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JOURNAL THROUGH THE BIBLE PHILIPPIANS Day 1 Philippians 1 Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much bolder to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. 27 Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Have you gotten a piece of significantly bad news about a loved one, and then instead of getting a letter of woe, you received one of hope and love? Paul was in prison in Rome, and not a prison where he was shackled and kept in dungeons, but in a house, under guard. He said he was in the palace. He was allowed to preach and teach to anyone who came to him as he was allowed visitors, and everyone who visited left with hope and the love of Jesus Christ. It is that hope and a prayer of faith for the Philippian church that they remain steadfast in the hope of their salvation, and not think of him in dire circumstances, but with the knowledge that even in his bonds, he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was exactly where God wanted him. As Christians, it is sometimes hard to see the good in what you go through, yet, when you hold fast to Jesus Christ, trusting Him to take care of you in everything, you will find greater faith and more opportunities to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and His salvation to the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives hope, it doesn’t leave you in bondage to Satan and his will for your life, but gives you strength to move forward in faith knowing that no matter what happens, you belong to Jesus Christ. What are you going through that looks hopeless? Look to Jesus and seek His will. Strengthen yourself in His Word for you, just as David did when he was set upon by Saul, who sought his life. He encouraged himself in the Lord. You can too when you take your eyes off your circumstances and look to Him who sustains your life and fights your battles. Remember, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Philippians 4:13 Let’s pray: Father, thank you for giving me strength when I am weak. Help me look to you when Satan attacks and seeks my life, knowing that no matter what, I am Yours and You are mine. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 26 April 2019 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay