Monday Devotion - 22nd June 2020
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-2
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
As we enter the second chapter of Philippians, we turn to one of the most incredible, contentious and majestic passages of the entire Bible. The main focus for Paul is to extol the immeasurable acts of humility by Jesus. Though we will get into the meat of this passage in the coming weeks, for now, we will concentrate on the opening two verses.
The Apostle Paul in his last breath in chapter one was talking about suffering for the sake of Christ. Not such a cheery subject. It isn’t really the message that attracts an individual to Christianity. In-fact it would almost certainly put them off it. But as we begin reading chapter two we quickly sense a change in tone and direction.
A Call To Remember
What we read in verse one is Paul stressing a point. Yes, there will be times of pain and hardship, but that is not all. You can not forget all of the rich and vast blessings that come with Christianity. In a sense, he is imploring the Philippians to recast their memories. He wants them to reconsider all that the Lord had done for them. And that is an important task to do in the midst of difficult times. The alluring temptation would be to solely focus on the immediate situation and forgot how God had comforted in the past.
We feel the same temptation as well. Whenever we stumble upon a difficult period in our lives, God can seem distant or irrelevant. We are somewhat conditioned to forget what God has done in the past and promised for the future. However, we must put off forgetfulness and remind ourselves of the good God has provided for us. If you need to be encouraged of some of the rich, secure and eternal blessings you have as a Christian, take a moment and read 1 Peter 1:3-9.
A Call To Unity
Paul then calls the Philippians to unity in verse two. They are to have the same mind and love as they pursue faithfully walking as a Christian. If they were to have unity then they would bring joy to their imprisoned pastor and brother in Christ. And that point underlines how important unity is for the Apostle. The last thing he wanted to hear about as he was confined to house arrest in Rome, was that division had arisen in the Philippian Church.
Though unity is important it should never be ultimate. The end goal of a local church is not to be unified. Unity and truth must coexist but unity can never trump truth. There will be times when disunity is the appropriate response whenever truth is compromised. Examples could be when theological error is put forward or individuals fail to show true repentance. It is a noble thing to desire unity, but we should be careful never to idolise it.
Paul was desperate that these believers would attain a single focus. To be concentrated and have a fixed attention on how they think, act and live. There were to be no competing alternatives. As Christians we are to have one focus and purpose; serving and glorifying God. In the words of Hebrews 13, we are to run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
Nothing should compete for our attention. Nothing else will bring you contentment or satisfy your restless heart.