Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

Dear God, so I’ve talked about the marriage conference this last weekend, which was GREAT! One thing interesting that has happened to me is that it has caused me to be more cautious about what I’m consuming. Even something as simple as the music I listen to and the YouTube videos I watch. Are they negative? Are they against you? Sure, it might not be about you, but is it against you?

It reminds me of the fall of 2020 when I stayed off of Facebook for a week while my wife and I were on vacation at the coast. Afterwards, after I had detoxed from it (and I mean detox in the literal sense because I now think it is toxic), I couldn’t bring myself to log on again. Even now, I will get on there long enough to post something from our nonprofit, share it on my page and then log off again.

Going back to this verse, I have to wonder what kinds of things Paul was talking about here in first century Philippi. They didn’t have songs on the radio, shows on TV, videos to stream, or even books/magazines in the home. So he was talking about really thinking about such things. Having that attitude. For us, there is so much input that can be negative from which we have to guard ourselves. But we also live in a time when there are a lot of positive resources too. The channels I can use to consume negative things can also be used for positive things. I have a lot more choices to make that the Philippians did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still make the right ones.

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, help me to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Help me to consume things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Help me to do it, first, as worship of you. Then help me to do it so that my soul might be shaped and I can love your daughter the way you want me to love her. To give myself up for her. To anguish over her and her wellbeing, regardless of what it costs me or how she responds to it. You are my God. She is my wife. You have given me a life that is unreasonably good. Thank you.

I pray all of this in your Holy Name,

Amen

 

Philippians 3:14

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:14

Dear God, I think this is two days back-to-back that the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was been the two theme verse from the two Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) national conferences I attended in 1986 and 1987. What are the odds? Holy Spirit, are you trying to tell me something? Are you getting my attention from verses that hit my radar 35-ish years ago?

The connective tissue for these verses is giving myself a chance to perform. From Hebrews, throwing off the things that tie me down. From Philippians, persevering. To quote the movie Galaxy Quest: “Never give up, never surrender!” But I just need to make sure I don’t do these things in my power. It’s not by my strength that I press on. It’s not by my virtue. I need you.

Father, Holy Spirit, I’m about to start a vacation, but I don’t want it to be just sunk time of self-indulgence. Help me even in this moment to press on into you. Use this time to shape me and teach me. Help me to learn from my wife. Help me to learn from those I meet over the next 17 days. Help me to bring you into their lives as well. Be glorified through me and show me what work you have for me to do, both in my vocation and in my personal life.

I pray all of this by the privilege the Lord Jesus afforded me through his life, death and resurrection.

Amen

 

Philippians 2:5-8

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

Dear God, it can be hard to figure out how to draw the line between doing things for others and doing things for myself. And I’ll confess that when it comes to that line, I walk much more on the doing for myself side of it than doing for others.

I’m thinking about that because of Paul’s admonishment here to basically take Jesus’s attitude of giving it all up for others. I had someone tell me yesterday that I give so much for people, but do I really? I have my nice little car. I have my comfortable, albeit modest by “middle class” standards, home. I live in a pretty comfortable little world. Yes, I give quite a bit of money away for someone at my income level, and I even give sacrificially, but am I really open to truly sacrificing comfort for your kingdom to come into the world through me?

Holy Spirit, please teach me. Oh, those are dangerous words. In fact, I regret typing them, but it is too late now. Teach me what you need me to know. Teach me what you need me to do. Bring the Father’s love for me in such a way that I realize it anew and then take it and reflect it to the world around me. I’m not saying that you’re even calling me to do more than I’m currently doing, but, if you are, please give me ears to hear and eyes to see.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 3:17-19

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
Philippians 3:17-19

Dear God, Paul had “tears” in his eyes as he wrote this. It broke his heart to think about how false people would claim to be of Christ. Oh please, help me to not be one of those people.

There are a lot of people in Christendom whom I fear fit this description. They have turned to idols of political power and the idea that it will bring them safety, security, and the world they want. They think this person in or out of the White House, or this person vs that person on the Supreme Court or elected to Congress is the difference in them living the life they want to live. They lose sight of you, the true God in the process.

But as I point the finger at them, are there not three pointing back at me? Where is my faith? In what or whom do I trust? When I lift my eyes up to the mountains, from whom do I think my help comes? Is it you, the maker of heaven and earth?

To quote a song: Oh how I need you, Lord. You are my only hope. You’re my only prayer. So I will wait for you to come and rescue me. Come and lift me up.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 4:2-7

² Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. ³ And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.

⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:2-7

Dear God, we have to be careful about disagreements. Even Paul fell into this with Barnabas over what to do about John Mark. Maybe he was thinking about that as he encouraged Euodia and Syntyche to settle their disagreement. I wonder how much he regretted his falling out with Barnabas in later years–or even soon after they parted ways.

Of course, there are people in my life with whom I have disagreements. It hurts to have them unresolved, and I’m honestly not sure what to do about them from here. I’ve tried to communicate that I’ve tried to hear their perspective, but beyond that it feels like we have reached an impasse. What really frustrates me is that there is one relationship in particular that is in disarray, and the other person simply refuses to communicate with me any offense I might have made of which I am not aware. They have just blocked me out. Most recently, I drew a line that appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, or given them that one last excuse they felt they needed to completely disown our relationship, but the truth is they’ve been nursing something against me for years and this is just the excuse they needed. For my part, I couldn’t sacrifice that last line that I drew just to hold onto a thread of relationship that wasn’t real anyway, but only manipulative. I couldn’t sacrifice that line for their sake.

Father, I prayed yesterday about monuments I try to use to remember the good you have done for me in my life. In this case, you have given me some really strong affirmations from past broken relationships that have recently experienced tremendous healing. You have shown me that my willingness to sacrifice a shallow relationship for the good of the other person–for some tough love, if you will–actually can pay off for the good of that other person as well as for the good of our relationship. So I thank you for that. I thank you for the affirmation and encouragement. And so I pray for the broken relationships in my life now. May you use the pain we might be experiencing for your glory and redeem it so that real, authentic relationship can be developed through healing. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth through my life.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 1:20-26

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
Philippians 1:20-26

Dear God, is it a problem that I don’t long to be with you/Jesus in heaven just yet? I don’t think it is, but this passage from Paul always surprises me. Personally, I’m good to keep living.

It is interesting to now be at an age where I’m likely over halfway through with the life you’ve given me. In fact, I was watching a disaster movie last night and as all of the people were dying I thought about if my time was done now. What would that mean for the ones I love? Would my wife have what she needs? Would my work function until I was replaced? I suppose I’m grateful to know that one of the things that I thought about that gave me some peace was the different things I’ve done to help others. I don’t think my life, as much of a vapor as it is, has been a waste of your time or the time others have kindly invested in it, including family and friends who love me. I’ve taken a really good shot at doing my best for you.

Father, I’m not saying I’m perfect or that I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do. I failed you yesterday. I’ve probably already failed this morning. So that’s not what I’m saying. I guess what I’m saying is that I’ve found peace in worshipping you and trying to love others around me as my number one and two motivators. Thank you for offering the grace I need so that I don’t have to consider my failures any more than you do.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 2:1-5

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:1-5

Dear God, parenting is different than any other kind of relationship. We all need our parents to help form us and teach us different aspects of life. By the nature of the relationship, there is going to be conflict.

The same is true, in some ways, with my relationship with you. I can sometimes reject the lessons you try to teach me. I can complain or even hold a grudge against you. I can feel sorry for myself. I can let it drive me out of pursuing my relationship with you.

Father, as I try to follow Paul’s advice to the Philippians in this passage, help me to start with dying to myself and purifying my own motives when it comes to interacting with you or others, including my wife, children, family of origin, coworkers, and community. Make me an instrument of your peace.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 1:12-19

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
Philippians 1:12-19

Dear God, Paul really did have a remarkable way of looking beyond himself, his own comfort or agenda, and seeing what you might be doing in spite of his own circumstances. He had that ultimate level of faith that told him his life meant nothing to him, but his time on earth was about making as much of a difference for you as possible, regardless of what it cost him personally. It’s the lesson Job ultimately learned in his story, but Paul seems to have come to it much more quickly.

As for me? Well, I confess I still like my comfort and I still get fussy when I perceive my rights are being trampled. I still want to enact my agenda and how I think things should happen as opposed to how you need them to happen. I’m better. I at least am aware I have deficiencies. So that’s something. But I have a long ways to go.

Father, help me to live Paul’s words in Acts 20:24: “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Philippians 3:17-21

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:17-21

Dear God, I am struck by the emotion Paul has as he writes these words. He says, “…I say it again with tears in my eyes…” he’s writing with passion. He hurts over both his own suffering and the contempt with which some are treating you. He is longing for your quick return to end it. I wonder if he died disappointed that you never came back before he was killed or if he had grown more at peace with his situation as time went on.

I’ve certainly been disappointed with you and my circumstances before. I probably will be again. But you seem to teach me through those times, and I can usually see, in retrospect, what you were doing either for me or to further your kingdom and your plan. For Paul, I would imagine he had figured out at least part of your plan before he died, but I’m sure he didn’t realize just how much you would use his life, suffering, and death for thousands of years to come. He didn’t realize his name would be in the pantheon of names that will be known for hundreds of generations because it would lead Christianity through history, including to me.

Father, thank you for an example of a believer—a great leader in Christian history—who often didn’t understand more about his present situation than I understand about mine. Thank you for not sparing me frustrations, but for teaching me through them. Thank you for giving me as much life as you’ve given me. Help me to not waste it, but to maximize my moments for you, your kingdom, and your purposes.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Faith

“I prayed and prayed, never heard a sound.”

Keith Green

Dear God, I have a lot of cliches that I've kind of developed over the last few years going through my head. One is, "There's a fine line between living by faith and living in denial." Another is, "I measure time in days, weeks and months, but you measure it in years, decades and centuries." 

My wife and I pray together every morning. We pray for our children and their significant others. We pray for immediate and extended family. We pray for friends and coworkers. We pray for ourselves as individuals and our marriage. We've prayed for work things in the past. We've prayed for healing. And sometimes it can feel like we are praying into the thin air. Sometimes it can feel fruitless and hopeless. Sometimes, I don't see the point. But according to Hebrews, "faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." There are times I feel like my prayers are pure faith and I start to wonder is my faith real, or am I just living in denial. Or I wonder if I am expecting the wrong thing from you, and you are telling me no. 

Something happened today to showed us what you've been doing while we never heard a sound. And it's not like I know really what you're doing, what your endgame is, or how you are going to enact your will. But today, at least in this moment, we heard a sound, and it brought me to weeping tears. 

Father, thank you. Thank you for being smarter than me, more knowledgeable than me, and for not giving me what I want when I want it. Thank you for teaching me along the way. Thank you for helping me to work out my faith with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Thank you for honoring your promises to us. I know that I need these trials to draw me closer to you. I wish I didn't, but I do. So I submit to whatever path you have for me and those I love.

In Jesus's name I pray,

Amen