Tag: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: Philippians 3:7-9

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“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What are you most proud of in this life? What is the thing you point to that you think gives your life meaning and value? How did you come by that thing? Was it given to you? Did you labor hard to achieve it? Did it come by a path of suffering? What would your life look like if you didn’t have it anymore? In the last section, Paul laid out his resume for the Philippian believers and it was a pretty impressive resume indeed. In these next few verses, starting with these two, he reflects on it all and points to what matters most to him. Let’s check it out.

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 2:25-30

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“But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus—my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need—since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice again when you see him and I may be less anxious. Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

It’s tough sometimes knowing when something should be a habit and when it should be merely an occasional affair. It takes wisdom to know when some event should be annual or ongoing and when it should be a one-time thing. This is especially true in the church. When we do something that works, that’s really exciting. Just because it works though, doesn’t mean we should necessarily do it again. It doesn’t mean it should become a permanent fixture in our ministry. Sometimes it is time to go, but there are also times to stay or even to come home. I say all of this because of what Paul has to say about his next ministry partner. Let’s talk about it.

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Digging in Deeper: Luke 22:25-26

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“But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them have themselves called “Benefactors.” It is not to be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you should become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I almost never just watch a movie or TV show anymore. I am constantly on alert for where the Gospel is on display in it. Sometimes I wish I didn’t do that all the time, but I can’t turn it off very well. Fear not, though. This doesn’t mean I never really enjoy anything I watch. I still enjoy much of it immensely. In fact, I would even argue that I enjoy it just a little bit more than I would without having my Gospel radar up because I see things in the story that add worth and meaning to the story I might otherwise miss. A case in point is the movie Ford vs. Ferrari that I finally got to watch this past week. I’ve been looking forward to seeing it for a long time, and I was not disappointed. Let me tell you why.

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Digging in Deeper: John 17:22

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“I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I’ve argued before that all of our best stories are always ultimately rooted in the Gospel. The connections aren’t always obvious, but if you look and think a bit, you’ll find them. They’re all over the place. I recently watched the latest offering from the Predator Universe, Predator: Badlands, and was pretty impressed with just how many Gospel touch points there were. Let’s talk about what made this a much better film than I expected it to be. And just to be fair, I’ll go ahead and issue a spoiler alert.

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Digging in Deeper: 1 John 1:5-10

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“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. If we say, ‘We have fellowship with him,’ and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus the Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The world is broken. People are broken. They do what’s wrong at least as often as they do what is right…sometimes more often. They are selfish. They do what they want and don’t think too much about how getting what they want will affect the people around them. And nobody seems to be able to do much about it. What if there was a way, though, to fix it? What if there was a way to make everybody do the right thing, to make them be decent people? What it be worth it? The second season of Amazon Prime’s, Fallout, ponders that very question. Let’s talk about it.

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