Devotionary

Are you satisfied with Christ? Be careful. It’s a trick question. On the one hand, we should be satisfied with Christ. He is all we need. He is more than enough. And Paul stressed the need for godly contentment. But he also warned of the danger of growing complacent or content with our current spiritual status. For Paul, there was such a thing as divine discontentment. And he refers to it in Philippians 3:12-21. It’s an attitude that is marked by a constant striving to know Christ better and to grow in our likeness to Him. When we come to know Christ, we receive the righteousness of Christ. But we don’t automatically receive the nature of Christ. We still retain our old sin nature and the propensity to live our old life styles. That is why Paul insists that we “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.” As long as we live on this planet, we will be faced with the constant need to grow more like Christ, and that will require a divine form of discontentment.

How well do you know Christ? For many Christians, we know Him well enough to know that we are going to heaven. But is that all He promised us? Is that the extent of what it means to know Him? For Paul, Christ was far more than a one-way ticket to heaven. Which is why, in Philippians 3:1-11, he stresses his desire to know Christ in an ever-increasing and ever-more intimate way. Paul knew Jesus as Savior, but he also wanted to know Him as Lord. He wanted to understand the power that came with a relationship with Christ. He wanted to experience the kind of suffering that Christ suffered. Not because he was a glutton for pain and punishment, but so that he could better experience God’s power in the midst of his own weakness. Paul wasn’t interested in knowing more about Christ. He wanted to know, intimately and personally, Christ Himself – on an ever-increasing basis.  

There’s a shortage in the church today. And I don’t mean a financial shortfall. What we seem to be missing are godly young leaders who will help take the church into the next phase of its existence on this planet. It’s not that these men and women don’t exist, but that the church has done a less-than-stellar job of raising them up and preparing them for their future responsibilities. But, in Philippians 2:19-39, Paul was able to list the names of two young men who he knew were ready, willing and able to minister to the church long after he was gone. He knew, because he had helped to prepare them for their future roles. The church is always in need of godly leaders, but these kinds of individuals aren’t born, they’re made. It takes discipleship and the commitment of older men and women in the church who are willing to pour into the lives of the next generation. The church is only as strong as its leadership. But godly leaders don’t just happen.

We are in this together. As believers, we are not meant to be independent contractors, operating on our own and obsessed with our own individual relationships with God. We have been adopted into the family of God. We have brothers and sisters who we are intended to love and care for. And, because the body of Christ is a melting pot, made up of people from all walks of life and every conceivable background and personality type, we face a formidable challenge. Not all of us are lovely or loveable. We all bring our sin natures with us when we come to faith in Christ. And, while the penalty for our sin is taken care of, our propensity for sin remains. But we have the Holy Spirit to assist us. And Paul would have us recognize that our transformation into the likeness of Christ shows up best when we allow the Spirit of God to assist in loving the people of God. In Philippians 2:12-18, Paul will remind us we are to be lights shining in a dark world and our light shines brightest when we love one another.

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? For Paul, it was to think like Christ thought and to live like Christ lived. It was to emulate the attitude that Christ displayed while He walked this earth: An attitude marked by humility, selflessness and obedience. We are not to use one another as our standard of holiness, but Jesus Christ Himself. And He set the bar high. He was sinless and perfectly obedient to His heavenly Father. But before we give up in despair, Paul would have us remember that we have the Spirit of God living within us. We have all the power we need to live the life we’ve been called to live. And in Philippians 1:27-2:11, Paul gives us a much-needed reminder that our lives are to look a lot like Christ’s. We are to share His mindset when it comes to the things of this world and our purpose for life in this world. We are to hve the mind of Christ. Which translates into a life of selfless service, willful obedience and humble submission to His will.  

There is a huge difference between stubborn resignation and joyful acceptance of one’s lot in life. Saying you believe in the sovereignty of God does not mean you particularly like it or submit to it willingly. But for Paul, the circumstances of his life, whether good or bad, were ordained by His loving, all-powerful, and completely-in-control God. And in Philippians 1:12-26, Paul displays his confident trust in God by declaring his contentment with his imprisonment in Rome because he knew that it had resulted in the further spread of the gospel. Paul had longed to visit Rome. Now, he was there. Not in the kind of circumstances he had expected, but he was okay with it. Because he knew God was in control. Rather than focus on the perceived negative conditions surrounding his imprisonment, Paul chose to be motivated to make a difference. He saw his condition as the perfect opportunity to preach the gospel, and to encourage all those churches he had helped to start.

This is the first in our series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Written while he was a prisoner in Rome, this letter is one of what are known as the pastoral epistles, letters written by Paul and intended to encourage the churches he had helped to start. Paul had a pastor’s heart that showed up in his intense desire that the believers in Philippi grow up in their salvation. These people were near and dear to Paul. They had even provided him with financial support. Like a loving father, Paul wrote to his children in the faith, encouraging them to keep on growing in Christ-likeness. In the opening chapter, and the first 11 verses, we will see Paul lifting up a heart-felt prayer on behalf of his friends in Philippi. He may be separated from them by many miles and prevented from visiting them because of his imprisonment. But he could pray for them, and he did. He was grateful for their friendship and support, but also for their increasing faith in God and their determination to live lives that mirrored that

As we come to the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers, we will hear him make a call that they live wisely. He will encourage them to make the most of every opportunity that faces them. For Paul, the Christian life was not simply about forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. It was about visible life change and a tangible evidence of God’s power of redemption and renovation in the hearts of men. God saves us, not just to one day transfer us into His eternal Kingdom, but so that He mighty transform us, right here, right now. Our life on this planet, while transitory and temporary in nature, is not meant to be treated as some kind of a grab-all-the-gusto-while-you-still-can kind of moment. Our new life in Christ doesn’t start when we arrive in heaven, it began when we placed our faith in His sacrificial death on the cross. And when God saved us, He didn’t take us. In other words, He didn’t take us to be with Him. No, He left us here so that we might grow up in our salvation and sh

For Paul, faith in Christ was to have practical application. In other words, it was to reveal itself in actions and attitudes. The believer’s position as a representative of Christ required a lifestyle that reflected the character of Christ. And the fact that each and every believer has the Spirit of God residing within them, means that they have a ready power source available that makes Christ-likeness not only possible, but non-negotiable. In Colossians 3:18-25, Paul provides his audience with some tips on practical piety. This is where-the-rubber-meets-the-road kind of stuff. Christianity was intended to be life-transformative. Not based on human effort alone, but because of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Paul demands lives that model mutual submission, selfless love, radical forgiveness, and a no-holds-barred pursuit of holiness. We have been called to live starkly different lives that act as lights in the spiritual darkness of this world. Lives of practical piety that bring glory to God, n

When was the last time you thought about heaven? Was it at a funeral or the result of a sermon you heard at church? For the apostle Paul, heaven was on his mind constantly, because he knew that was his ultimate destination. For him, this life was a detour on the way to some place much better. It was a temporary assignment where he was to live out his faith and fulfill his God-appointed assignment until such time as God called him home. He commonly referred to believers living in this world as sojourners, aliens and strangers. As the old song states, this world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through. But for too many Christians, the world is their home. It’s heaven that seems distant and difficult to comprehend. The very concept of a heavenly dwelling place where we will live for eternity is hard to get your head around. But Paul would have us make heaven our focus, not this life. This world, like our earthly bodies, is not meant to last. So, one day God will remake it. He’ll create a new heaven and a new

To be “in Christ” is a wonderful thing. It speaks of a relationship that is based on the finished work of Christ on the cross and that assures us of a restored relationship with a holy God. Being in Christ is what makes eternal life possible. But it is possible to be in Christ, and still fail to reflect Christ in our behavior. That’s why Paul challenged the believers in Colosse to “walk in him.” They were to follow the example of Christ, living their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit and according to the Word of God. And in Colossians 2:6-23, Paul goes out of his way to remind believers that we must never forget from where we’ve come, living lives that were marked by slavery to sin and carrying the weight of our guilt and shame. We were once dead, but Christ made us alive. He canceled the record of our debt and removed the death penalty under which we had lived. The key to our continued spiritual transformation isn’t more hard work, but an increased dependency upon Jesus. We must sink the roots of our liv

Paul cared. Not passively, but actively. He put his life on the line so that others might hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and grow in their likeness to Christ. Paul was a teacher, preacher, disciple-maker, and church planter. He had a passion for the people of God and a no-holds-barred style of ministry that kept him on the road or locked up in prison for his efforts. In Colossians 1:24-2:5, we have Paul’s strong words of encouragement, written to the believers in Colosse, and written from his house arrest in Rome. Here he was, unable to visit the brothers and sisters in Colosse, but using his pen to pass on a message designed to encourage spiritual growth among them. He actively cared for them. He personally invested in them. He sacrificed himself on their behalf, just as Jesus had done. In Paul, we have a powerful model of what it means to be a servant of Jesus Christ, putting the needs of others first, and doing whatever it takes to see that every believer is mature in Christ.    

What does it mean to be a child of God? For far too many of us, it’s simply a designation that doesn’t seem to match the reality of our daily lives. Our actions tend to reflect a different reality. But in Colossians 1:15-23, Paul encourages us to see ourselves the way God does: As holy and blameless, without a single fault. Hard to believe? No doubt about it. What Paul declares us to be in Christ doesn’t seem to gel with how we behave in real life. But the point he is trying to get across is that our standing before God has little to do with us, and everything to do with Christ. He is the source of our righteous standing, not us. It was His death that satisfied the just demands of a holy God. He paid the price required to settle our sin debt with God. Jesus, the creator of all things, subjected Himself to live as a man, taking on human flesh and dying a sinner’s death, all so that we might be reconciled to God. And as a result, we are members in good standing of God’s family.  

Today, we begin a new series on Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Like all of Paul’s letters, this one has a strong pastoral element to it. While he had not yet been able to visit the believers there in Colosse, he had a strong interest in their spiritual well-being. Most likely founded by Epaphras, the fledgling church there was facing strong opposition in the form of false teaching. These relatively new believers were having to deal with a range of dangerous heresies that were causing confusion and leading to doctrinal compromise. In his usual loving, but no-holds-barred style, Paul will confront them and challenge them to remain faithful to the gospel as it was presented to them. Paul had a strong opinion regarding anyone who attempted to add to the gospel of Jesus Christ in any way. And he was not afraid to call them out as exactly what they were: Heretics. The integrity of the gospel and the vitality of the local church were near and dear to Paul’s heart as Colossians 1:1-14 will clearly reveal.   

This is it. In this episode, we will bring the remarkable story of David’s life to a close. Like all men, David’s long life had a time limit attached to it by God. His days were ordained by God, with both a beginning and an end. And while David’s life was particularly spectacular and marked by incredible accomplishments, what truly set his life apart was his relationship with God. It is the one consistent theme that flows throughout. That, and David’s humanity. In 1 Kings 2:10-12, we will learn that David reigned for 40 years. That’s a long time at the top. But he had to go through a lot to get there and, even after he ascended to the throne, things weren’t always easy. But through it all, God was with him. As a boy tending his father’s sheep, David knew what it was like to have God beside him. And the same was true when he found himself running for his life and hiding in caves. God was consistently, faithfully at David’s side, teaching him, preparing him, disciplining him, and molding him into the king he ha

David was near death, and getting ready to hand off his kingship to his son, Solomon. And as he prepared for the transition, he had given his son some sage advice. But, as we will see in 1 Kings 2:5-9, David also gave Solomon some unexpected chores to accomplish on his behalf, once he was dead and buried. David gave his son three pieces of unfinished business, two of which would put the newly crowned king in an awkward predicament of taking the lives of two men. This is a clear case of David passing the buck and leaving to his son a responsibility that was not his to handle. But, as we have seen before, David had a habit of shirking responsibilities. And he would pass on to his young son two duties he had been reluctant to take care of on his own. David was leaving his son a powerful and successful kingdom, but also a far-from-attractive set of instructions to do his dirty work for him.

What does a real man look like? What are the attributes of manliness? Every generation has had its own list but, for the most part, those lists almost always include a rugged independence, the search for power, a need for control, bravery in the face of danger, and a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps mentality. But when David prepared to hand over his kingdom to his son, Solomon, he shared some dramatically different concepts about manliness and manhood. In David’s mind, a real man was a godly man. He had a heart for God and willingness to submit to the will of God, no matter what. Rather than pridefully independent, he would be humbly dependent upon God. He would recognize that his strength came from God and his life was to bring glory and honor to God. Like any father, David wanted to see his son succeed in life, but he knew that the key to that happening was directly tied to Solomon’s reliance upon God.

David has decreed that Solomon will be his successor to the throne of Israel. But this was not just a dictate from the lips of David, it was the divine will of God Almighty. God was circumventing the normal succession plan, choosing to place Solomon on the throne rather than Adonijah, the next is line by virtue of age. Because God had a plan that was going to include a King like no other king Israel would ever have. This King would be a descendant of David, but His kingdom would last forever. And He would bring righteousness to Israel as no one else ever had or ever could. He would be the Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Son of Man and the Son of God. He would be Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” He would be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the King of kings and Lord of lords. David would appoint Solomon to be his successor, but God had already established Jesus to be the future King of Israel.  

David is nearing the end of his life and reign as king of Israel. And he is being forced to step in and make an announcement regarding his successor. God had made it clear that Solomon was to be David’s replacement, but Adonijah, one of David’s other sons was conspiring to have himself named the next king of Israel. But this passage isn’t just about a battle for the throne. It’s about God’s desire to have the right kind of man wear the crown. As 1 Kings 1:28-40 will reveal, there is a huge difference between being a king and fulfilling God’s expectations of being a ruler over his people. Saul had been a king, but he had been a lousy ruler. He wore the crown, but did not wear the mantle of spiritual leadership well. So, God replaced him with David, a man after his own heart who shepherded Israel with integrity of heart and skillful hands. And it was God’s desire that David’s successor be the same kind of king and ruler.

We have already seen how David struggled with indecision. He had a flaw in his internal wiring that kept him from dealing promptly and forcefully when faced with important decisions. And in 1 Kings 1:11-27, David finds himself facing yet another son who is trying to take over his kingdom. This time it is Adonijah, who is following the script used by his deceased brother, Absalom. Adonijah has already recruited some of David’s key advisors and royal administrators, in the hopes of winning their support in his quest to follow David as king of Israel. Solomon was to be God’s appointed successor to the throne, but Adonijah was unwilling to accept that outcome. So, David was faced with yet another important decision to make. All eyes were on him. The future of his kingdom was at stake. What would he do? How would he respond?