Category: Devotions

MONDAY July 8^th

 

Philippians 2:12-18

‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 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. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.’

 

After I had finished preparing the devotions from the verses that we have just covered from Philippians 1, I turned to look at chapter two and particularly the verses we have just read. The preceding verses are all about the exalted Christ and we can rejoice today in knowing that our confidence is not in those who reign or rule on earth but in the One who reigns forever as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we willingly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

 

Now, in our verses, Paul is calling the believers to obedience and to use his words to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’, but he also reminds them and of course us as well, that ‘it is God who works in you. . .’, (the remainder of the verse we will consider again).

 

Back in chapter 1:6, Paul had said that ‘I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’, yet here he is telling us to work out. . .’  Well, just as Paul had talked about his partnership with them as believers, I am suggesting here that we are in partnership with God himself, he is working in us, but we need also to be busy working as well, he has given us salvation,  we don’t work to earn it or receive it, but we need to play our part in allowing this salvation to be worked out in us and as we do, God will bring it all to completion.

 

What am I suggesting? Well, I am suggesting that we must never conclude that once we have come to Christ for salvation that that is it. We are saved and we are going to heaven full stop, no it is much more than this, as God works in us, we play our part in doing that which he wants us to do, we have our part to play in seeking for and allowing his will to be worked out in our lives which in turn gives God good pleasure.

 

Partnership is important and making right partnerships as Christians in every area of life is even more important, and there is no better partnership than that which we have with God as our heavenly Father, as we seek out and do that which is according to his will and purpose for us.

FRIDAY July 5^th

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

The last of the five points that Paul has made in these verses is that ultimately it may all be to the glory and praise of God.

 

Our being saved, our love abounding more and more, our discernment and knowledge increasing, our approving and doing that which is excellent, our being pure and blameless, our being filled with the fruit of righteousness is all for the purpose of the glory and the praise of God. In other words, our goal every day, in all things and through all things should be to bring glory to God.

 

This is challenging if we are really willing to stop and ponder it, for it should cause us to consider everything we do and to assess it or to examine it as to whether our doing it has or will bring glory to God.

 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks this question: What is the chief end of man? It then gives the answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

 

In Philippians we see from these verses that who we are and what we do is to be to the glory of God, in chapter 2 we see that very knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (2:11) and then Paul concludes the letter with these words in 4:20 ‘To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.’

 

I will close these devotions from these verses in Philippians with another verse from Paul’s pen in Romans 11:36 ‘For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.’  Next week we will look at some verses from Philippians 2.

 

To God be the glory! great things he hath done;

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son;

Who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice,

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice,

O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,

And give him the glory: great things he hath done!

THURSDAY July 4^th

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

Our fourth point from the verses is ‘That they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.’

 

I have mentioned before that we planted 5 fruit trees in our garden, 2 cherry, and one each of plum, apple and pear. But so far, they have been very disappointing, but it is still early days, they are young trees. But the more mature they become the more I will be expecting to see fruit! Of the five, the plum is the only one looking promising this year.

 

How fruitful are we when it comes to bearing or being filled with the fruit of righteousness?

 

The apple tree should bear apples. The plum, plums, the pear, pears, the cherry, cherries. We who are connected to the true vine, the one who we saw back in 1 Corinthian 1:30 is our righteousness should be producing the fruit of righteousness. That is, we live righteously, we produce fruit that shows that we are connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so essential that each one who claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ remains connected to him, Jesus said in the analogy of the vine and branches ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing’, John 15:4-5.

 

The fruit of righteousness is also seen in what we term as the fruit of the Spirit, Galatian 5:22-23, our connection to Christ causes his goodness to flow through us, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’

 

Once the autumn comes I will be doing some pruning to my fruit trees, with the hope that they may become more fruitful next year, may we each be willing do some pruning in our lives, to get rid of anything that is preventing us from being the bearers of the fruit of righteousness, for John 15:7 continues to say  ‘By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.’

 

WEDNESDAY July 3^rd

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

We come to the third point in Paul’s prayer, ‘That they may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ’.

 

Who we are is determined by the fact that we have come to know Jesus as our personal Saviour, and as such we have become the children of God. But what we do as his children is important. For we are his representatives here on earth.

 

When the unbelieving world look on us and the way we behave, the things that we may say, even the company we may choose to keep does it reflect something to them of the relationship we have with God as our heavenly Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour—or do these things betray the wonder of the gospel and the transformation we say has happened.

 

Now, not one of us can reach the point of sinlessness or perfection while here on earth, but we should strive to be all we can to ensure that when Christ comes again, he will see us as ready to be made pure and blameless. In other words, we should be seeking to live in such a way that our lives will not be betraying the gospel but bringing glory to God.

 

I guess most of us will recall the trend that did the rounds in Christian circles a few years back, it involved wearing something that had the initials WWJD. We will remember what it meant, ‘What would Jesus do!’

 

Well, the answer is found in scripture, Jesus said this in John 8:29 ‘And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.’

 

And in God could say concerning Jesus in both Luke 2 at his baptism in the Jordan and in Matthew 17 on the mount of transfiguration ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’

 

We too need to do that which pleases our heavenly Father, so that we may be found pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

 

I want, dear Lord, a heart that’s true and clean.

A sunlit heart with not a cloud between,

A heart like thine, a heart divine, a heart as white as snow,

On me, dear Lord, a heart like this bestow.

TUESDAY July 2^nd

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

The ‘agape’ love that we considered previously, must abound more and more with knowledge and discernment, that is an understanding of how to love as we should love, and I think also to know or to discern God’s will for our lives which leads to the second point ‘so that you may approve what is excellent’.

 

There is that expression of love as we have seen toward one another, but our love is also expressed towards the things that we care about, what is it that we love most in our lives, for that is what will take up our time or what we will give our lives over to and ultimately, we should love God and his will and purpose above anything else.

 

Remember the rich young ruler who came to Jesus, when he discovered the cost of what it would mean for him to follow Jesus, he went away sad! His wealth meant more to him than entry into the kingdom of God. He had the opportunity to approve what was excellent, but he rejected it.

 

I wonder how much of our time is spent trying to approve so many other things, it may be wealth like the ruler, it may be personal ambition and gain, it can be several of many other things, rather than approving those things that truly are excellent, those things that lead to the praise and the glory of God.

 

I mentioned a hymn last week (If I but knew thee as thou art) and one of the other verses in it says this:

 

But, I am dull and blind , O Lord,

Unapt of thee to learn;

Thee I but dimly in thy word,

As in a glass, discern.

 

Perhaps too often we have allowed ourselves to have been dulled toward those things which are excellent, we pursue anything and everything but that which will count for eternity. I know for myself my prayer must be the final verse in the same hymn:

 

But, ah, my lonely spirit tires

Of knowing thee in part.

O Jesus, how my soul desires

To see thee as thou art.

 

Regarding our approving that which is excellent, I quote the words of Paul from Romans 12:1-2 ‘I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’

MONDAY July 1^st

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

The first point (look back at devotion June 28^th) is:

 

That their love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment

 

Obviously, we are considering what Paul desired for the Philippian church as he wrote to them, but we need to apply it to the church today, therefore you and me, that OUR love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment.

 

Paul makes a similar prayer to the church at Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13 ‘. . . and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints’, and then in 2 Thessalonians1:3 he gives thanks because what he has prayed is evidently being answered for he says ‘We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.’

 

We need to realise that when Paul says, ‘your love’, he isn’t thinking of love as we see it in this world around us, but he is thinking about the love that comes from or flows out of our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, he is talking about what we often hear being called ‘agape’ love. In Romans 5:5 we read ‘. . . and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’ The KJV says ‘because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’

 

God’s love has been poured into our hearts, into our lives and it is such that it should overflow to those who are around us, particularly those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our lives should be conduits through which God’s love can flow and reach out to others. When it rains, my water butts in the garden have water pouring into them and once they are filled, it flows over and spreads around the surrounding area. Oh, that God’s love may fill us up so much, that it spills out to those around us.

FRIDAY June 28^th

 

Continuing from our previous devotion, we come to the verses in Philippians Chapter 1 which tells us what it was that Paul prayed for them, it is in verses 9-11.

 

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

1. That their love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment
2. That they may approve what is excellent.
3. That they may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ
4. That they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.
5. And ultimately, that it may all be to the glory and praise of God.

 

We will consider each of these thoughts over the next week of devotions, one for each day.

 

Yesterday I used three words that are easily seen in these verses, firstly that Paul prayed for them, secondly, he pastored them and thirdly he appreciated the partnership that he had with them.

 

In the later verses of this letter Paul has this to say, ‘Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved’, (4:1).

 

His relationship towards them was such that he cared deeply for them, he loved them, and he longed for them—I am going to suggest that he may have meant that he longed to see them again, or that he could have meant that he longed for them to reach the finishing line which he had been talking about in the previous verses in chapter 3. In my own words, ‘I love you and long for you all to get to the end of the race, to be those who will know the completion of the good work which God began in you the moment you came to faith.’

 

Paul is an example to what we should be like towards one another in the body, wanting to pray for one another, wanting to be in partnership with one another, but also wanting to spur each other on, that together we may run the race, but even more so, what those who are in leadership should be like towards those whom they have under their care as the flock of God.

 

THURSDAY June 27^th

 

Because we have been looking over the last few weeks at the two prayers that Paul has made for the Ephesian believers, over the next two devotions I will take us to another of his references to prayer which he made in Philippians 1:3-6.

 

‘I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.’

 

We know that Paul was a man who prayed, but, he was also a man who praised, and we see here that he was also a man who believed in partnership with others for the sake of the gospel. As he pioneered churches, he also put a presbytery in place to shepherd the churches, but in doing so, he didn’t walk away from them, and forget about them, he remained in partnership with them.

 

That is one of the reasons why we have so many New Testament books that have been written by Paul. He cared for the churches he planted, so much so that he kept in touch with them, either through visits or by the means of letters, which although addressed to a particular church, may also have been read to others as well.

 

In the verses today he writes to remind them that he prays for them, and that he appreciates the partnership that they have in the gospel. In the verses that follow you will see how he also says that he holds them in his heart and that he yearns for them all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

 

This is how the body of Christ should be, mutual care and affection in Christ for one another, and not by having a close group we readily and easily and perhaps always relate with, at the expense of others, but for everyone who makes up our local church family, for we are joined together by the Spirit, and we are partakers together of the same grace (verse7).

 

Now, we are all familiar with verse 6, ‘And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’, and as I pastor at Emmanuel, be it through my leadership or preaching in the services or through the means of these devotions, as I challenge or encourage it is because my prayer also is that ‘he who has begun a good work in each of us, will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. What I desire for myself, is what I also desire for each one of us, that we will ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith’, ‘For you (we) have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.’ (Hebrews 12:1-2, Hebrews 10:36-39)

WEDNESDAY June 26^th

 

Ephesians 3:20-21

‘Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’

 

‘Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.’ (The Amplified Bible)

 

We have a super abundant God who can bless us superabundantly! Now, although Paul wants us to realise that God can do superabundantly more than we ask or think, he leads us to a place of where we realise that it is all for him and to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. He then ends with a resounding Amen!

 

I think that Paul wants us to remember or to realise that although God can do superabundant things for us, we must never lose sight that it is not about you nor me, but it is all about him! He does far more abundantly for us, so that we will praise him and give him the glory more.

 

He invites us to the throne of grace, he invites us to petition him, he invites us to ask, seek and to knock, and we do so by faith and in accordance with what his will is for us, but the aim is or should be that all the glory goes to him. If we ever ask out of selfish desire or selfish ambition, we are denying God the glory that he is due.

 

In Romans 11:36 we read ‘For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.’

 

Another song! Unto him be glory in the church, both now and evermore, unto him be glory in the church, his praise a boundless store, unto him, unto him, unto him, unto him, for his praise and glory shall not fail, both now and evermore.

 

As we have sung so many times just recently—All the praise goes to Jesus, all the praise to him alone, all the glory and honour forever more, all the praise to him alone.

TUESDAY June 25^th

 

Ephesians 3:18-19

‘. . . may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’

 

We are back to the same verses again, in which we find the reason why Paul wanted to pray all that he had prayed for the believers, and it was that ‘you may be filled with the fulness of God’.

 

I stopped as I was writing this and thought about the various things that I allow to fill my life. I could write a long list, but what should be the priority is that I should desire to be filled with the fulness of God. As we contemplate just as Paul has done, something of the wonder of the love of God, its vastness, its immensity, its immeasurableness it should cause us in our hearts to want to just fall on our knees and to worship him! The more we wonder about our wonderful, amazing God and his wonderful, amazing love, and on top of that all the spiritual blessings that are ours as we find ourselves in Christ it should cause us to evaluate who we are and what we are doing to become determined to live for the glory of God.

 

Now, I know I fall short, and so I personally need to have a fresh revelation of who God is and of all he has done, I need to grasp more deeply the splendour of his majesty, I need to desire as the apostle Paul cried out in Philippians ‘that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead’ 3:10-11.

 

While I have prepared the last few devotions, I have felt like I should break out in songs of joy as I have contemplated how much God has loved me and how much his Son loves me, but then I have had to examine my heart to see how much do I genuinely love both God the Father and Jesus the Son back, do I really love the triune God as deeply as I ought? What about you? I think that if we examined how we spend our time, we would soon discover how deep our love really is.

 

The fulness of God wants to dwell in me! That is amazing, then it is important that I and the same for each one of us do a regular spring clean of our lives, so that we are temples that are fit for the presence of God.

 

The words of another hymn spring to mind:

 

‘If I but knew thee as thou art. O Loveliness unknown, with what desire, O Lord, my heart would claim thee for its own . . . But, ah, my lonely spirit tires of knowing thee in part. O Jesus, how my soul desires to see thee as thou art.’