Philippians 1.27
Only let your manner of life
be worthy of the gospel of Christ,
so that whether I come and see you
or am absent,
I may hear of you that you are
standing firm in one spirit,
with one mind striving side by side
for the faith of the gospel.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The third primary root that the Lord has given us to soak up the water of the Gospel is through His people, a Gospel community. He has designed us not to be alone, but to be interlocked with others whom we have been united in Christ with. I, on my own, am not the body of Christ, but I am a member of the body. When I am with other believers, I actually see and experience more of Christ, because I see more of His body that I don’t see when I am alone.
But this takes humility, openness, and vulnerability. It takes admitting my faults and sin and allowing others to see past the façade and veneer I have worked so hard at building in my life. But this vulnerability is not an option, because I’ve been called to be an active part of the body, and I am called to serve others and encourage one another.
Our hearts are not
private property,
but communal property.
Though our faith is personal,
it is not private.
-Kyle Strobel
We have a great need for community. We will have hard times, we have blind spots, we have secret sin that keeps us in hiding, and we have a natural drift towards self-centeredness. But the Gospel gives me the freedom to walk openly, admitting my sin and shortcomings, and it enables me to not live in shame or fear. God uses godly friendships and the ministry of the local church as an invaluable means to help me see more fully and clearly the Gospel at work.
True friendship calls you
out of the darkness
of personal privacy
into the loving candor
of mutual concern.
It moves you from being
a sealed envelope
to being an open letter.
-Paul Tripp
Gospel language in the Word of God is overwhelmingly plural. From “members of the body,” praying “Our Father,” and being a building made up of living stones. A coal that falls away from other coals in a campfire will stay hot for a time but will quickly go out, losing both its light and its warmth. I know that I am stronger and more effective for the sake of Christ when I am given to my church family, and the Gospel reminds me that I have nothing to hide or fear by giving myself to God’s design for Gospel community.
Read Again Out Loud and Make it into a Prayer:
Philippians 1.27
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Personalize and Read or Pray Aloud:
Psalm 107.1–3, 31, 32
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
……….
31 Let them thank the Lord
for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works
to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him
in the congregation of the people,
and praise him
in the assembly of the elders.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pray Aloud:
Go Thou before me every step of the way
Watch from behind me that I may not stray
Lord up above, watch down all of my life long
Thou my Foundation, in Thou I stand strong
-I Arise Today, by Jobey McGinty
Set to the tune of Be Thou My Vision (Slane)
Father, be glorified in __________ ,
let Your Kingdom and will be done,
in and through __________
as it is in Heaven.
Give _________ daily bread,
and thank You for Your forgiveness.
Help me to forgive others,
as I know that You have forgiven me.
Keep __________ eyes fixed on
You and Your Word
so that _______ may not sin against You.
Thank You for Your sovereign love.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Click Here to Have These Devotionals
Sent to Your Phone Daily
(U.S. Residents Only)
