WORTHY CONDUCT
Philippians 1:27-30
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
Personal Challenge
We have been given the gospel of Christ, the Good News, for all of mankind. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to live lives that demonstrate a conduct that is worthy of that gospel. We cannot live dualistic lives, behaving one way on Sunday and another the other six days of the week. This means standing in one spirit with all Christians, regardless of how they worship, having one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. We cannot be terrified by our adversaries. Yes, we will suffer in this fallen world for living this way, but Jesus gave His all for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
GIVE EAR!
Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3
Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.
For power was given to you from the Lord,
And your lordship from the Most High,
Who will make a careful search of your works
And examine closely your plans.
Personal Challenge
In days long passed, leadership of nations came in the form of kings and lords. People had no choice in who would rule over them. In those days, scriptures such as this one were so necessary to remind those leaders that they were in their roles because God allowed them to be and that they would be eternally accountable for how they exercised that role. Listen! Understand! Learn! Give ear! These are active reminders to those leaders to seek God's guidance and then to adhere to it. Today, we, the common people, have the ability to select our leaders. This charge to listen, understand, learn, and give ear applies to us to make the right choice. We must choose to vote according to the golden rule, the beatitudes, and all the other teachings of our Christian heritage. These teachings do not advocate rounding up our enemies, casting out the foreigner amongst us, advocating violence against others, or lying to get what we want. It is time for us to wake up and to listen, understand, learn, and give ear to the truth of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
LIFE OR DEATH
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Personal Challenge
One of the beautiful things that I have come to appreciate about the Eastern Orthodox faith practice is the acceptance and veneration of the saints of Christianity. We are not alone in our journey to theosis, or being in the image of Christ. We have recognized saints and patriarchs that go all the way back to Adam and Eve who have demonstrated for us how to live our lives for our God. Paul's proclamation here is such a powerful reminder that whether I continue to live my life here on earth or God chooses to take me home to heaven to be with Him, all is for gain, if I am always focused on Him. With this mindset there is nothing to fear about death. Glory be to God!
Saint of the Week
St. Gregory of Nyssa
OUR REWARD
Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-16
But the righteous live forever,
And their reward is with the Lord;
And their care is by the Most High.
Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity
And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord,
Because He will shelter them with His right hand
And protect them with His arm.
Encouraging Words
Living a life for Christ gives us blessings that far exceed our time here on earth in our temporal bodies. We must always remember that our journey goes on through the remainder of eternity and that the choices we make on this side of eternity do have an impact on our heavenly future. Now is the time to be pursuing Christlikeness and His righteousness. Glory be to God!
PREACH CHRIST
Philippians 1:15-18
Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
Personal Challenge
In all that we do, we are to be proclaiming or preaching Christ. In most cases, it is our behavior that preaches the loudest. This is our personal challenge, to be living our lives in such a way as to glorify God. We also need to recognize, as Paul did, that sometimes others preach Christ differently than we do and that we should take joy in that because Christ is still being preached Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
GRAY HAIR AND MATURITY
Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-9
But though a righteous man may die before his time,
He shall be at rest.
For old age is not honored for its length of existence,
Nor measured by its number of years;
But discernment is gray hair for mankind,
And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.
Encouraging Words
Throughout the entire history of mankind, we have spent so much time and wealth looking for that allusive fountain of youth. People do all kinds of things to stay forever young. Here is a reminder of the beautiful and glorious aspects of old age. With gray hair comes discernment, due to the many experiences of a long-lived life. With maturity of old age, if we have grown in our relationship with God, our life becomes more spotless and purer, in Him. Glory be to God!
