Good morning, all!
Father, we know that there are things if life that appear uncertain to us but to You all things are known. Let us rest in the comfort that all we see, and experience must go through the filter of Your hands. And we know by Your word that You can only do us good according to Your purpose NOT ours, reveal Your plan in our life so that we would strive for more of You and less of the world, Amen. What are you striving for in life?
Philippians 1
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
No matter what you say or do let it be a reflection of Christ ONLY, and whether I’m there or not I should hear that you have held your ground in One spirit with One mind fighting together for FAITH.
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Don’t be upset for NOTHING with those that come against you: it serves as evidence only of a lack of faith that will die, but for you salvation designed by God.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
For God has given you not only the belief of Christ but the power to endure suffering for His sake.
30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear [to be] in me.
We struggle together, and NOW hear the same struggle that in IN me.
Bottom line
As I reflect on Paul’s letter this morning I’m reminded of his surroundings as he pours his heart out to the church, he’s in prison wrongly accused not knowing if he will live or die. And what’s his top priority? To encourage the church of its power and position, while it certainly spoke to them 2,000 years ago it still speaks today. Now why is it so powerful? Well he tells us that above, in all we say or do we are to STRIVE…fight…struggle for FAITH. And he closes with where we find the struggle…fight…it was WITHIN us. Listen to me this morning church, the fight is NEVER outside of you. And when it is, what you should start to notice which might surprise you…the absence of God. Call me crazy but there can being nothing worse to me than the absence of God in my life, it usually doesn’t end well-Ha!
[Hos 4:6 NIV] 6 My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore
your children. God calls us to be kings and priests in this world after the Melchizedek order (another message but kings and priests don’t fight), we should be living by the power of the kingdom in service to God and man. And what does God find us doing?
[Hos 4:2 NIV] 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and attack follows attack. We should be bound by heaven, instead we are bound by the world, and we attack one another for every offense or disagreement we encounter. We strive with each other instead of striving for the faith, I mean if we live by faith shouldn’t God be finding us living differently?
Here’s what it comes down to, we’d rather be right than live by faith. News flash, they’re NOT one in the same. Paul said we are to be One spirit with One way of thinking, that is to say we think as Christ…the One and Only spirit. How does Christ think?
[Jhn 10:18 KJV] 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. It takes the POWER of heaven to lay down the argument, the fight, the disagreement, the weak go on fighting and striving with the people in life because they don’t understand the power of heaven, they don’t understand the command came from God Himself. Yes, church this is what faith in action looks like and it is the very power of heaven. Maybe that ‘s what God expects to see from His kings and priests, maybe His scorecard captures the wins by the number of times you lay it down instead of the number of fights you choose to have with the people in your life. Call me crazy but maybe there’s a true benefit here when we live like that?
[Heb 11:6 KJV] 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. When we live by faith God is a REWARDER…you actually receive the rewards of heaven. And when we don’t live by faith…we live the IMMPOSSIBLE life as it doesn’t, please God. Strive for faith…for heaven…for God…you will NOT be disappointed.
Point to Ponder
What’s the reward for faith? [Gen 15:1 NIV] 1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. You get God!!!
Let’s all strive for faith, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends