Reflections from June 14, 2010

Today we begin Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. The Philippians were a affluent people; Philippi was a center of commerce and trade. Paul's desire as pointed out in his letter was simply for the Christians there to experience God just as he had. That should be our desire as well, to experience God in a personal and close way as Paul had.

Paul gives encouragement in Philippians 1:29 by saying, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."

Paul tells the Philippians that to suffer for Christ as he was doing being in prison, was to bring glory to Him. The reason for a Christian to suffer is that the devil is trying extra hard to stop the gospel, and that reinforces the fact that the gospel is truth and that truth shines a light on Jesus. And if we're suffering because of Christ, it's because we are busy spreading His message of salvation. If we are not being bothered by anyone, it's because we're staying silent.

In Proverbs 13:11 we read, "Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase."

I find it interesting to read these passages that today, or at least in recent history, seem to have been the basis for popular sayings, such as "An honest day's work for an honest day's pay." So to work by deceit or dishonesty will be work that is not favored, and any earnings that come from it will be seen as dishonest gain. Our desire should be to honor God with hard, honest work that brings glory to Him.

In Proverbs 14:12, Solomon tells us, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

This tells me that Solomon recognizes people can go about their daily lives, believing that what they do is good. Be a good person, do good things, and you'll be alright. But in the end, it only brings eternal death, because they haven't taken the time to know God. That is what brings a man to do the "right things" because he is doing it to the glory of God; not because someone else tells him it's good, or right, or whatever. We cannot get to God by works, and Solomon recognized that.

Blessings to all