Philippians 1

Works! We don’t get ahead with God through them, but they are an indication that He is on our insides. When He is in our hearts, we DO them. It’s actually evidence that He is at work in us.

Our natural inclination is to look out for ourselves, but the Christ inside us is concerned with others. Let THIS mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

The key is to get Christ on the inside of people. He then begins His work. Day by day they experience Christ working on them to get them ready to reign with Him forever. It is God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. We are not saved by good works, but we are definitely saved to DO good works.

Eph. 6

Paul instructs, “Obey … with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ”

With your heart you think, you feel, and you decide. It’s the ground zero of your life, the part of you that embraces purity of motive or moral depravity. It’s like the oil in an engine – clean and long lasting or dirty and bound for failure.

Engines require frequent oil changes to stay clean running. Our heart requires frequent attention. Each time we read THE WORD or make authentic prayer contact with the Lord, He does some overhaul. The Holy Ghost is like oil. Praying in the Spirit refills our engine with clean oil. In the same way maintenance is critical for your car’s engine, spiritual maintenance is critical for your heart’s health.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. [Prov. 4:23]

Eph. 5

I love to tell a good joke. Early in my Christian walk I was always very serous. I found that getting people to laugh set them more at ease and then we could progress to having meaningful conversation. In the same way a speaker will use some humor to relax an audience before they proceed to the meat of their presentation. That’s my motive.

I would rather be known as someone who offers encouragement and truth than a comedian. (A comedian I ain’t!) For me, Jesting is for amusement. Coarse jesting is off limits for Christians.

There is a line of appropriateness that should not be crossed. Paul warns against dirty jokes. Let there be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse [obscene or vulgar] joking, because such things are not appropriate [for believers]; [Eph. 5:4 Amplified Bible]

Eph. 3, 4

We don’t fully realize how much God wants us to get along. As a parent, I can testify that it’s distressing to see your children fight.

My two youngest children used to have tension .. now, 25 years later, they are VERY CLOSE. Time has helped our family to achieve greater unity and closeness. I’ve seen this happen in the church world also. Certain evangelical denominations (Baptist) would ask congregants who raised their hands in church to leave. NOW, many Baptist churches have many attenders who openly and sincerely raise their hands when worshiping. To me, this is a sign of progressing unity.

Christ’s precious blood was shed for ALL. Equal sacrifice for equal unity.

Eph. 2

I like bicycles. I have over 20 of them. I love to work on them and get them looking and running good. Each one has a character of its own.

You and I are similar. God wants to get us looking and running good. We are His project, His workmanship, His masterpiece. He has the right tools and processes to get us the way He wants us.

Another illustration for this verse … we are His poem. He is writing a message through our lives. We are also His painting. He is creating something of beauty through our lives.

We just need to submit to the Master Mechanic, the Celebrated Author, the Heavenly Artist. HE knows how He wants us to turn out.

Gal. 6; Ephesians 1

A popular and moving recent church chorus is entitled, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.” What does that mean? Let’s look at how several translations express it:

• the eyes of our understanding
• that God will open your minds to see His truth
• that you will have deeper insight
• that the perception of your heart be enlightened
• that you may receive the inner illumination of the Spirit
• that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do

I think we get the picture. The Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.” [Ps. 119:18] This can be our request of God every time we read or hear His Word.

Gal. 5

My brother had auto-pilot installed in his airplane. He loves it. He can set his destination and allow the technology to fly his plane within 200 feet of the runway. Wow! A friend of mine was in auto-pilot in the Air Force, They get within 10 feet of their runway.

Walking in the Spirit is like auto-pilot. It will navigate you though life in a way that pleases the Lord. The Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you wrong. We just need the grace to be obedient to His Voice. The more you are obedient, the clearer and stronger His Voice becomes. Moses followed the Lord’s Voice and he led the Children of Israel through the wilderness.

Have a frank discussion with the Lord and ask Him to make His Voice clear to you. I think He would like that.

Gal. 4

Many believe Paul’s thorn in the flesh was to do with his eyes. He needed large letters to read, and the Galatians had offered to give him their eyes. He must have had an obvious need. Were they damaged when he was stoned? Did he have a congenital condition? We don’t really know. They were an issue that he had to deal with.

You may have a thorn in the flesh or a physical issue to deal with. I know I DO. Nevertheless we go on. We live and are sustained by the faith He gives us. If we have a greater need, we must rely more fully upon His grace and power to live. My physical challenge requires me to depend fully upon the Lord’s life within me.

Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do NOTHING!”

Gal. 3

Live by faith … or the Law?

Through faith we receive all that God has to offer. It’s a growth process. We begin by faith, progress by faith, and will conclude by faith. In the Law (or any system of merit through works) if you mess up at all, you have violated the entire system.

Paul was so vexed by the Galatian believers because they thought they advanced with God through good works and compliance to the Law. His letter, Galatians, attempted to correct their error and get them walking by faith, the best deal in the universe.

P.S. The major spiritual truths of God’s Word are so often the themes of great hymns of the Christian faith. We don’t hear these hymns any more in contemporary worship services, sadly. That’s one reason why I like to expose my readers to some of these hymns when they come to my mind.

Gal. 2

It is easy to become entangled in slavery to a system of dos and don’ts thinking you are becoming a better Christian. We should rather be slaves to faith. Paul said, “The life I now live … I live BY THE FAITH of the Son of God.” He didn’t brag, “I haven’t eaten pork in many years.” (Actually, observing the dietary laws is healthy)

We are rather to be slaves to righteousness, slaves to God’s will. Romans 6 expounds on this form of slavery. We WILLINGLY become slaves to Christ. He is our Lord and Master. His instructions come from His Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.