Did you ever know someone who started a project, but never completed it? Most of us know people like that, and perhaps you are even someone with that tendency. They might start a project in their favorite hobby, or maybe a fix-up project with the house, maybe plans to start a garden, but after a little bit they stop. Maybe they get bored, lose their enthusiasm, or run out of needed materials, and all work stops, they just give up. That has happened to many people. Would that ever happen with God? Does He ever just give up on something? That is one of several things that the Apostle Paul speaks about in our Scripture passage today.
Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi was written by the apostle while he was imprisoned for his faith. Despite the rough treatment he had experienced in the city, the flogging, overnight jailing, and then being run out of town, the love Paul had for the church he started there is evident. He begins his letter to the believers in Philippi with a prayer that they receive God’s grace and peace (vs. 2). Grace and peace are two great heritages of the Christian. These are two things we can always have, no matter what our circumstances. Grace is all of God’s power, all of His love, all of His beauty available for us. It is all that God is, and offers to us. Peace is freedom from anxiety, fear, and worry. Grace - God at work in our life. Peace - A sense of security and trust. These ought to mark Christians all the time.
Paul continues on by telling the Philippians that he thanks God for them (vs. 3). Even though he and his companion Silas were falsely arrested in that city, illegally beaten with rods, and then thrown into stocks in a prison cell (Acts 16:20-24), he remembers his time there with love for these brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul knew that the believers there were facing persecution, just as he did while there, ending with him and his group being told to leave town. He kept them in his prayers each day that they would remain strong in their faith, just as they had from the first day they believed (vs. 4-5).
The apostle had entrusted these believers to the Lord when he left town. They had entrusted their souls into His hands when they accepted Jesus as Savior. Was it all in vain because of the persecution? Was God going to drop the ball? Did He only carry them so far, and then quit? Or would He think that they were just too rotten and give up on them? Paul knew that wasn’t the case. He was confident in the Lord, that He began a good work in the Philippians, and He would complete it fully. He would carry it through to the end (vs. 6). They would not be an incomplete project sitting in the back of God’s closet.
There will always be enemies who try to thwart God’s work. We will face people who hate the faith we have, and who may come against us, and we will always have to deal with the attacks of Satan and his minions, but God is in control. God will make all things, including our life, beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28). God does not panic. He does not stop, but nor does He hurry. He is always present, working in our lives. We can remain calm trusting that God is present with us. Even during uncertain times, God is continually working for our good. That is why Paul could write a letter filled with such joy, even while sitting in a dark, damp, and dirty prison cell.
Our Scripture ends with the apostle Paul praying that the Philippians be filled with God’s love, knowledge, discernment, that they be sincere, be filled with righteousness, and without offense (vs. 9-11). If we love God, and then love others, we will regularly look for ways to honor Him, and will work to do the right thing. That is what the Philippians did, which pleased Paul, and of course, pleased God.
In closing I wish to point out that a measure of discernment is important for every Christian to have and to utilize. A Christian without discernment is like a submarine in a harbor without radar or a periscope, or like a full jet trying to land in a dense fog without instruments or a radio. They may have lots of good intentions, but then comes disaster! Let us make an effort to show forth the fruits of the Spirit in our lives, and trust that no matter how much we mess up, Jesus will continue His work in us until He returns.
No comments:
Post a Comment