STAND FIRM
Opening Prayer
Father in heaven, as I anticipate celebrating the birth of your Son, give me opportunity to share with others the hope that is mine because of your gift in him.
Read PHILIPPIANS 1:27 – 2:4
Life Worthy of the Gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[a] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Imitating Christ’s Humility
2 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.
Footnotes
- Philippians 1:27 Or in one spirit
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God calls us, one by one, to himself. But we are not then to be ‘lone rangers’—we are to stand firm together.As Paul waits in his jail cell for God’s will, his concern remains with the infant Philippian church. There is opposition from outside. Paul empathizes with these new believers in their struggle. He urges them to be conducting themselves like soldiers—military images made sense in Philippi. They are to stand firm and strive together as though in battle (v 27).
There is also disunity within. Maybe Paul is referring to wrongly motivated preaching (1:15). Whatever, he reminds them of their fellowship in the past and what they still have in common (2:1–4). They are united with Christ. They belong to him and therefore belong to each other. He urges them to set their minds to rediscover what they share, seeking to love and value one another beyond them- selves. Acquiescence is not enough. Cooperation and a spirit of unity is called for, even if they disagree.
On Christmas Eve, we are reminded that Jesus was born in a divided country. The Middle East is still riven by religious barriers.
Apply
Are there ways God is calling you to strive side by side with other Christians to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ?
Closing prayer
Lord God, thank you for the church, for the privilege I have to be a part of your body, for the koinonia, for the grace that is offered to me there.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.