People of various ages and backgrounds warmly greeting and hugging each other at a community fellowship event

Digging in Deeper: Philippians 4:21-23

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“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Another book down today. If you have been journeying with me on here for very long, we have now covered Mark, Amos, Exodus, Romans, and now, Philippians. Just 61 more to go and we will have worked our way through the whole set. Here at the end of Philippians, we find Paul’s final greetings as is typical of his letters. And, as is often the case, there’s more here than it first appears. Paul was right that all of Scripture—even the parts we don’t expect—is breathed out by God and useful for making us more like Him. Let’s talk about what’s going on here at the end and how God’s people are present even where we least expect them to be.

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More Than Meets the Eye

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Sometimes we feel alone. We feel alone when we are all by ourselves. We feel alone when we are surrounded by people. Isolation isn’t a function of the proximity of other people. It’s more often first a mental state. When our circumstances get hard, or when we get into sin of some kind, we start to feel disconnected from the people around us, the people who love us. When this happens, our anxiety starts to grow. Then we start to feel disconnected from God. We struggle to see His help in our situation, and things just get worse. Elijah understood this feeling. He felt isolated and alone and terribly anxious because of it. Today as we continue our series, we are going to look at God’s encouragement to him and what that means for us. Let’s dive right in.

More Than Meets the Eye

I finally finished watching the Cobra Kai series on Netflix recently. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s basically a modern continuation of the Karate Kid story from the trio of excellent movies in the 1980s and early 1990s. To say the whole thing is a remarkable story of redemption and restoration is an understatement. It was fantastic. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch—very little out of Hollywood is these days—but it got Gospel redemption right in some really profound ways. There’s something else it got right as well. 

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Young woman sitting on exam table looking at ultrasound image in medical office

Digging in Deeper: Jeremiah 1:5

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“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Medical dramas are a dime a dozen these days. It seems like there’s always a new one being premiered on one streaming service or network every single year. With so many of them in circulation, it’s hard for one to really rise above the rest to be the one everyone is watching. They all try to have the one thing that sets them apart. For instance, a few years ago, Good Doctor had a good five-season run. We watched most of it, but finally gave up just before the last season. Its catch was that the main character was autistic. Playing in the same vein, Doc, features a woman who lost five years of her memory after a car crash. We watched some of the first season, but lost interest after that. In the end, they’re really all the same. There’s never really a new approach. Until The Pitt. Let’s talk for a bit about what makes it different, what it gets right, and one thing it has gotten so very, profoundly wrong.

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Open Bible illuminated on wooden stand outdoors at dusk with winding path and hills

Digging in Deeper: Philippians 4:15-20

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“And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account. But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Last time we looked at one of the premier examples of a verse that gets the bumper sticker theology treatment in all of the Scriptures. As it turns out, we find another one here. Philippians, for such a small letter, has more than its fair share of verses like that. This one is all about God’s provision. We see many affirmations in the Scriptures that God provides for His people. That is a good and encouraging thing, but what does it actually look like? How does He do it? Can the process be interrupted? Let’s take a look at this passage that ends with Paul’s emphatic affirmation of God’s provision today, and that will just about bring us to the end of this journey.

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Elderly woman holding rosary beads sitting on a bench in a simple room with a candle, bookshelf, and cross on the wall

Morning Musing: Philippians 4:10-14

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“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Some verses make good bumper sticker theology. That’s not to say bumper sticker theology is good—it’s not—but some verses fall to that kind of decontextualized packaging really easily. Philippians 4:13 is one of the best of those. All by itself it makes a great personal mantra, but it can easily lead to thinking about what we can do and the role Jesus plays in that that is rather far from anything Paul meant. In context, it’s even better and more helpful. Let’s talk about what it actually means and what we should really do with it.

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