Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) 6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Devotion:             These verses above are often quoted but have yet to be lived out. Why is that? One primary reason for this disconnect is that Christians more often conform to the world than we are transformed into Christ's ways. The world, through our media, tries successfully to get our eyes turned toward the stories that keep us anxious and unsettled. If Christians are not careful about what media we pay attention to, we can often fall prey to their schemes to keep us anxious and depressed.             One only has to pay attention to the statistics about anxiety an...

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-11 (ESV) 6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Devotion:             The final creed/hymn we will examine is found early in the letter to the Philippians. Theologians have described it as a hymn of kenosis, a term that means self-emptying. This hymn was likely a familiar part of the early Christian liturgy, and its inclusion ...

Scripture: Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) 8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Devotion:             What do you think about when you have some downtime? These days, our thoughts are easily hijacked by social media or other entertainment sources. We are complicit in letting our thoughts wander in ways that, while maybe not wicked or evil, are, at best, unproductive. In this passage, Paul has given us some direction on what we should think about. It is attempting to follow this advice that we find very difficult.             These days, trying to determine what...

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV) 7  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Devotion:             Today’s scripture encourages us to desire the things of Christ so that we may obtain resurrection from the dead. Paul here may be relying on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:26 and Mark 8:36 for ...

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV) 5  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Devotion:             In today’s scripture passage, Paul tells us that we are to have the same mind that Christ Jesus had toward us. This sounds like an impossible task for any mere mortal. How should a flesh and blood mortal think and love like God? In this section of scripture, Paul describes what that mind and love look like. So, today, we look at what the Son of God endured to save us from the mess that sin has made of our lives.            ...

  What Christ-like Love Looks Like Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4 (NKJV) 2  Therefore, if  there is  any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,  2  fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love,  being  of one accord, of one mind.  3  Let  nothing  be done  through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  4  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others. Devotion:             In today's scripture passage, Paul looks at the ideal standard of behavior for Christian Churches. Because of Christ's love for His church, we are always to love and serve one another. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, such mutual love is impossible. We all have differing opinions about how things sh...

  Scripture: Philippians 1:3-6 (NKJV) 3  I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5  for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Devotion:             God, unlike humans, never leaves a task incomplete. I confess I was (and still am to some extent) very guilty of this fault. I try to look like I have all my ducks in a row, but I always seem to leave at least one duck out of the row altogether. I have this problem counterbalanced to some extent by my bent toward perfectionism. I am a walking psychiatric patient. I praise God that He has given me the gifts and talents He has because, without God’s support, my life would be a mess.         ...

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV) 7  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—  10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  11  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Devotion:             In this scripture Paul leads us to consider how much faith in Christ is really worth. In today’s culture we are often tempted to value the things we have as more important than...