Tag: Philippians

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Last Minute

Wow, I can’t believe it’s the day before the night before the night before the night before the night before Christmas.  It is nearly upon us!  And to be quite honest, I still have tons of shopping to do – which is actually unusual for me.  Oh well, I think I will join the rest of the men out buying vacuum cleaners and whatever Christmas sweater or jewelry they can find on Christmas Eve.  Amy is going to love this year!

It’s just been one of those years – where the business of living life has overcome my ability to prepare for important events that lie ahead.  Or maybe I a just have procrastinated.

Anyway, I am sure you are also finding some last minutes things to scramble for, they may not be as large of scale as the scramble that lies ahead of me. And really some of that hustle is part of the fun of celebrating Christmas. I mean who doesn’t love getting in all that last-minute traffic on Christmas Eve?

But let’s not let that happen to our spirits.  Keep that in the forefront and guard that part of your life with extreme prejudice.

 

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

 

 

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To be Filled

I am sort of blank this morning, and as I was thinking about how to fill this empty space, I remembered this. 

 9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;10 that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; 11 that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.  Philippians 1:9-11 New Century Version (NCV)

I hope that you will be filled today!

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All Day Chin Wag

My morning was captured by an all day chin wag and that has goe\t me away from the good old internet!  It’s pretty amazing that I survived to the lunch break.  Speaking of lunch, I can’t believe that yesterday was National Bolongna Day and I didn’t write about that.  What a miss.  And today happens to be Greasy Food Day or something like that.  It definitely must be lunch time as I right this.

Anyway, I have still been thinking about that good old Samaritan and they way he impacted others.  That and a quote I read last week while I was busy doing nothing.

Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.

To me that is a profound defintion of love, and one that you should stop and think about today.  This defintely would be on the mind of the samaritan as he addressed that dude on the road.  And more importantly can be very broadly applied to all of the relationships that you have.  Just think about that quote and the way you interact with you co workers, children, spouse and enemies!!!

Hm, seems like Philipians 2:

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 

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Content Whatever the Circumstances

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and today I believe that is so true.  Take a look at this picture a friend of mine shared on Facebook.  It’s from the Tough Mudder, which is dubbed “probably the toughest event on the planet”.  The new phenomenon is a set of extremely grueling obstacle courses, and this is the one of the latest endurance events that has swept the nation.  But anyway, here’s the picture from Tough Mudder. ‘Nuf said.

 10-14I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles. Philippians 4:10-14 The Message (MSG)

 

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A Friday Example

It’s been a while since I have posted any stories about other people, and since its Friday, I think this is a great day to it again.  One of my fellow harriers from college forwarded this story to me yesterday.  It’s a story that is well worth reading about a high school cross country runner and his sacrifice during his race.  This version has even more information.

This is an excellent example of Philippians 2, and I think that it’s hard sometimes to find examples of people living that way in our society.  Last week I was teaching some high school kids about the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18, and during that class it was difficult for the kids to describe acts of humility.  The actions of this young man are an example of humility and selflessness in so many ways.

I applaud him and thank him for his example.  I am not so sure I would have stopped when I ran cross country.

 1-4If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Philippians 2