At the beach today will be in Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 through 18.
Let's begin in verse 12. It says, my beloved ones, just like you've always
listened to everything I've taught you in the past, I'm asking you now to keep
following my instructions as though I were right there with you. So it's really
important in life that we seek advice because it shows humility, but also we
need wisdom with our humility so that we can know who we're supposed to get
advice from. So this is like Paul's reminder, hey listen, I know you have a lot
going on, but the words that I left with you, the life that I lived in front of
you, emulate that. Take my words seriously. Put them into practice just
like it was right there beside you as your encourager, as the person trying to
empower you and trying to lift you up. You see, not everyone in life has your
best intentions in mind. Some people are trying to use you for what they want and
you want to seek out people that have your best interest in mind and that it
doesn't have anything to do with them. The Bible refers to this role as
the role of a shepherd. A shepherd takes care of sheep not for the shepherd, but
for the interests of the sheep, for doing what is in their best interest. So this
is the godly relationship that a sheep has with the shepherd and that a
shepherd has the sheep is the relationship that Paul had with the
church that he helped to start in Philippi. So he says, now you must
continue to make this new life fully manifested as you live in the holy awe
of God which brings you trembling into his presence. So God has, he gives us
glimpses of what he wants to do in our life in us and through us on a daily
basis. These moments of where we get that glimpse they can come in worship, they
can come in prayer, they can come in a conversation with someone else, but God
will always give you like a glimpse into what he wants to do in you and through
you and that glimpse provides energy and encouragement and enthusiasm so that
God's full will can be manifested in your life, not just a little bit of it.
And every time you get one of these glimpses you'll always be left kind of
trembling in God's presence a little bit. You'll be sort of in awe of how God is
working in you and through you. Now Paul says in verse 13 God will continually
revitalize you. Boy is this true. God renews this day by day. The Bible says
that his mercies are new every single morning. So God renews this every
morning and every day. He revitalizes us on a continuous basis when we walk and
step with the Spirit, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him.
So as you take each step with God he gives you more and more desire to take
another step, more and more energy to keep moving forward, more and more life
flowing out of your life to keep you moving on the straight and narrow path
that is God's will. Now he says in verse 14 live a cheerful life without
complaining or division amongst yourselves. So the key to living a
cheerful life is not to be divisive and disunified. Most of this is kept by
simply being quiet. So funny. We live in a day and age when people have never
talked more than they do right now. They've never expressed more than they
do right now and yet the world's never been crazier than it is right now. It's
because the wise person doesn't always speak. The wise person most often listens.
That's why God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we would listen twice as
much as we speak. If you listen twice as much as you speak you'll live a
cheerful life. If you talk twice as much as you listen you'll live in disunity
and displeasure. So my general advice to anyone watching this would be listen
twice as much as you speak. Don't say everything that you say. Don't say
everything that you think and you'll live a quiet joyful peaceful life. Verse 15
says for then you'll be seen as innocent. You'll be seen as innocent because you
won't say as many silly things that you'll have to go back and apologize for.
Faultless and pure children of God. Now who makes us faultless? Well just Jesus.
It's not us. We have to ask Jesus to forgive us. Ask Jesus to walk in his
grace. Ask Jesus for his compassion in our life every single day and that renews
us in our attitude of how we interact with other people. He says even though you
live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. So that's the reality
of the world that we live in. Not everyone is kind and compassionate and
loving and uplifting. We live in a brutal perverse culture and we are to shine
like stars in the midst of that most often by living a quiet joyful life
where we pray and try to bless others. He says for you will appear among them as
shining lights in the universe holding out the words of eternal life. You see
when you live a cheerful life, a prayerful life, a quiet life, that's what
makes you stand out. Not all this other stuff. A prayerful, quiet, cheerful life
is what it means to shine like a star. Paul says I haven't labored among you for
nothing for our lives are the fruit for your lives are the fruit of my ministry
and will be and will be my glorious boast at the unveiling of Christ. All
the effort that you put into making disciples, all the effort that you put
into impacting people's lives, they are the reward of the life that we live here
on earth. All of the different people that choose to love and follow Jesus
every single day. Look at verse 17 he says but I will rejoice even if my life
is poured out like a liquid offering to God for your sacrificial and surrendered
lives of faith. Now remember Paul's writing this from a prison cell. He says
I rejoice that my life is poured out before you trying to do God's will, God's
way and lastly in verse 18 and he says and so no matter what happens to me you
should rejoice in ecstatic celebration with me. You see the wise mature believer
trusts that all things work for the good to those who love God and have been
called according to his purpose in Jesus name. Thanks so much for watching today
till next time a Bible at the beach have a beautiful day.