Be Humble Like Jesus

Humility is not optional. It is the poor in spirit who will inherit the Kingdom (Mt. 5:3). It is the humble who receive God's grace (James 4:6).

If you want to be humble, the best thing you can do is look to Jesus. In Philippians Paul encourages us to be humble (Phil 2:1-4). He then immediately points us to Jesus and the example He set (Phil 2:5-11).

Here are some key aspects of humility we can learn from Jesus:

• Don't focus on who you are, what you deserve or what rightfully belongs to you. Jesus is God, but He wasn't interested in using His power or postion to serve Himself.
• Make serving others your priority. This is what Jesus did by taking the form of a bond-servant. He gave up all His rights to serve others.
  
• Sacrifice yourself. Be willing to serve no matter how much it costs. Jesus was willing to die to serve you.

This is not optional. God expects us to be humble. He opposes us when we are not (James 4:6). Paul considers this a matter of obedience and part of working out our salvation (Phil 2:12-13). Don't miss the "so then" that connects Philippians 2:12-13 to what Paul has just written about Jesus' humble example.

Take heart. You can be humble. God is the one working in you the desire to be humble. And, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Phil 1:6).

Before you close this window and move on to your next task ask yourself -- what is one way I can sacrificially serve someone this week? Now, put it on your calendar and do it!

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Resource: C.J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness

Rejoice in the Lord

Philippians is known as Paul's letter of joy. Despite being in prison, he is joyful. He commands the Philippians to rejoice (Phil 3:1, 4:4). If we want to obey God and be more joyful in Jesus, we need to learn from Paul. What gave him joy?

Paul's joy centered around three things: people, the gospel and Jesus.

First, Paul rejoiced in the Philippians. He loved them (Phil 1:7). He rejoiced that they were fellow participants in the gospel (Phil 1:3-4). He was confident that God was at work in their lives and would complete the work He began (Phil 1:6, 2:12-13).

Second, Paul rejoiced because the gospel was advancing. Paul did not care that he was in prison. Imprisonment gave him an opportunity to witness to Caesar's household (Phil 1:12-13, 4:22). It also gave others greater confidence to share the gospel (Phil 1:14). He knew that some people were trying to share the gospel out of wrong motives. But, he could still rejoice because the gospel was advancing (Phil 1:15-18).

Third, Paul's joy was in Jesus. Remember, our call is to rejoice in the Lord (Phil 4:4). This was the example Paul set. He was confident that whether he lived or died, he would be delivered (Phil 1:19). No matter what happened, Paul had Jesus, and Jesus would be glorified in his life or death (Phil 1:20-21).

This is the attitude we need to have if we are going to be joyful. We need to not be focused on our circumstances, but on people, the gospel and Jesus.

In Christ
Pastor Mike

P.S. I apologize if you are getting multiple updates to this post. I'm trying to get the reftagger function to work and the only way to check it is to edit, look at the post and then re-edit.

Fast Facts on Philippians and Colossians

This week's Bible reading is Philippians and Colossians. Here is some basic information to acquaint you with each book.

Fast Facts on Philippians:
Author: Paul
Date: 62 A.D.
Circumstances: Paul is in prison in Rome. He is writing to a church that he loves and that has supported him on his missionary journeys.
Main themes: Paul's Circumstances, Joy, Humility and the need to Pursue Jesus.
Some key verses: Philippians 1:6, 1:21, 2:5-11, 2:14, 3:8, 4:8, 4:13

Fast Facts on Colossians:
Author: Paul
Date: 61 A.D.
Circumstances: Paul is in prison in Rome. He is writing to a group of believers he has never met. He is encouraging them to cling to Jesus and not follow vain philosophies and human requirements as alternatives to salvation in Jesus.
Some key verses: Colossians 1:13-20, 2:13-14

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Bible Reading for April 26th through May 2nd: Philippians and Colossians

Bible Memory Verse for April 26th through May 2nd: Psalm 34:19-22

Sources: Wayne House, Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament; Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, and the MacArthur Study Bible

Are You a Slacker?

You might be a slacker (or, sluggard) if:

• You make excuses and avoid responsibility (Pr 26:13)
• You have difficulty finishing simple tasks (Pr 19:24; 26:15)
• You don't work at the appropriate time (Pr 20:4; 24:30-34)
• You sleep a lot (Pr 26:14)
• You are a know it all (Pr 26:16)

As you can see, you don't have to be a young man, living at home, listening to music, watching movies and playing video games all day to be a slacker. You simply have to be lazy and avoid your God given responsibilities.

Take a moment today and ask yourself, "What roles and responsibilities has God given me?" Then ask yourself, "Am I doing my best to accomplish the work God has given me or am I avoiding it?"

Don't be a slacker! It is not safe and it is not wise. (Pr 21:25; 24:30-34). Don't forget, God blesses diligent hard workers (Pr10:4; 12:24).

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Resource for further study: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Self-Control

Self-control is not a topic we like to think about. But it is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). It is also a topic that is important throughout the Proverbs.

God wants us to be self-disciplined in what, and how much, we eat; in how often we visit our neighbor and in how we deal with our temper. Personally, I find Proverbs 25:16, 27 particularly challenging. It is no so hard to stay away from honey, but if you put Ice Cream, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&M’s or pretty much any form of chocolate in the place of honey – the verse becomes very personal. The Scriptures are clear – carefully moderating our deserts (honey) is a good thing.

Proverbs 28 has more to say about greed, which seems closely related to a lack of self-control. Greed will lead to punishment (Pr 28:20), the sin of partiality (Pr 28:21), poverty (Pr 28:22), conflict (Pr 28:25) and curses (Pr 28:27).

Beloved, our American lifestyle promotes greed, discontent and lack of self-control. We need to pay attention to God’s warnings. It is not bad to find honey (desert) or other forms of wealth. We should receive them with thanksgiving. But we must also use God’s good gifts in moderation.

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Bible Reading for April 19-25 2009

Welcome! My goal for this site is to encourage Bible Reading and Scripture Memorization. I will also occasionally post quotes, book reviews and personal reflections.

My church is following a Bible Reading Plan developed by Tim Chester for the Edge Network. You can find it here. We are following the schedule for year three. This plan will take you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice over three years. If you want to learn more about it you can read this article.

Our Scripture Memory program is following the Fighter Verses program developed by Bethlehem Baptist Church. I suggest following the 7 by 7 memorization and review plan. The “Fighter Verses” sight also has some excellent devotional and background material for each week’s verse.

Weekly Bible Reading: Proverbs 25-31

Weekly Memory Verse: Psalm 34:17-18

Suggestions for this week’s reading:

1. You can read a chapter of Proverbs a day. If you do this I would suggest trying to read each chapter twice. During your first reading look for the themes this chapter emphasizes. During your second reading, pick one major them and write down what the Proverbs teach about that theme.

2. You can read all of Proverbs 25-31 each day. This takes about 15-20 minutes. As you do pick a theme each day and see how it is developed. For example you might focus on what the Proverbs teach about kings, fools, slackers, or self-discipline.

3. Simply read at your own pace and write down themes and ideas that “jump out” at you. Spend some time thinking about why this proverb was important and how it applies to your life.

My goal this week will be to post some reflections on themes that span all of Proverbs 25-31.