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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends, we’ve come to the weekend before Thanksgiving week!
I wonder if anticipation is beginning to stir deep within you? Anticipation for the next 6 weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and transition to the long awaited new year 2020?
This weekend we conclude the wonderful journey through Paul’s letter to the Christians in the town of Philippi, written about 60 ad, from his ‘house arrest’ in Rome. It’s been a great letter hasn’t it? The closing few verses contain some very powerful words. Let’s begin with vs 13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Wow…what a statement!
In this little letter, we’ve heard Paul speak of being torn between wanting to be alive here on earth, and doing the work Jesus called him to here, and ‘departing’ for heaven in death. (1:20-26).
He has also spoken about living humbly and without selfish ambition, like Jesus (2:1-11).
He’s spoken about ‘pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (3:7-14)
And Paul spoke about ‘rejoicing in the Lord always’ regardless of circumstances, because “the Lord is near” (4:4-7).
And finally, yesterday, we looked closely at Paul’s remarkable statement, that he had “learned the secret of being content in every situation.” (4:11,12).
When we consider all the situations in life which these statement represent, it’s not difficult to imagine Paul saying “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Paul is not boasting in himself at all… it is completely a statement of confidence in these attributes of God: His Omnipotence (all powerful) and Omniscience (all knowing) and Omnipresence (everywhere present at all times). And therefore Paul can be fully confident there is nothing that he may face, that is too much for Jesus to handle!
That’s why the key to this verse 13 statement is these two words “…in Christ…” Paul’s confidence is entirely in Jesus! What about you and me my friends? As 2019 winds down, with all you may face in these 6 weeks, and in 2020…how close can we come to saying, with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”?
From verse 14-18 we see Paul expressing his specific gratitude to his friends in Philippi, who evidently sent some gifts with Epaphroditus, which especially encouraged him. And we see this was not the first time. Do you have some friends like that… generous friends who find great joy is helping others with all types of help? Perhaps you are someone like that? Dawn and I have been greatly blessed over the years both to be on the receiving end of such generosity, and we also finding that joy of helping many others. The heart of generosity is a wonderful gift from God isn’t it?
Isn’t Paul’s phrase interesting in vs. 17 “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.” Was Paul referring to some type of accounting system in which he kept track of who sent him gifts and contributions?
No my friends, I don’t see that as Paul’s focus here. I think he’s referring to what Matthew wrote about in Matthew 6 when Jesus said “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21).
Now we need to be careful here don’t we? Jesus was not saying we should disregard our daily needs or that of our family, and live financially recklessly, depending on the government or our friends to care for our needs. Nor was Jesus saying that we should not plan for the care of our future needs through saving, investing, retirement plans etc. Rather, Jesus was saying, as He often did, that we should look first into our hearts. What are our priorities? What hold does money and the things money can buy have on our lives? How sensitive are we to the leading of the Holy Spirit in HOW God wants to lead us, in spending the finances HE supplies to us?
Remember the important message of Deuteronomy 8 that Moses gave to the young generation ready to enter the new land about the danger of being controlled by the passionate pursuit of wealth and disregarding that everything we have has been provided to us by God? Jesus said the same thing in one verse here in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Paul was saying to his friends in Philippi, that as they sent gifts which cared for his needs in prison, they were moved by the Spirit of God to do so, and their sacrificial generosity was recorded in heaven, and was an obedient investment in the work of the Lord Jesus here on earth. It’s an exciting spiritual principle. God doesn’t need our money. But God accomplishes His great purposes here on earth, for His glory, as He leads His obedient people in participating in strategic ways with His plans through their resources. Did you get that?
God leads us to use our Time, our Talents, our Treasures, our Energy, our Passions, even our words and bodies, to accomplish HIS purposes, for HIS glory! When you and I obediently follow God’s leading us in this, it is the most valuable use of our resources and we find the greatest sense of fulfillment in life. Can you see the polar opposite attraction we each face everyday… spending our resources on ourselves, our ambitions, pursuing our pleasure. ..or invest our resources obediently in following God’s leading us in accomplishing His Purposes in our world.
Oh my friends, this is one of the greatest aspects of “walking with Jesus” in obediently following His leading us in investing our resources in His kingdom purposes… everyday! Have you discovered the remarkable fulfillment which comes in this my friends?
Finally do you see Paul writes in vs. 19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Do you believe that my friends? Have you found it to be true in your life story? Dawn and I have for sure, and a part of that is learning the difference between needs and wants, and needs from God’s perspective and needs from our perspective! Living in Haiti really helped us with that.
One of the little books I keep close and read often is “The Autobiography of George Muller”. You remember he’s the man, who with his wife and some close friends, FULLY trusted in God through prayer, for meeting the needs of hundreds of orphans which they took in and cared for, in the years 1840-1865 or so, in England. They felt strongly they should NOT ask for money and not accept any government help. Here’s what he wrote in his dairy Dec. 9, 1840 …
“…The chief end for which the orphanage was established is that the Church would see the hand of God stretched out on our behalf in answer to prayer. Our desire, therefore, is not that we may be without trials of faith, but that the Lord world graciously support us in the trial and that we may not dishonor Him by distrust.
This way of living brings the Lord remarkably near. Morning by morning He inspects our supplies that He may send help as it is needed. I have never had a greater awareness of the Lord’s presence then when, after breakfast nothing was left for dinner, and then the Lord provided dinner for more than 100 people,…all this without one single human being having been informed about our need. One thing is certain – we are not tired of doing the Lord’s work in this way.”
January 25, 1847 “The season is approaching when the building may begin…I have waited 447 days upon God for the amount we needed. How great is the blessing the soul obtains by trusting in God and by waiting patiently. From 12/10/1845 to 1/25/1847 I have received, solely in answer to prayer, 9285 pounds. The Lord is willing to give what will be needed once the new orphan house is built, although the expenses will be about 2500 pounds a year more than they were before.
From the opening of our institution, it has been my desire to use part of the funds to aid missionaries who are not supported by regular salary. During these last two years the Lord has enabled me to do so in a far greater degree than ever before…”
Oh there is so much more I could read to you from this powerful little book of a man and his wife who lived daily, caring for the needs of hundreds of orphans, depending entirely upon God for their supply!
That’s what Paul did… and therefore he concludes his letter to the Philippian Christians “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” That was the daily purpose of Paul’s life… God’s glory! What if it was the PRIMARY purpose of your life and mine, my friends… everyday? As we depend upon God to provide us what WE need, and depend upon Him to guide us in using all He has supplied to us, for His glory!
Oh these days of reading Philippians together have been very special to me and I hope to you. I pray for you today my dear friends, that as God’s Word comes more and more alive to us, that our relationship with Jesus Christ becomes more dynamic, more vibrant and real every day! I hope you have a great weekend… Next week is Thanksgiving and we’ll look together as some very special “thanksgiving Scripture”.
Lord Jesus I lift up before you all my dear friends who are on the journey with me, as we walk with YOU! You know each of their needs and I ask today that You would touch each of us right at the point of what You know to be our greatest need.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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