A Servants Heart

Passage : Philippians 2

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4)

Paul was a man of such wisdom. He knew that if we sought only our own interests, the results would be devastating, both personally and to the church as a body. It is only when we are willing to become servants, looking out for the interests of others, that we can gain true spiritual joy. Jesus taught his disciples this when he washed their feet. None of them were willing to demean themselves, but Jesus took on the role of servant to teach them the lesson. No job is too low when we are serving our brethren, or our Lord. Jesus said, "If you do this to the least of your brethren, you have done it unto me." If we were to remember these words when we see the opportunities to serve in our churches and in our homes, we would be most joyful to serve. Every dish we wash, every bed we make, every card we send, every tear we wipe, every Sunday School we teach would be done to our Lord Jesus. Knowing that should change our entire outlook on service. Jesus has done so much for us, what can we do for him in return? Look around you and seek to serve others in Jesus' name and experience a joy you have never known!

And in order to do this let us ask God to give us a servant’s heart, which is always willing and loyal to serve his master. Let us ask God to give us the heart of Jesus that we might draw others to You.

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Source : qwchristiandevotions

All For The Glory Of God

Portion : Philippians 1

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)

Paul is expressing here a truth that Jesus tried to get across to his disciples years before. Remember the story of the man blind from birth. The disciples wanted to know why he was born blind, who had sinned, him or his parents? They wanted to analyze the situation, debate it and come up with an answer to this deep theological question. But Jesus had another course in mind, first he healed the blind man and then he proceeded to tell his friends that this man was born blind so that Jesus might be able to show forth the glory of God on that day. We like the disciples tried to analyze our experiences too much, we want to know why things happen to us, but Jesus said to simply bear fruit and give God the glory. Everything that comes into our lives has this same purpose to fulfill in our lives, we bear fruitage which in turn will bring God glory! If we are faithful, we will be fruitful. The people around us will see the results and God will receive the glory. Paul was the ultimate evangelist....he was able to use imprisonment to convert the household of Caesar and many of the Praetorian Guard. They saw in Paul the joy of the Lord in very trying circumstances. Paul used his trials to bring God glory. We can do the same. No matter what the circumstances that you find yourself in today, be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ and let the glory and praise go to your Father in heaven.

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Source: QWchristiandevotions

Imitators Of God

Portion : Epehesians 5

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1, 2)

As Father’s day approaches it is appropriate to think about our Heavenly Father and all He has done for us. He is the ultimate provider and nurturer and we, his children, love him dearly, as He loves us. The other day I observed a little boy walking with his dad. He struggled to keep us with his father, but what a sight. This small child swinging his hands the same way as his dad, imitating the gait. As children grow and mature they may no longer imitate their father’s walk, but will begin to take on other characteristics of their dads...mannerisms, personality, character traits. Paul desires for us to imitate our Heavenly Father just as the children around us imitate their earthly fathers. To do this we must study our Father, watching and learning from Him, that we might be like Him. Paul tells us to live a life of love and in this way we can imitate God. For our Father is love, every word, every movement, every action is permeated with love. Let us follow His Christ’s example. He learned that His Father was love and he imitated Him, giving His life as a fragrant offering, so we can sacrifice ourselves in love. We can imitate our Father in heaven by giving of ourselves to those around us, letting His love permeate our lives.

So let us be the imitators of Christ and let nothing on this earth be more important to us than being like Christ and doing the will of Our Father.

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Source: qwchristiandevotions.

To Know Christ

Reading : Philiphians 3
Philipians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul here put a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at the very center of the Christian’s life. “He disowns his own righteousness as eagerly as other men disown their sins, and he highly esteems the righteousness which Christ has wrought out for us, which becomes ours by faith.” (Spurgeon). He joyfully accepted the loss of all other things for the greatness of this personal relationship. The foundation for his spiritual life was in what Jesus had done for him and not in what he had done, was doing, or would do for Jesus in the future.

“I want to know Christ ” This was the simple plea of Paul’s heart. Paul wanted Jesus, not self. According to Paul to know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

We can say that we know someone because we recognize them; because we can distinguish what is different about them compared to other people.
We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what they do; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with them; we are on speaking terms with that person.
We can say that we know someone because we spend time in their house and with their family.
We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to them and live with them every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.
Yet beyond all this, there is a way of know Jesus Christ that includes all of these yet goes beyond them.

Knowing Jesus means knowing this power, the new life that is imparted to us now, not when we die. Paul wanted to know the Power Of His Resurrection because he knew that …...

The power of His resurrection is an evidencing power. It is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
The power of His resurrection is a justifying power. It is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
The power of His resurrection is a life-giving power. It means that those who are connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.
The power of His resurrection is a consoling and comforting power. It promises that our friends and loved ones who are dead in Christ live with Him.

The beautiful thing to notice here in this same verse is that Paul not only wants to know Jesus Christ’s resurrection power but he also wants to have a part in the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. Because he knew that knowing Jesus also means knowing this fellowship of His sufferings. It is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. We can say that suffering is part of our heritage as the children of God; we get to be part of the family of suffering: If children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:17). Neither suffering nor the idea of death kept Paul from following Christ Jesus. He very well knew that suffering and persecution was a part of living for Christ. He himself said it “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead”. He saw that they were a necessary way to the goal of resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead.

Sometimes it seems like it is so easy for us readers to try and reason and explain about Paul’s letter in the Bible, about his desires, his immense zeal for Christ. But for once if we can step into his place we can understand and see that he didn’t write these words for the sake of it. We can very well say that he was not only a man who talks the talk but he was a surely man who walked the walk. These words he wrote down weren’t just theological theory or ideas or fictional concept. They were his life; because what Paul suffered was much more than we will ever experience. It not only came from his sufferings but from his close personal relationship with Christ.

By SS

Reference Commentary: enduring word

Have Confidence

Portion: Philippians 1
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ: When Paul thought of the beginning of God’s work among the Philippians (from the first day), it was natural that he also thought of the day when that work would be complete. Paul also expressed his confidence in God’s ability to complete that work.

i. It was indeed a good work begun in the Philippians and in all believers. “The work of grace has its root in the divine goodness of the Father, it is planted by the self-denying goodness of the Son, and it is daily watered by the goodness of the Holy Sprit; it springs from good and leads to good, and so is altogether good.” (Spurgeon)

ii. Because this good work was begun, Paul was confident of its completion. God is a worker who completes His works. “Where is there an instance of God’s beginning any work and leaving it incomplete? Show me for once a world abandoned and thrown aside half formed; show me a universe cast off from the Great Potter’s wheel, with the design in outline, the clay half hardened, and the form unshapely from incompleteness.” (Spurgeon)

iii. This work in the believer will not be finally complete until the day of Jesus Christ, which in context has the idea of the second coming of Jesus and our resurrection with Him. “Holy Scripture does not regard a man as perfect when the soul is perfected, it regards his body as being a part of himself; and as the body will not rise again from the grave till the coming of the Lord Jesus, when we shall be revealed in the perfection of our manhood, even as he will be revealed, that day of the second coming is set as the day of the finished work which God hath begun.” (Spurgeon)

So be assured that true the Wonderful savior who has given all of him to start a good work in you and I he will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

References taken from enduring word.

Be Strong in the Lord

Portion : Ephesians 6

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Ephesians 6:10

Most of us like to be in control, or at least we like to think we are in control of our lives. When adversity falls upon us, we attempt to pick ourselves up and get back into the battle, only to fall again. This is the inevitable result of doing things in our own strength: we are setting ourselves up for failure. Each of us knows the futility of attempting things in our own strength, and yet we do it over and over again. In Ephesians, Paul wants the church to know that they do not have to go into battle alone, in their own strength. He gives them to keys to victory: "Be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power!" His strength is supernatural strength and his power is MIGHTY! Why would we wish to enter any battle without him? The apostle Paul goes on to tell us how we can attain this power: by putting on the whole armor of God! It is only by being properly equipped for battle that we can stand. The Lord desires for us to take hold of the promises he has given us in his Word, so we can use his strength to see us through any trial that life might bring. He wants us to come to him with all of our weaknesses and frailties. He wants to be our strength when our strength is gone. We do not need to go forth into battle in our own strength when he is standing by, waiting to exchange our strength for his and give us victory!

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Christ's Ambassadors

Portion: 2 Corinthians 5

"We are, therefore, Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

There is no question that we are ambassadors, it is a fact that Paul states quite emphatically. Our job as ambassadors is to reveal Christ, whom we represent, to those around us. When an ambassador goes to a foreign country, that foreign society looks at the ambassador to determine whom he represents. That is a sobering thought. The world around us is sizing up Christ, based on what they see in us! That can be a scary thought. What kind of reputation have our actions given to Christ? Each of us carries this burden with us every moment of the day. Others will look at us and determine by what they see whether Christ is worthy of another look. If we are to be worthy ambassadors of Christ, we need to keep our focus on him. We need to live our lives honestly, without complaint, showing respect and honor to others. In addition, Christ reached out to the nobodies of this world. He didn't seek out those who had great reputations, he sought out the lonely, the hurting and we need to follow his example if we are to be true ambassadors for him. By understanding who Christ was and allowing him to shine through us, we can be worthy ambassadors for Christ. We are working on Christ's behalf; this is serious business. Let us be determined to bring glory and honor to his name.

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At Home in Your Heart

Ephesians 3

"I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." Ephesians 3:17

Is Christ at home in your heart? Have we made our hearts receptive to his presence there? Have we made room for him in our lives? The more we grow in love, the more we will see the Lord working in our lives. With each passing experience, we learn to trust God more and more. Trusting Him is a natural outgrowth of the entire process of Christian development. As we see the trials in our lives bring forth fruitage, we learn that there is nothing that God places in our lives that is not put there for our eternal good. The more we allow Christ into our hearts and lives, the more we learn to trust him and the more at home he is there. God's love should be so deeply rooted in our hearts that our Savior is at home there. Likewise love is the only soil in which our souls may grow, for it is from this love that we derive all the nourishment necessary to grow in Christ Jesus. What a beautiful picture this is! Send your roots down deep into the Father's marvelous love and as you do, you will trust him more and more. Jesus' presence in our hearts will be so right he will be comfortable there and we will be filled with his love.

Father, thank you for your marvelous love! Help me to send my roots down deep into that love. Fill me with every nourishing morsel necessary for my growth. Give me the experiences I need and teach me to trust you more and more with every aspect of my life. I long for Jesus to be at home in my heart. May he find a comfortable and welcome place within me. Let me live as he would live that glory might rise to you! Amen

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Head Over Everything

Passage : Ephesians 1

"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church" Ephesians 1:22

God gave his Son, Jesus Christ "all things". He has made him head over everything, but why? Paul tells us it is "for the church," Jesus' bride, his body. The picture here is a beautiful one. Jesus Christ, our bridegroom, has been made head over all things for us; it is for our benefit. What grace! We, who were once dead in sin, have been made (through the love and grace of God) alive in Christ Jesus and as if that were not enough, we have been betrothed to him as well! Our bridegroom desires to give us all things. The realization that we have a Bridegroom that loves and cares for us, who desires to give us all things, should fill us with awe. We have a Bridegroom that laid down his life to save us; that suffered unspeakable things that we might live. Such love can only foster eternal devotion in return. All our days should be filled with following him wherever he leads us. Yes, he is our head, our Lord and Master and where he leads us we will go.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a head that loves us more than life itself. Help us to remain focused on Jesus, our head, and let us never forget what he went through to make us his body, his bride. Help us to lay down our lives for him in return. May we be faithful to him all the days of our lives! Amen.

Activity For The Day - How Well You Know BIBLE

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