Tag: Hope

Mother and daughter hugging on a chair with a Mother's Day card and flowers nearby

Honor for Honorable Commitments

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Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and we took the occasion to celebrate moms and all the godly women in our lives. Moms, you play a pretty special role in the economy of God’s advancing kingdom in this world. None of it would work the way it does without you. But your work is hard. Some days it’s really hard. This message is to offer you a bit of hope and encouragement. Your labor in the Lord will never be in vain. Blessings to you!

Honor for Honorable Commitments

Have you ever felt like the work you were doing didn’t really matter? You were trying your best, but you weren’t seeing anything you felt like were meaningful results. There are days that it takes a lot to get up and get moving. This isn’t primarily because we are physically tired, but because we are emotionally and mentally and even spiritually exhausted. We are in such a state because we have been getting up and going over and over again every day without much in the way of rest. But worse than that, we have been doing all of that without much in the way of a sense that we are really making any difference, that our efforts matter. 

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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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Group of people standing in a circle outdoors at sunrise reading and singing from Bibles

Morning Musing: Philippians 4:4

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“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (CSB – Read the chapter)

It case you were living under a rock, the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic hockey teams both won the gold medal in this year’s Olympic Games. The women’s team has literally always medaled, winning gold three times. The men’s team hasn’t won gold in 46 years. Their victory was particularly impressive, including one of the greatest performances by a goalie ever. On the news of their victory, the whole country rejoiced (well, most of the country rejoiced; politics got in the way of the whole country’s rejoicing). It feels good to rejoice. That’s part of why Paul called the Philippian believers to rejoice in the Lord always. Let’s talk about why else he did.

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Glistening futuristic city with tall spires floating in clouds above a planet's surface.

Morning Musing: Philippians 3:20-21

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“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Believers and unbelievers are not the same. Yes, we are all still people. We are equally created in the image of God and are both inestimably valuable because of that. Jesus died for both groups. God loves us the same. But the former group have been transformed by the grace of God into citizens of heaven while the latter are still in the flesh and denizens of this world. Their trajectories are not the same, nor are their ends. Having talked about the latter yesterday, let’s join Paul today as he reflects a bit about the former.

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 3:10-11

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“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What is it that matters most in the end? We can offer up all sorts of different answers to that question. Various folks have pointed to money or possessions in one way or another. Most people, though, generally have a sense that isn’t the right answer. We could also point to things like relationships, good works, or renown. Here, as Paul is talking about what matters most to him, he points to something we don’t think about—even as followers of Jesus—but which should fall a whole lot more centrally on our radar. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

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