Tag: Following Jesus

Morning Musing: Philippians 2:5-8

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“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Jesus was God. Like, the God who created everything. Paul spells out some of that in the opening verses of his letter to the Colossian believers. He was and is worthy of all the honor and glory simply by virtue of being God. When He came, He could have come in glory and luxury. He could have demanded comfort and ease. He didn’t have to experience any inconvenience or discomfort. Yet that’s not what He did. That’s not how He came. Today and tomorrow, let’s examine the most important presentation of the humility of Jesus ever written.

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Morning Musing: Philippians 2:1-4

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“If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one  purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Everybody needs community. We hunger for it. Even if we only find it online, we’ll search for it until we have it. Online, of course, is a pale imitation of the real thing, but if our choice is between that and nothing, we’ll take it. All communities, though, are not created equal. If you want to be a part of a healthy community, that’s going to take some work. It’s going to take a particular type of culture. What kind of culture, you ask? Paul gives us an important clue here in the prelude to one of the more important passages on the subject in all of the Scriptures. Let’s check it out.

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Morning Musing: Philippians 1:27-30

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“Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation—and this is from God. For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We are in the thick of college basketball’s conference season. Teams all over the country are playing their conference rivals in a quest to finish the season on top of that smaller contest so that when the time for March Madness finally arrives, they’ll be well positioned to secure their spot in the Big Dance, as they call it. In this effort, wins are what count most. You don’t get credit for anything other than that. Playing well but not outscoring the other team is meaningless. A loss is only a loss. But what if it wasn’t? What if a loss only seemed like a loss on paper, but what really mattered was how you played? As Paul points out here, in our efforts to advance God’s kingdom something entirely more like that is the case. Let’s explore these powerful verses.

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 1:20-21

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“My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Humans have always been on a search for the fountain of youth. Sometimes this search has taken the form of looking for a literal source of water with magical powers. Other times it has been more figurative than that. The point is that we are always on the lookout for something that will extend not only the amount of time we have in this life, but the quality of that time as well. We want to live, yes, but we want to live in good enough shape to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. This desire in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when it becomes the primary desire of our life, we can be drawn off the track that actually leads to life in pursuit of one of a variety of things that don’t. Starting here and running through the next few verses, Paul offers us a better way. Let’s take a look.

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Honor for Two Lives Well Lived: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

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“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I will do my second funeral in as many weeks tomorrow. To say it has been a busy couple of weeks is to put it rather mildly. But that’s nothing compared with what these two families have been through. And that’s not because the passing of these two great ladies was itself unexpected or particularly difficult. Both were expected and blessedly peaceful. Rather, it is because the days between a loved one’s passing and the funeral service are exceedingly busy. This is especially true when a loved one has spent their life pouring into others as Mae Brooks and Judy Tucker did. You have to manage all of the various details of working with the funeral home to put together the service on top of all of the outpourings of love and care from friends and family and neighbors. You wouldn’t necessarily trade any of that away, but it’s a lot. The real process of grieving doesn’t really begin until after the funeral is over. What has me writing this morning is the fact that these two funerals are almost like carbon copies of each other. Let me tell you about why and why that’s such a good thing.

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