Category: Philippians

Knowing You, Jesus

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 3:1-11

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:8b-11 ESV
Knowing You – Graham Kendrick

Heavenly Father, I want knowing You to be my highest goal. Father, I want to know You, intimately, personally. I want to know the power of the Risen Lord. I want to trust You with my whole life, that I can walk by by faith day by day. You’re my all, you’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness. I love you, Lord. Draw me close to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.

Serving God by Serving Others

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 2:12-30

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.

Philippians 2:19-22 ESV

When you read this did you notice how Timothy is concerned not for himself, but for others, and that this is why Paul says Timothy seeks not his own interests, but those of Jesus Christ? Dear sisters, I’m again reminded that serving others IS serving Christ.

I can serve the Lord by serving my husband breakfast. I can serve the Lord by listening attentively to my children as they tell me about their day. I can serve the Lord by washing dirty dishes and dirty socks. I can serve the Lord by chatting with a stranger in Walmart.

Father, help me to look to the needs of others rather than myself. Help me to love You by loving my neighbor. I want to serve You, so give me the strength to serve the people you’ve made. Give me a humble heart toward You, so I can have a humble heart toward the people around me. This is only possible by Your grace. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Suffering and Striving Side-by-Side for the Sake of the Gospel

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 years: Philippians 1:27-2:11

Whether Paul is with the Philippians or whether he is hours away, he wants them to stand firm, having one spirit and one mind with him and with one another, striving side by side for the gospel, not being frightened of anything, because they trust that God is good and that He is on His sovereign throne.

From there Paul moves directly into Philippians 2 which is a more well-known passage, but it’s so good to study it in this context. Paul knows this side-by-side striving for the gospel in the face of opposition will be hard, and they will want to give up, so he writes,

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11 ESV

By His Grace and In His Service, I, Kim, a servant of Christ Jesus write to you. Press on. Jesus is worth it. Keep going. Whether you can see me or not, I’m right here beside you. We are marching lockstep together, in the Lord’s army together, following the same Master, the Master who became the servant, even to death, death on a cross. We are each chains linked together in the bonds of the Spirit for the sake of the gospel. We need each other. And we can stand firm by the power of God at work in us. For the sake of all those lost souls and for the sake of the Name of our Savior and Lord, press on.

To live is Christ. To die is gain.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1:12-26

“…To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21 ESV

To live is Christ.

To die is gain.

Is my faith really that strong that I can truthfully repeat these words of Paul with my own lips?

  • To live is Christ — Is my life truly hidden in Christ, led by Christ, in submission to Christ?
  • To die is gain — Am I certain-sure that heaven is real and that I’m going there?

The world shouts, “Pursue riches. Pursue fame. Pursue power and beauty and praise. Take it easy. Enjoy life. You do you. Do what makes you happy. YOLO.”

But the Word whispers, “Pursue what makes for peace and building others up. (Romans 14:19) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11) Work hard. Enjoy Me. Be conformed to My likeness. Do what makes Me happy. YOLO.”

Which voice am I listening to?

Oh, Heavenly Father, I only live once. It has been appointed for me to some day die and to stand before Your throne. Teach me to number my days that I might have a heart of wisdom. Give me the humility I need to count others more significant than myself, to look out for the interests of others. Make my faith firm and unwavering, that I can utter these words with complete conviction, “To live is Christ. To die is gain.” In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, the One who is Worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Amen.

See: Hebrews 9:27, Psalm 90:12, Revelation 5:12

My Worth is not in What I Own

Partners in the Gospel

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1:1-11

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1:1-11 ESV

I love Paul’s humility as he opens this letter. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ” — not “Paul, the one God chose to spread the gospel throughout the world, and Timothy my little brother,” nor “Paul, a servant of Christ, and Timothy, my disciple.”

Then, I noticed Paul’s subtle encouragement for humility on the part of his readers as well.

Paul is writing this letter to all the saints in Philippi along with the overseers and deacons. He isn’t writing to the overseers and deacons and then telling them, “Hey, share this info with those other saints among you.”

When Paul says in verse 3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” expressing his gratitude that they have been partners in the gospel – in receiving the gospel and in sharing the gospel – he’s not just writing (or even primarily writing) to the elders, deacons, evangelists, and pastors. He’s writing to each and every believer in the body of Christ at Philippi. Each one of them are his partner because each of them (each of us) are partakers with Paul of God’s grace (verse 7). Paul wants each one of them to know how much he loves them, and how much he wants them to abound with more and more love, knowledge, and discernment.

My dear friends, my sisters, my fellow servants of Jesus Christ, I echo Paul’s words. I want you to know this, too!

Whether you are a 95-year-old great grandmother who has been studying the Bible verse by verse since you were “knee high to a grasshopper,” or you are a brand new believer reading Philippians for the first time, I am thankful for your partnership in the gospel, and I want you to know the Word better … so that you will know God better … so that you can love Him more and glorify Him more.

I want you to have deeper knowledge of the Lord so that you may accurately discern what is excellent and what is evil, so that your heart and your life may be pure when you meet Jesus face-to-face and so that the watching world will see your good works and be drawn to give glory and praise to God.

Photo by Jeremy Mosley on Pexels.com

I love how each of Paul’s words seem to pour one into the next, like a stream rolling over a series of rocks until finally being deposited into the deep, wide, quiet lake of the glory and praise to God. I want you to know how much I love you, how thankful I am for you, how often I pray for you, that you would love God more, that you would know Him more, that you would be able to easily recognize what is good and what is not, that you may be pure and blameless, full of righteous fruits … to the glory and praise of God. That’s the end goal. The end goal isn’t about you, your happiness and holiness, your comfort and peace. The end goal is that God would be praise and glorified.

And the irony in that is that your joy is ultimately found in bringing God glory. I am never happier than when I am in the fellowship of other believers, worshipping the Lord together in song and prayer and Bible study.

I wonder – Do you have any sisters and brothers that you can say these words of Paul to? If so, have you told them how much they mean to you? If not, let me encourage you to find a group now. Find a local body of believers. Join a small group of women who pray for each other. Study the Bible with a few other sisters.

If you’re not familiar with Community Bible Study, check into them. They have groups all over the world. If you’re in the Memphis area, I invite you to join the Collierville, Tennessee group. We meet in person on Wednesday mornings or online on Thursday evenings.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for each faithful partner in the gospel that You have put into my life. Some of them live just minutes away from me, while others live on the other side of the world. Thank You for each one of them, from the newest believer to the seasoned saint. I pray that their love will abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, that they may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory of praise of Your Name! In the Blessed and Holy Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Philippians – in 20 minutes

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1-4

This is the first short book of the Bible in my “Read through the Bible in 2 Years” plan. I suggest that you first read the entire book in one sitting as though you’d just received a letter from a friend you haven’t seen in years. Then, each day of this week, really meditate on just a little bit at a time.

Have you ever tried memorizing a whole book of the Bible? I haven’t. I’ve memorized several chapters, such as Psalm 139 and 1 Corinthians 13, but never a whole book. Philippians would be a great book to memorize from beginning to end. I’ve already memorized most of chapters 2 and 4 along with a smattering of other verses from this book. Maybe I should try memorizing the whole thing! Here are some great reasons why and tips to memorize an entire book of the bible.

One great way to work toward memorizing is to record yourself reading, then listen to it while you’re walking. So, I recorded the whole book myself. You’re welcome to listen to me – or try it yourself! By the way, I use the ESV translation if you’d like to read along.

Philippians 1-4 ESV