I Thessalonians 1  The church was standing firm in spite of persecution from unbelieving Jews.  Paul  states that their "trust" or faith produced action;  their love produced hard work; and their hope produced perseverance.  He reminded them that they were chosen and loved by God.  He reminded them that they received the word "in power".. by the Holy Spirit.. with "full conviction" and that they were an example for others. This is also an example for us.. the church today.

The church's reputation spread throughout the region.  They were serving God.  And.. they were waiting "for His Son Yeshua, whom he raised from the dead to appear from heaven and rescue us from the impending fury of God's judgement." ( v10) 

It is this last statement that strikes me this morning.  We talk of Christ's return with great joy.. and rightfully so.. but we cannot  downplay the fact that when Jesus comes, He comes as the Judge of all mankind. Those without faith in Jesus Christ will face that "impending fury of God's judgement". 

 The Judge is coming..  as James writes.. "behold the Judge is standing at the door"  (5:9)  and  He will come "in righteousness" to  judge and "wage war" - (Revelation19:11) Because this in true we need to take note of what Paul writes to  Timothy (2 Timothy 4:1) "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort,  with great patience and instruction." 

Our faith must lead to action; our love must be a labor of love; and our hope must persevere for the sake of our coming Lord and for the sake of those who will stand before the Righteous Judge one day soon.  Let us preach the word.  Let us be bold, patient, and honest. Let us stop being weighed down by worldly distractions. Let us turn our eyes, our hearts, and our lives to Him -fully convinced of the Truth.. Jesus is coming soon and those who do not know Him will experience the "wrath to come". 

Father, raise up Your church to be  all that You have chosen us to be. Forgive us for failing to speak up as we should. Send Holy Spirit power upon us that we might win others to Christ Jesus.  We ask this in His mighty name, Amen. 

 II Samuel 21-24

These last few chapters of II Samuel add some details about David's reign over Israel. The highlight is chapter 22 which records a song of David to Adonai.  David's relationship with the Lord is a great example that can encourage us in our walk of faith.  Like David we can stand on the Truth of who our God is and grow more and more in love with Him... 

"Adonai is my Rock, my fortress, and deliverer." (v2)   He is the One who will give us shelter, who will be our shield and who will save us from the enemy. 

We can always call out to the Lord when we are in distress and know that He will hear us. ( v5-7)

David felt the earth shake, the heavens tremble, and the Presence of God in the darkness. We can too .

No matter what calamity we face.. "Adonai [will be] our support." v19

Our God will rescue us. (v20)

He will treat us with mercy, purity, and honesty.. when we walk in uprightness. (v25-27) 

Adonai will "light up my darkness"... just like He did for David! (v29)

He will be our "strength and protection; he [will make] my way go straight.." (v 33)

Only our great God is a "tower of salvation". (v51)

He is truly worthy of all our praise!

Father in heaven,  speak these words of Truth deeply into our hearts and minds, that we might draw nearer to Your heart. May we stand firm, girding ourselves with this belt of Truth.  No matter what the days ahead hold for us, personally or nationally.. You are our Light, our Rock, our Refuge, and our tower of Salvation. We cling to You. Make our paths straight, Mighty God, that we might honor You with every part of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

 2 Samuel 16-20  This portion of scripture records the events from the time David flees from Jerusalem to the time he returns.   David loses and grieves deeply for the his son Absalom... perhaps the most significant event in this account.  David is so lost in his grief that it makes the people who fought for him feel ashamed of their victory.  Joab comes and rebukes David and helps restore him back to leading as he should. 

But, David is a changed man.  This grief has effected him in every way. He returns to Jerusalem and resumes his life as king of Israel. He sends Joab to put down further revolts. But, it seems that David is no longer enthusiastic about being king. Perhaps this is what brought David to turn his focus more on the Lord and His Kingdom as opposed to the physical kingdom of Israel. 

What will open our eyes to the things "unseen"?  What grief or pain, what betrayal or disappointment? What rebellion or persecution?  We will face trials and difficulties in this life.. the Word makes that very clear.  And we are told to "count it all joy".. ( James 1:2) BECAUSE- God uses those trials to produce good fruit in our lives.  Without troubles we would not learn to endure. Without learning endurance we will not be made complete in all that God has for us.  Peter wrote , "In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious that gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." ( I Peter 1:6-7)

David certainly endured through trials and his faith proved to be imperishable.  He endured. He wasn't perfect, but he left a testimony that we can be encouraged by..  "We are waiting for Adonai; he is our help and shield. For in Him our hearts rejoice, because we trust in His holy name. May your mercy, Adonai, be over us, because we put our hope in You." ( Psalm 33:20-22)

May this be our prayer today. Amen. 

 2 Samuel 13-15

  Amnon, David's first born son, lusted after Tamar, his half-sister.  He was a wicked man who ended up raping Tamar and being killed by his brother Absalom because of his actions. The words of Nathan the prophet were fulfilled, ".. Adonai says, 'I will generate evil against you out of your own household...'" ( 12:11)

When I think of these accounts of David, I feel... disappointed.. sorrowful. The situation with Bathsheba, the failure as a father ( did you realize David had 19 sons and 1 daughter!)... and running away from Jerusalem because of Absalom.. These actions don't sit well when we think of King David, the man after God's own heart.  Yet, we know that David loved the Lord and desired to walk in His ways. We know he trusted God in spite of his many enemies.  David wrote this in Psalm 32:  

" How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven, those whose sin is covered!  

How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit!" 

David's faith in God's forgiveness and cleansing brought him to praise and rejoice and proclaim the wonderful Name and grace of Adonai.  "Be glad in Adonai; rejoice you righteous! Shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" 

Father in heaven, Adonai, our God, we give praise and thanks to You.. for when we acknowledge our sins and confess our offenses to You, You forgive us and remove our guilt.  Surround us with Your grace, Lord. Instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. Counsel us and watch over us, Mighty Lord.  We trust in You alone and believe Your Word that tells us that You love us and will never leave us.. even when we fail. Keep us in Your Hand and help us to be pure and holy, blameless before You, in Christ Jesus our King.  We ask this in His name. Amen. 

 2 Samuel 10-12  It starts out with a noble intent... David sends a message of comfort to Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, when his father died.  But, Hanun's advisors foolishly think that David has evil intentions and insult David by humiliating his servants.  This leads to war. 

Amon is in trouble and they know it. They hire some additional help from the Arameans and from the kings of Maacah and Tob.  However when Israel sends their army, the Arameans end up running away and the Ammonites retreat.  A second try resulted in the defeat of Arameans.  But, the war with Amon continued. 

It is at this time that David decides to stay in Jerusalem and send the army out to the battle that spring. It is at this time that he sees Bathsheba, sends for her, and commits adultery with her.  This leads to her pregnancy, the scheme to get Uriah back in town to cover it up, and then sending him back to battle so that he would be killed.  Verse 27 of chapter 11 sums it up -- "But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord." 

We know the story... Nathan confronts David.  David repents. The baby dies. But, by God's grace,  David and Bathsheba have another son - Solomon....a child that was special from the start, for  "Adonai loved him.. " 

The consequences for David's sins were severe. There would be evil within David's own family, his wives would be abused by others, and the baby would die.  Even though David himself was spared physically, the conflicts that would come later were devastating.  David still loved the Lord and was still considered a man after the Lord's heart.. but there is a radical change in David's life, family, and leadership after this. 

Father in heaven, it is only because of Your great grace and infinite goodness that any of us can find redemption and forgiveness for our sins. We have all fallen and come short of Your glory and holiness. We want to be pure and righteous before You, but we cannot do it on our own.  How thankful we are for Jesus our perfect Redeemer!  Thank You for showing us such kindness.  Thank You for loving the sinner, healing the broken, rescuing the lost, and strengthening the weak. Thank You that we can learn from the examples in Your Word, to fear You and honor You; to repent and submit to You, and to always hope in You... no matter what else happens.  You are our refuge and rock. With David we say, "I trust in you, Adonai; I say, 'You are my God'" ( Ps. 31:14) We rejoice in Your goodness and bless Your Name. Thank You that we can come to Your throne room in the name of Jesus our great Savior asking for Your grace and peace to fill us and for Your Spirit to lead and guide us in Your ways.  Amen. 

2 Samuel 8-9  David was successful in subduing all the nations around Israel.  "Adonai gave victory to David wherever he went". ( v6 and14)  These people became subjects of David and paid tribute to him. He also received great quantities of gold, silver, and bronze, which he dedicated to the Lord. 

"David ruled over all Israel; David administered law and justice for all his people." (v15)  What a profound statement for a human king... this is what we desire more than anything for our country too... yet it is something that rarely happened in God's chosen nation of Israel, let alone in any other country in this fallen world. 

But... one day.. we will have a King who will rule every nation.  Listen to this description of His coming from Revelation 19: 11 "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war." The "King of kings and Lord of lords" will reign with "a rod of iron".  He will judge with righteousness.   And, He will dwell with His people forever and ever.  Hallelujah!

David was victorious over other nations and the Lord was blessing him greatly.  Yet, it is at this time that David stops to inquire about Jonathan's family.  He did not forget the covenant he had with his dear friend even after everything that happened.  Jonathan's son Mephibosheth was the only one left.  David summoned him to come see him, which was pretty terrifying I'm sure... but he came and bowed at David's feet.  Instead of revenge against Saul..David showed grace and kindness because of Jonathan.  He didn't know what kind of a man Mephibosheth was and it didn't matter to David.  He was determined to show kindness because of Jonathan. 

No matter what our circumstances may be... successes or failures...may we be like David in this manner.. may we be determined to show kindness to others..  and may we do it because of the kindness of Jesus, our eternal King. 

Father, may we remember that when we cry out for justice, it's not asking for everything to be how we want things to be.. but for what is right in Your eyes to be judged as right.. and for what is evil in Your eyes to be judged as evil. There are many people yelling and clamoring for justice...when they need to be repenting and crying out for mercy.  Your Word makes it clear that the King will come and He will judge in righteousness.  To those who are His, He will give living water; He will wipe away our tears and take away our grief.  But to those who are "cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.. " ( Rev. 21 ) This is true justice.  O Lord God, forgive us and show us kindness and mercy, turning hearts back to You, to Your word which is True and Faithful.  Thank You for being always True, always Just, and always Kind.  All honor and glory and praise we give to You.  In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 2 Samuel 7  When David speaks to Nathan the prophet about building a house for the Lord to replace the tent, Nathan tells him to do it.. but, the Lord changes the plan... 

Adonai's plan goes far beyond anything David could imagine.  A house would be built.. but it would be for David's descendant - the One who would come and rule forever and ever.  The Messiah's royal throne would be far greater than anything David could build. 

Like David, let us pray, ".. Adonai Elohim, you alone are God; your words are truth; and you have made this wonderful promise to your servant.. " 

We are watching and waiting for that glorious day.. for the King of Glory to come and rule His kingdom and we will see every Word and every promise completed.  "Come Lord Jesus".. continues to be our prayer!

Father,  we cannot add any other words to this mighty and simple prayer.  Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen and amen!

 2 Samuel 5-6  All the rest of the tribes of Israel finally realized that David was God's chosen king for the whole nation and he was anointed in Hebron.  He was 30 years old.  David then went up and conquered Jerusalem and made it his stronghold, "The City of David".  He fought against the Philistines again and then he focused on bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. 

David had another lesson to learn.. the first attempt to move the ark failed.  They used a cart when it should have been carried by Levites.  Uzzah touched it when no one should have done so. When Uzzah was instantly struck down.. David "was frightened of Adonai that day...".   And rightfully so.  We often need to be reminded that our God is a consuming fire.. 

The second attempt to move the ark was successful.  David had the bearers stop every six paces while he offered sacrifices.  When they entered the city, there was rejoicing and music and David himself danced with joy!  David offered more sacrifices, gave gifts to all the people, and blessed them. 

Everyone went home with joy.. except Mikhal, the daughter of Saul.  Mikhal felt only contempt for David. She scorned him and called him shameful.  Yet, David knew his own heart.. that he was rejoicing before the Presence of the Lord... and he was not ashamed.  He would humble himself again.. for the sake of the God whom he served. 

This reminds me of a statement that Jesus made.. " For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26)  Jesus said this in the context of talking about laying down His life on the cross and calling on His disciples to lay down their own lives, denying themselves and following Him. It is better to lose your life than gain the world.. Jesus tells us. David understood that.. what mattered most to him was serving and worshiping Adonai.. even if meant be scorned by his own wife or anyone else. 

Father, we are reminded  of Your greatness and holiness through Your Word. We cannot ever forget that all of Your attributes remain unchanging.. and we are right to honor You with a holy fear.  We are right to humble ourselves before You.  We are right when we lay down our lives to follow Jesus. And we are thankful that You are infinitely wise and infinitely kind and infinitely merciful.  You know that we are just people made of dust.. and yet You have made us so much more.. Your children, Your people, Your masterpieces!  How amazing that You should love us so!  Thank You Father. Help us, Lord, to have the humble attitude of our Savior.  Help us to cling to Jesus every day in faith and obedience to Your Word. May we never be ashamed but always sing praises to Him who fills our hearts with joy!  Amen. 

 II Samuel 1-4  After Saul died... David was made king of Judah. But, there was no peace and no unity in the nation. 

Saul's son Ish-bosheth was made king over some of the tribes, until he was murdered. 

Abner was on Ish-bosheth's side, until he was insulted by him, and then went to David. 

Joab murdered Abner because he had killed Joab's brother. 

In other words.. it was a mess!

Those who thought they were doing David a service by killing others, ended up being killed themselves. 

David didn't think the way others thought.  Not at all. David desired to show "kindness and truth" to even those who were against him. David didn't want revenge.. he wanted peace and hope for all the people of Israel. 

In our present day we are witnessing the same kinds of division and enmity between people who disagree with one another.  As believers in Jesus Christ we must strive for the same things that David desired in these pages.. kindness.. truth.. peace.. and hope.  We might have our own opinions on politics.. but that must not take our focus off our Lord and His Kingdom and His righteousness. 

 Abner spoke to Joab in the middle of a battle and it strikes me as words we need to hear. "Must the sword go on devouring forever? Don't you know that in the end it can only produce bitterness? How long will it be, then, before you tell the people to quit pursuing their brothers?" ( 2:26)

How long before the arguing and dissension stops filling our country? .. filling our airwaves.. and our minds?

Our God is faithful.  He is all wise.  He is actively accomplishing His plans for each of us and for all the nations. May we turn our faces towards Him and our hearts to what He wills for us- even as David did - may we show kindness and truth - "making full use of every opportunity" - letting our conversations be seasoned with grace... ( Col. 4)

Father, we seek You and desire to be in Your Presence.  You are our Light and our Salvation and we do not need to fear. We seek You and know that You will not abandon Your children.  You will care for us and lead us in straight paths. We put our hope in You. We will be strong and courageous because You are our hope and our Refuge. In a world where things are a mess.. we know that You are still in control. We trust in Who You are. In You we rest. Blessed be Your name. Amen. 

 Colossians 4 Paul closes out this letter with another reminder of the vital importance of prayer.

"Keep persisting in prayer... " he begins... be devoted to praying. Devoted- the Greek word here is defined this way - to be earnest toward, to persevere, be constantly diligent; attend assiduously to.. adhere closely; continually.. continually.. continually!

".. staying alert in it.." be awake - watchful - in prayer

".. being thankful.."  - the prevailing attitude of our hearts as we pray - should be thanksgiving. 

Paul asked for prayer for himself and his co-workers and we can use these verses to pray for those who are working around the world, preaching the Gospel:

Pray the God would "open a door for the word.. " (v3)

Pray that God would help them to "speak forth the mystery of Christ". 

Pray that they may "make it clear in the way [they] ought to speak." (v4)

Finally, Paul gives an example of one who is faithful in prayer - Epaphras - "who always agonizes in his prayer on your behalf, praying that you may stand firm, mature, fully confident, as you devote yourselves completely to God's will. " ( v12) 

Father in heaven, we are weak but You are strong. We need You and pray that You would fill us to the full with Your Spirit, that we might also stand firm, mature , and fully confident.. devoting ourselves to do Your will; to be persistent in our praying, and to have hearts overflowing with thanksgiving for all You have done and will do in each of us.  Open doors for us to speak Your Word. Help us to conduct ourselves wisely. Let our speech be seasoned with grace. Be exalted in our lives, our families, and our churches.  We ask this in the powerful and precious name of Jesus, our Master. Amen. 

 Colossians 3  In "union with Jesus we have been made full" ( 2:10)  - He "circumcised"  us "by stripping away the old nature's control over the body;"  In Him we were buried.. and in Him we were raised.  "But God made you alive along with the Messiah by forgiving all your sins." (2:11-13)

So.. if we were "raised along with the Messiah.."  then Paul teaches.. "seek the things above, where the Messiah is sitting at the right hand of God."  Our focus should no longer be "on things here on earth".. but "on the things above" . 

How do we do this? Paul says we need to "put to death the earthly parts of [our] nature... " Everything that is outside of God's will and worthy of His wrath and judgement - "sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed... anger, exasperation, meanness, slander and obscene talk." And.. lying to one another.

The new self - the raised from the dead with Christ self - is to be "continually.. renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator."  We should be looking more and more like Jesus - in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness.. and love.  ".. and let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart's decision-maker..." (v15) 

The word shalom is translated "peace".. but it goes beyond our definition of peace - it means to join - to be set at one again - quietness or rest.. In Jesus we are bound together, brought into union with Him and with each other in love - and this is "shalom".  No divisions.  No fighting. No hatefulness. No evil.  And out of this inner unity with Jesus we can make the right choices in our hearts. 

And for this we are thankful!  We can express our thankfulness as we let  "the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in [us] as [we] teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as [we] sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in [our] hearts."

Everything we do and say. Every relationship we have. Every job we do.. is for the Lord! Our focus.. our thoughts.. our motives.. and our desires and dreams.. are for Him.. remembering that we have a reward waiting for us - "the inheritance from the Lord."  It will be worth it ALL!

Father in heaven, we are Yours and You are our God.  Jesus is our Savior and our Master. We are Your slaves.. and more.. we are Your children.  We are the body of Christ and the work of Your hands. Have Your own way in us and draw us closer and closer to Your heart. Renew us in the "fuller knowledge " that will transform us to be more and more like our glorious Lord. Keep our eyes focused on Jesus, seated at the right hand of God.  It is the Lord Jesus whom we serve and in His name we pray. Amen

 Colossians 2  Paul says that his purpose is to encourage believers, that "they may be joined together in love."  He wants them to "have all the riches derived from being assured of understanding and fully knowing God's secret truth, which is - the Messiah!" 

The NASB says it this way.. ".. that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." 

The finish line.. the goal, the prize, the "riches"  or wealth that we are "attaining to".. is found in Jesus.  "For in him, bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is. And it is in union with Him that you have been made full - He is the head of every rule and authority. "

The way- the path we must walk..  "comes from the full assurance of understanding.. " We must be completely convinced, persuaded, and confident in what we now understand - what we have learned;  what we have comprehended -about Jesus.  We must be "deeply rooted in him"; "built up in him"'  and "established in [our] faith" in Him. For all the  ".. treasures of wisdom and knowledge"  are found in Jesus. 

Paul warns his readers to "watch out".... and we need to heed his warning. 

For some will try to take us "captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit."(v8) ( Sounds like the nightly news to me..)

Some will try to keep us from our prize by leading us to false practices and false worship. (v18)

Some will bother us with man-made rules and false teachings. (v22)

We must not fail to hold on to Jesus "the Head, from whom the whole Body, receiving supply and being held together by its joints and ligaments, grows and God makes it grow." ( v19)

This is our belt of TRUTH. Be encouraged in Jesus.  Be united in Jesus. And be fully confident in what we have learned about Jesus in whom ALL wisdom and ALL knowledge is found. 

Father, You have made us full.. complete.. in union with Jesus our Lord. He is our King.. our Head.. and we stand firmly in the Beautiful One who made us alive, forgave our sins, and wiped away the charges against us. Help us in our weaknesses and struggles, Almighty Lord.  May we draw nearer and nearer to Your heart and  kept in Your Hand where we can never be snatched away!  Your praise is on our lips!  Hallelujah. Amen. 

 Colossians 1:14-29

After Paul prays for the church to grow in "the full knowledge of God", he turns his thoughts towards Jesus.  We who have been rescued from darkness have been "transferred .. into the Kingdom of His dear Son."  These verses sing out eternal truths about our Savior!

v14 "It is through his Son that we have redemption- that is, our sins have been forgiven."  

We could stop right there and go no further.. awestruck by this amazing Truth.. humbled and flat on our faces before such a Gracious God who would go so far to bring us to Himself.  Just dwell on this one statement.. let it stir your heart and fill you with thanksgiving and joy!

We have been brought into His Kingdom.. through the redemption that Jesus purchased for us by His own blood.. 

Jesus, "the visible image of the invisible God". 

Jesus,  who is "supreme over all creation". 

Jesus, who created all things.. "they have been created through Him and for Him." - everything - all we see and all we can't see; every nation, every ruler, every authority, EVERYTHING!

Jesus, who existed "before all things". 

Jesus, who "holds everything together". 

Jesus, who is the firstborn;  who is the fulness of God  - is the One who reconciles us with God through His sacrifice on a cross. 

Paul proclaims this Good News to those who had no hope and they grasped it and held on.  May we never be moved from this simple and profound Truth.  It is our armor.  It is our Light. It is our foundation and our joy.  Paul calls it a glorious secret..  a mystery... we.. every single one of us who believe in and trust Jesus as our Savior and Lord.. have been set apart for God and united with Jesus.. forever and ever!

Father in heaven, Holy and Perfect.. great are You Lord and greatly to be praised! What wonder and awe we share as we dwell here in Your Word and marvel at the work of Your Hands.  In all wisdom and power, You sent Your Son to redeem us.. to forgive us all our sins.. and to reconcile us to Yourself in Christ Jesus.  We thank You and praise You and give You all of our worship.. for You are our God. In the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

 Colossians 1  Paul was thankful to God for what he was hearing about the believers in Colosse : 

He heard of their faith in Jesus. 

He heard of their love for the saints. 

He heard of their hope in heaven. 

He heard of their reception of the Word of God. 

He heard of the fruitfulness of their lives as they shared the Gospel. 

He heard of the love "which the Spirit" had given them. 

So Paul prayed that they would keep growing - growing in knowledge and understanding of God's will; growing in character and in strength; growing in patience and perseverance . 

This  powerful prayer in found in verses 9-12:

"Therefore, from the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you,

asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding,

which the Spirit gives;

so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to hm,

being fruitful in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God.

We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might.

so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully giving thanks

to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light."

We cannot do much better than to pray these things for one another... 

Father we thank You for making us fit for the inheritance that lies ahead for us in Your light..  May we grow in understanding and knowledge of Your will.  May we truly love others and be faithful in serving others.. that the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, in the Spirit, would increase more and more... to the glory of Your Name. We thank You for rescuing us from the domain of darkness and placing us in the Kingdom of Your dear Son, for it is in His name, the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. 

 Philippians 4  The Complete Jewish Bible takes the words "in Christ" and deepens its meaning ( for me) with the words  "in union with the Messiah Yeshua" or "in union with the Lord".  Throughout this letter Paul has focused on this reality for the Christians in Philippi and for us... 

".. in union with the Messiah.. " (2:1) Paul extends encouragement, comfort, love and fellowship in the Spirit to his brothers and sisters, desiring their union with one another with a common purpose and love. 

In 2:5 Paul reminds them and us that this "union with the Messiah Yeshua" should govern our attitudes towards one another - an attitude of humility and sacrifice. 

In chapter 3 Paul says to "rejoice in union with the Lord" and to realize that everything else is worthless in comparison to this wonderful miracle of God's grace, love, and power. 

Here in chapter 4 Paul once again exhorts his readers to rejoice, to stand firm, to reconcile differences, and to trust God fully for every need - in "union with the Lord ".  

It is "in union with Jesus" that we find strength to keep standing in trying times. (v1)

It is "in union with Jesus" that we can truly rejoice! (v4)

It is "in union with  Jesus"  that we can pray.. "Don't worry about anything on the contrary make you requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God's shalom, passing all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua." (v6-7)

It is in union with Jesus that our minds can be focused on "what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable, or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy."

It is " in union with Jesus" that we can rest in the reality that "God will fill every need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua." ( v19)

Father in heaven, it is union with Jesus, the  faithful and righteous One, that we come to You boldly- to your throne room -to praise the holiness of Your Name and to seek Your Face.  You are God alone.  You are all powerful, all knowing, Infinite, all wise, and full of compassion and grace towards us who are in Jesus. To You we offer up prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving. We ask that You meet our daily needs. We ask that You forgive us our sins.   We ask that You lead us in Your paths of righteousness. We ask that You deliver us from the evil one. We ask that You restore our souls and our bodies. We ask that You be our strength, our rock, and our fortress.. that You be near.. and that we would know You more.  We give You thanks for hearing us and for loving us. We thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord, in Whom we stand, Amen. 

 Philippians 3  "... rejoice in union with the Lord.."  This is the theme and the exhortation of Paul's letter.. 

Everything else is garbage... Paul had all the qualifications to be a Jewish super-star, but none of it mattered to him after he met Jesus.  Everything that his world valued had no use in the reality of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King. 

Paul was dedicated to the Lord when he was eight days old.

He was from the right family, the right nation, and the right school. 

He was passionate about his life and work. 

He was obsessed with keeping the rules... perfectly!

Yet, he was lost and separated from the God he claimed to serve.. until he met Jesus. 

Paul tells his story so that we can realize that we are in the same situation.. we all need to surrender all the "garbage" that we are clinging to.. everything that we think makes us better, makes us successful, makes us happy, or makes us "right"... So that we trust in Christ alone. 

In union with Jesus we find true righteousness.  It was His faithfulness.. His death, His resurrection, His perfect righteousness that is our source of life. Paul encourages us to pursue Him... pursue  "the goal in order to win the prize offered by God's upward calling in Messiah Yeshua." 

Pay attention.

Conduct yourself accordingly.

Imitate Paul's pattern -surrender, leave behind the worthless pursuits, and strive for Jesus only!

Trust in the One who is coming.. our Deliverer, Jesus Christ the Lord.  "He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like His glorious body, using the power which enables Him to bring everything under His control." 

Father in heaven, we have been blinded to the unseen reality - of heaven, of eternity, and of You.. caught up in the world and its pleasures and problems, its promises and its failures.  We need You.  We need to know You and to serve You. We choose to turn away from the things of this world.. for they are rubbish.. worthless.. for all these things will pass away.  The only True, eternal reality is You.  Open our eyes and our hearts, Lord, so that we might seek You and find You.  Let us be changed by the power of Jesus Christ as we abide in Him and rejoice that we are in union with Him.. forever and ever. Amen!

 Philippians 2  Paul emphasizes here our union with Jesus Christ.   As believers in union with Jesus we will have "a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind."   In union with Christ we will receive - "encouragement... comfort flowing from love.. fellowship.. in the Spirit.. compassion and sympathy..." 

Union with Jesus brings about a change in attitude and a change in character... 

One of the most important attitude changes is one of humility.  In humility we "regard each other as better than" ourselves.  We "look out for each other's interests and not just for [our]own".  Humility is an inward change that affects outward relationships.. 

We are called to take on the attitude of Jesus, Himself.  

As Jesus "emptied Himself" and became like a slave... we put away any attitude of superiority or pride. 

As Jesus became "obedient even to death".. we lay down our lives to follow Him. 

This is not something that we can do on our own.. but we must do our part, trusting that "God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases him.." 

Paul gives two examples of what this looks like in real people... Timothy and Epaphroditus. 

Timothy had a sincere concern for the church in Philippi.  He worked along side Paul to share the Gospel. He wasn't like others who "put their own interests ahead of the Messiah Yeshua's."(v21) 

Epaphroditus, one of their own, also had this humble attitude. He had suffered and almost died as he served Paul, but his concern was not for himself, but for his brothers and sisters who were distressed because of his illness. 

Father in heaven, You know our hearts and minds. You know our selfish ways.. our self-centeredness.  You know how we don't want to be this way.. . but we want  to lay down our lives, pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. We want to be like Him. Thank You for working in us.. to will and to work.. for what pleases You. May we serve You and live for You in every way.. every day!  Come fill us with Your Holy Spirit, sanctifying us through and through, so that we may be pure and blameless before You on that glorious day when we see You face to face. We pray this in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Philippians 1  Three  statements that Paul makes in this chapter speak to my heart:

V6 "And I am sure of this: that the One who began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the Day of the Messiah Yeshua." 

V9-10 "And this is my prayer: that your love may more and more overflow in fullness of knowledge and depth of discernment, so that you will be able to determine what is best and thus be pure and without blame for the Day of the Messiah." 

V18 "All that matters is that  in every way, whether honestly or in pretense, the Messiah is being proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.." 

Paul expresses a desire to keep living in order to help the church "progress in faith and have joy in it."  He wants them to "stand firm"; be "united in spirit"; and "fighting with one accord for the faith of the good news." 

Let us take these words to heart - make them personal to ourselves as individuals and as a church. 

Father in heaven, 

May we have the absolute certainty and assurance that You are not finished with us yet.. that You will keep working in us.. to complete what You have begun.  Even when we grow weary.. even when we grow older.. even when we are overwhelmed with this world.. You are working.. in me..in each of us; in Your church .. and in this world.  You have a plan and a purpose for each of us.  Your will be done!

Father, may we know the greatness of Your love.. the height, the depth, the width, and the length.. in "true knowledge and discernment."  May we recognize Your love and acknowledge it with a determination to do Your will.. to obey Your Word.. and to walk in Your ways.. in all purity until the day that Jesus comes. 

Father, may the Gospel be preached.. in every place.. at every opportunity .. for the salvation of men and women everywhere. In this we will rejoice!

Father, may we stand firm, putting on the armor that You provide: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, and Salvation. May we take up the sword of Your Spirit, the Word of God.  And may we be continually in prayer for one another.  In Jesus' name we ask these things. Amen.