). This was looking ahead to the glorious moment when Christ would return to take up the Church, his body to be eternally with him in glory. But here, he wants us to do all things without grumbling or disputing because it will impact the kind of people we are as we find ourselves as the redeemed of the Lord, yet, still living amid a crooked and twisted generation. Now, let’s be honest if it was crooked and twisted 2000 years ago, how would Paul describe society today, here in the 21 century! I suggest as a start, utterly depraved!
I was going to say that the world is fast moving away from godly principals and morality, but decided instead to say that it isn’t fast moving away, it has moved away. Every day we hear and see things that should cause us to be appalled as the children of God, and here is the challenge if these things do not appal us then how closely are we walking to the desires and ways of the world rather than to the desires or ways of the Spirit.
We can only be effective as the lights that shine in the world if we are living differently to those who we are living with or mixing with daily who do not claim to know Jesus. If we live the same as they do, participate in everything that they do then they will be hiding the light, and Jesus himself said, ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’, Matthew 5:14–16.
I must ask myself the question, does my life bring glory to God—how about you?