Gateways

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13, 14, NKJV).

Gateways. One gaping wide, really, really obvious, and easy to reach. The other narrow, inconspicuous, and difficult to find.

Destinations. One destruction. The other life.

Stark contrasts and clear warnings.

Some say (I used to), that Christianity is too much 'pie in the sky by and by' to be satisfying. Like many things people say based on sheer ignorance and wishful thinking, that statement is unadorned stupidity. (Was that rude? Good. I meant it to be.) Did I mention it was inexcusably prideful, as well? Stupid AND prideful, then. I know I should be more polite, and I try, I really do try, but I'm old, tired and overworked, and I have even less patience than the little amount I even normally possess.

This part of what is popularly called the Sermon on the Mount, a synonymous title for Matthew 5-7, details how utterly unlike the world Christians are supposed to live. (Good thing I memorized it else I would be more rude.)

If Christianity is all 'pie in the sky by and by', then why all the dire warnings about death and destruction? Christ speaks more of Hell and eternal damnation ("where the fire is not quenched and the worm never dies") then He does of Heaven. So you can just toss out the argument about it being too good to be true.

Another major objection to the Christian faith is that it's full of toxic shame and guilt and punishment, and that too is just ignorant foolishness. In fact, I have heard some people say both things at once, which is an oxymoron of stupendous proportions.

The truth is embodied in the passage above. Christianity, at its root is God condescending to reveal to His rebellious creatures the Truth. Two gateways. Two destinations. The one that looks right in rebellion is wrong. The one that in our arrogance and pride we can't even see, is right. And because the truth was lost, God Himself became a Man and died to enable us to see the Way.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8, NKJV).

Flesh and Spirit

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Galatians 5:16-22, NKJV).

Flesh and Spirit

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (Romans 7:18, NKJV).

And...

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14, NKJV).

The Word of God makes an emphatic distinction between flesh and spirit. Many believe it ultimately describes man as tripartite, flesh and soul and spirit (Heb 4:12), with 'flesh' referring to our material, three-dimensional existence in an organic container with bones and blood and organs and skin. What we call 'soul' points to our will and emotions, the 'I behind my eye', the being that I most often identify as 'myself', and, finally, 'spirit' is that part of me made in the direct image of God, that part, that until I believed and surrendered to the gospel of Christ, was "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1).

The Apostle Paul warns us of the many battles of the Christian life; against the world, against the enemy of our soul, and against our flesh. I suppose it's possible to avoid the first two, but if you are alive and conscious, the last one is guaranteed. Every day. 24/7. Even when we sleep.

I remember vividly the beginning of my Christian life. One aspect that will serve as a memorial for as long as my memory exists, was my Lord's gracious gift of peaceful sleep. The contrast could not have been more stark: from nightmares to songs; from graphic images of death and destruction to light and life; from demons to angels. My far-gone will was renewed and strengthened. It was mended in fundamental ways that changed everything about how I thought and felt. And I was able to look upon my life before Christ with - and there is no other word for this - horror. I understand, at least in part, Peter's cry when he recognized Christ's undisguised holiness: "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'" (Luke 5:8, NKJV).

The battle still rages between my will and spirit even in my sleep, but that small taste of God-granted victory changed the essential nature of the fight. Now the conflict lies not so much in the realm of nightmare, but in the domain of trust. Instead of primeval mental demons flinging me awake atop sweat-drenched sheets with heart pounding, my own anxieties sometimes wage war against my peace. Instead of self-centered existential terror, more often than not, my sleep is stolen by fears on behalf of my loved ones - a small step up to be sure, but the war is not yet won. I know that "… whatever is not from faith is sin." (Ro 14:23)

My waking flesh stinks, too. Not literally most of the time, but in its base drives and unguarded thoughts. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I learn and receive of who He is, the more I become aware of how far short of His goodness I fall. And I understand why throughout this Church Age, big, burly Christian writers from the Apostle Peter onward, frequently describe the Lord as beautiful and precious, because the depth and reality of His goodness defies simple description.

Knowing that God knows I am engaged in constant war is somehow reassuring. For surely the war is evident despite whatever effort I may put forth to deny it. If I know the Bible, I cannot honestly live under the delusion of my own goodness, I can only pray for my Lord's empowerment to do as Paul exhorts above - walk in the Spirit - so that I do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This is a moment-by-moment thing. Momentary success followed my momentary defeat until the moment the Lord brings me home. But He knows this about me, and ensures that I know He knows. His desire is for me to be victorious in this fight, this War of Sanctification, but loves me even when I suffer ignominious defeat. And He promises to complete this good work which He has begun in me, and sometimes gives me sweet, sweet moments of His victory. And for that and so much more, I will love Him forever.

Peace

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NKJV).

John 16:33 is one of the many guarantees about life that Christ gives His followers. At first glance, and taken as a whole, the knee-jerk response might be, "Well, great. I am promised tribulation (trouble). I can get quite enough of that without having to go through all the 'bother' of being a Christian, thank you very much." And that's sure enough true. Trouble, in all its various shapes and sizes comes with life itself. The only sure-fire avoidance mechanism is death, or never having lived, and in reality the first alternative is already too late to be 100% effective, and the second won't matter. If you're alive you will experience problems, sometimes annoying, sometimes horrific. Even if you live the most trouble-free life imaginable, it will end, sooner or later, and for a sane person, that in itself is, well, troubling. I suspect that even a euphorically insane person on some level knows this, but even if that's not the case, insanity as a package deal comes with its own imperfections as a life-strategy.

This promise from Christ is nonetheless priceless. It tells us at least 5 invaluable things that we would have no means to really know otherwise:

1) He cares enough about our tribulation to have provided a solution - Himself;
2) The antidote for trouble is His peace;
3) Life in the world is no picnic, at least not all the time (and for most of the world hardly any of the time);
4) The root cause of trouble is inherent in the nature of Fallen earthly life itself;
5) He has waged war against, and victoriously overcome, this world of trouble.

Volumes of theology could be written about each one of these things, but the aspects of the promise that provide me with the most comfort, encouragement and hope can be boiled down to one sentence: I am to expect trouble (and not be surprised or feel condemned when it comes) but I am never to be deceived into thinking that trouble is all there is in life; no matter what form that tribulation takes. My hope is not, after all, in this world. That is a good thing because this world is not even remotely a trustworthy repository of hope. Despair and futility? Yes. Hope? No.

For a believer, the question then arises, "How do I acquire His peace?" (Sadly, this peace of God is not available to an unbeliever. Temporary facsimiles thereof might be, through drugs or alcohol, or frenetic activity, or therapy, or gritted-teeth denial, but not that bigger-than-the-Universe peace that can only come through child-like faith in Christ. Sorry, but I didn't write the rules.) In fact, for a believer, acquisition of that peace is not only possible, but commanded. God orders us to enter into His peace (Heb 4:11).

The Bible abounds with practical instruction on how to live a Christian life of peace. Note the cause and effect pattern revealed in the verses below.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5, 6, NKJV).

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6, 7, NKJV).

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8, 9, NKJV).

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:12-17, NKJV).

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6, 7, NKJV).

The equations I see in the above passages are these:

Trusting in God rather than yourself enables His peace.

Bring EVERY anxiety to Him, in faith, and He will give you peace.

Set your mind on His goodness, and both He and His peace will be with you.

Immerse yourself in His Word, thereby becoming more and more like Him, and His peace will rule in your heart.

Be thankful for who He is and what He has done and is doing, and you will have peace.

Be humbly dependent on Him, rather than yourself or the world and you will have peace.

In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27, NKJV).

The all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, living Lord of the Universe is in control. You are not. He loves you with an everlasting love. As Paul says, if you have learned and received and heard and saw these things, then live them. And you will have peace.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NKJV).

Have I Been With You So Long

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9, NKJV).

This quote from Jesus has always struck me as something very special. It consists of a tender question followed by an earth-shattering statement, followed by what seems to be a very mild rebuke.

I have great love for the Apostles (except for one), but with all due respect, they were sometimes thick as a brick. That is good news for me personally, and frankly, for many people I know. Why? Because if I were Messiah, I would only want the best and the brightest in my entourage. I sure wouldn't want this gang, who frequently argued about who was the greatest among them (Mr 9:34; Lu 9:46; 22:24), sometimes connived against each other (Mr 10:35), and for the most part, had to have things repeated to them more than once (Mt 12:40; 16:21; 26:2; Mr 8:31). But Jesus loved them (Joh 13:1), and restored them, and cherished them.

The question he asked of Philip comes across to me as almost plaintive in tone. I hear in my mind God the Son Himself, grieved because the very men He had nurtured and taught for so long were still relatively clueless about who He really was, and what work He would so profoundly accomplish on their (and our) behalf. It's almost as if one moment dawn would break over their marble heads, and in the very next moment the bulb would flare out on their brief glimpse of understanding (Mt 14:25-31, Mt 16:15-23, Lu 9:51-56). I don't know about you, but I'm like that… a lot. One second I'm all like "I'm a spiritual genius", and the next it's like "I'm not gettin' it Lord." Despite my many, many failures, He loves me just like He loved them (Joh 17:20-26).

His plain, unadorned subsequent statement to the disciple must have shook the very foundations of the world. It destroys any arguments that someone might make that Jesus "never said He was God", or that He was just some "good moral teacher". C.S. Lewis argues this point best:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell…" (Mere Christianity, pages 40-41).

And finally then comes the mild rebuke "…so how can you say…?" If I were Messiah, knowing I was about to lay down my life for these men so that they could spend all eternity with me, I think I might have been a bit less mild. In truth, I'd have gone ballistic on good old Philip. "Listen up you Hellenist! Were you hiding behind the door when I was handing out brains? After all you've seen me do and heard me say, you STILL can't figure this out! Just when I thought your thinking couldn't get any more shallow, you drain a few more hin of water out of the pool!" I forget, of course, how often I am worthy of a similar rebuke from my Lord: how can I say, or think, or feel, whatever it is, after I've read and heard and seen and experienced all the things He's done in my life?

But I know Jesus goes on loving me and saving me and conforming me into His image, despite all my apostle-like behavior, and every time I recite that verse in John, I become just a little more thankful. That is, of course, unless I'm being particularly hard-headed and clueless.

Humility

I know people who think Christians think they're better than other people. I know Christians who think that, too. I also know Christians who think they are better than other Christians. I am not guilty of any of this because, well, I'm better than that.

Truthfully, there is nothing more boring than an attitude of superiority. It is SO predictable. Dripping condescension, or silent smugness are both the same sort of thing, and after a nanosecond or two, their entertainment value degrades sharply.

It is extremely difficult to have a real conversation with someone who thinks you are an inferior. They can, after all, discount everything you might say because they think you really don't know what you're talking about. Like I said, BORING. I would much rather engage in a lively interchange with a person who is at least not sure I am an idiot. I can then play the secret interactive game of trying to keep them guessing as to how much of an idiot I really am. The hard part, of course, is keeping the incontrovertible evidence of my idiocy secret. That takes a certain amount of cleverness, or at least that quality commonly referred to as "animal cunning". The best tactic, no doubt stumbled upon soon after the Fall in the Garden, is to say as little as possible.

However, if people really knew what the Bible says about humanity's quality, there would be no room for feeling superior. While we are, for some inexplicable reason, beyond price to our Creator, He makes no bones about the fact that even at our very, very best, we are complete idiots (Isa 64:6).

Let me go even further along these lines. Idiocy implies a level of innocence, You really can't blame an idiot for being an idiot because they ARE an idiot. If they knew better, they wouldn't BE an idiot. Even an idiot knows that much. But the Bible declares unmistakably that mankind's idiocy is not innocent at all. It is in fact, WILLFUL. You, me and all our idiot friends and relatives are WILLFULLY ignorant (Ps 73:22, 2Pe 3:5, Jude 10). Understanding what Scripture says about us AND having any sort of feeling of superiority is logically impossible. It is the quintessential oxymoron, a mutually exclusive proposition. Only an idiot would be able to entertain such a thought. Oh wait…

In fact, the more you understand how God looks at us, the more ridiculous any kind of SELF-righteousness, or SELF-esteem becomes. At bottom, our stubborn insistence and inclination to feel good about ourselves flies in the face of all revealed facts. But that doesn't appear to matter. Despite massive evidence to the contrary, we WILL think we are better than we are. We are experts at self-justification and moral cover-up. One moment we can be completely broken about what miserable slugs we are, and the next we can be up and about as if pond scum has a RIGHT to a MacDonald's Happy Meal. (Yes, I am well aware that the world thinks we all need even healthier doses of self-esteem than we are already naturally gorged with, but, given the facts, that is just too idiotic to even take seriously.)

Here's what the Bible says about us:

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18, NKJV).

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:18-25, NKJV).

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21, NKJV).

The BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: while it may be understandable for a non-Christian to harbor a feeling of superiority because they don't know the truth, it is INEXCUSABLE for a well-taught Christian to do so. Whatever good we have or do is through God. Whatever value we possess is His gift. Paul says it best, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24, NKJV).

The truly amazing thing is this: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NKJV).


   

Love Your Enemies

Having recently memorized the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5, 6 & 7), I confess that it is my least favorite passage of Scripture to recite on my drive into work in the mornings. Not because it isn't profound or true or brilliant, for it is all those things, but because it is a mirror into my own heart and soul and I do not like what I see. At all. Take just this one passage, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…" (Matthew 5:44, NKJV).

Love, bless, do good and pray. These are short, succinct and easy to understand commands; nothing ceremonial, complicated or ritualistic about them. These are direct action verbs. My problem is not what the words mean, for that is simple enough.

'Love' is agape-love, that description coined in the Greek New Testament to convey God's divine, sacrificial, unconditional love toward sinful humanity. That same love that drove Jesus to die on the Cross in payment of our debt. That same love that is defined in Paul's letter to the Corinthian church: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NKJV).

'Bless' in the context of human-to-human interaction means to make happy, to cause to prosper, to wish someone well, to ask God's favor for someone.

'Do good' refers to behaving rightly, so that there shall be no room for blame; to treat another well, truly, excellently, nobly, commendably, honorably.

'Pray' is to intercede for good on behalf of another before God. It is the equivalent of going into the throne room of a powerful, sovereign ruler and imploring him or her to use that power and sovereign authority in a way that well benefit, not yourself, but another person.

Truthfully, I have an immense difficulty in doing these things consistently and effectively for my dearest loved ones, let alone my close friends or 'mere' acquaintances. But to be commanded by the Lord Himself to do these things for my hate-filled enemies is, well, beyond my comprehension and my real problem. It goes against every natural inclination of my being. My enemies want me gone or dead, or want to inflict me with pain or hardship.

As a Christian, I understand that the world hates me (“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - John 15:18, 19, NKJV; "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you." - 1 John 3:13, NKJV). And frankly, when I am safe and sound, I have no real problem hating the world right back. Sadly, hating those who hate me is something I'm good at.

But as a follower of Christ, I am more than my "natural inclination". I am more than my "lack of comprehension". I am more than my facility to sin. I am a child of the Most-High God by adoption through faith. I am a new creation. I have been made free from the slavery of sin. My citizenship is in Heaven, and my purpose in life is to be conformed into the image of God's Son. And that is precisely why I am commanded to love my enemies; not because I am good at it, or like it, or understand it, but simply because I am to follow Him, and that is exactly what He did. The world hated Him, but He loved the world, even to the point of death on the Cross.

I do not like it, but after all the smoke of my resistance clears, I am immensely thankful that My God commands me to love my enemies. I am thankful that He is that kind of God, who Himself loved those who persecuted Him and sought to kill Him. I am thankful that my Savior loved the world that hated Him, because I was part of that hate-filled legion, and He forgave me and loved me enough to die for me. "“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13, NKJV).

Lying Dog

"Then Jesus said…'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" (John 8:31, 32, NKJV).

Deception is rampant today. I have personally caught the world red-handed in lies. Authorities, experts, and so-called scholars are guilty of purposeful suppression of truth. Guesses and theories are promulgated as gospel truth. Wishful thinking is presented as irrefutable fact.

As the Information Age progresses, the ancient prophecies are being fulfilled before our very eyes: “…shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4, NKJV). And "…the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron," (1 Timothy 4:1, 2, NKJV). And, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…" (Romans 1:18-22, NKJV).

It is more than a little ironic that as we become more technologically capable of disseminating information and more scientifically sophisticated, we are becoming increasingly inundated with falsehood. There is only one antidote to this plague, and it is the verse above. Only through being immersed in God's Word can we be inoculated from deceit.

I was once a child of the world, holding in contempt the things of God and the people of God, and believing the lies, and now as a child of God the world holds me in contempt. It is often not an easy place to be, but I would rather be counted as a fool for Christ than be held in esteem by men.

Today it is commonplace for good to be called evil and evil good; for truth to be shouted down in a cacophony of derision and intolerance. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Timothy 4:3, 4, NKJV).

We are in that time for sure. God help us.

Philippians Favorites

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).

For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:23, NKJV).

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:1, 2, NKJV).

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3, 4, NKJV).

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11, NKJV).

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12, 13, NKJV).

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Philippians 2:14, 15, NKJV).

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11, NKJV).

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14, NKJV).

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Philippians 3:20, NKJV).

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, NKJV).

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:5, NKJV).

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6, 7, NKJV).

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8, NKJV).

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8, NKJV).

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Philippians 4:11, 12, NKJV).

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19, NKJV).