Paul the apostle knew the
church in Philippi was going to be a witness to the world around
them, so he gave them encouragement and instruction concerning their
behavior before others. They were to “work out” their own
salvation because it was God who was working in them not only to will
but also to do of His good pleasure. They also were to “do all
things without murmurings and disputings”, and in chapter two
and verse fifteen Paul shares the reason these behaviors were
important. We read:
That you may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in
the world;
The
verse begins, “That you may be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God,...” When
others observed the behavior of the Christians in Philippi, Paul
desired that they “may be blameless”
which means “deserving no censure, free from fault or
defect” and “harmless” or “unmixed in the mind,
without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, simple”. They
were to be “the sons of God” which means “all who are
led by the Spirit of God and thus closely related to God”. As
people observed their lives they shouldn't see faults, and they
should see them as innocent, simple children of the Most High God.
The verse continues, “without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,” In
addition to being blameless, harmless, sons of God, the church
members should also be “without rebuke” or
“cannot be censored”, and they were to be this way in the middle
of “a crooked” or
“wicked, unfair, surly, froward” and “perverse”
which means “to distort or turn aside, to oppose, plot against
the saving purposes and plans of God, to turn aside from the right
path, to pervert, or corrupt” “nation”.
Regardless of the crooked and perverse nation that surrounded
the Philippians, they were to manage themselves in such a manner that
others would see they were separated.
Finally
the verse says, “ among whom you shine as lights in the world;”
Paul added that the church members in Philippi shined “as
lights in the world”. Jesus said, “You are the light of
the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” in the
gospel of Matthew in chapter five and verse fourteen, and by behaving
in a manner that was far different than the world, the Christians in
Philippi were as lights in a dark place.
It is
one thing for us to read and study these words of Paul, and it is
quite another to apply them. As we think about this letter to the
Philippians, we do best to read it as though it was written to us.
Are we “blameless” to our world around us? Do we behave in
a “harmless” way? When others observes us, do they know us
as the “sons” or “daughters” of God? Are we “without
rebuke” in this “crooked and perverse nation”, and
do we “shine as lights in the world”? Perhaps it is a lot
for us to take in, and it certainly is a lot to examine, however,
souls are on the line, and those who observe us will either see the
kingdom of God manifested or they will not. May the Lord help us to
live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to Him, and may we shine
as a light unto others of His grace.
Next
time Paul tells the Philippians more reasons they are to shine, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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