Everything's Possible - Day 29

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. 

I love what Paul has to say here. He feels as if the joy that comes from this work is incarnated in the person he gets to share it with. His joy and reward are those people who accept the gospel and allow God to work through them into their communities and into the lives of those they influence. It is enough for him that they stand firm in the gospel and continue the good work that God has started in them. In this way, Paul does not need reward; rather, he encourages them to continue to stand firm in the grace that they have been taught. 

There were things that were happening in the church that Paul needed to address, and he will do that in the next text, but before he gets to that he wants to encourage them, he wants to let them know his warm feelings for them, and he also wants them to stand firm in what they know to be true. 

It is interesting as we come to realize who God is, we have a tendency to be amazed at his grace for us, we fall in love with him more and more, and we commit to living our lives in the direction that God would have us go. However, after following for a while, we can be distracted by new teachings, by those leaders who say great things but the fruits of their ministry are sometimes rotten, and by the simple boredom of being a believer. There are so many implications for the gospel in our lives that it is easy to get distracted by those implications, and we forget to stand strong in the gospel that was first given to us in a simple and winsome manner. 

It is my hope that we can stay focused on the gospel and let its implications filter through our lives as we go about the work that Jesus has for us. By remaining focused on the gospel, so many other things fall in line, albeit in a nuanced way that is not to everyone’s liking. It is easy to get caught up in some really great things, and we should advocate and be active in creating a more equitable and caring world. To fight racism, to speak out against genocide, and to create systems of advocacy for those who have less than us is important, and we must do it. 

We should also do it in a manner that is informed by the gospel rather than creating really good work without a nod to the gospel and to the king of the kingdom that we want to see become a reality in the world. Our understanding of equity, justice, and hope comes from the way that we have been dealt with by God through Jesus. To forget this is to do great work, yet to leave out the author of such great things. 

1. What do you advocate for in your life? 
2. How does the gospel inform how you feel about big issues in the world? 
3. How do we advocate for grace, love, mercy, justice and equity while still recognizing that it comes from Jesus?