Passage of the Day: Philippians 4: 13 [in the context of verses 11-14 [NLT] …
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. 14 But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
Passage of the Day, Version 2: Philippians 4: 10-14 – GO TO THIS LINK from The Message …
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Philippians 4 [NLT] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passage #1: Philippians 2: 2-5 : [God’s exhortation to “otherness,” … which is Christlikenss!] …[NLT] …
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4 Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. … 5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.
My Journal for Today: Today Os Hillman lifts up Philippians 4: 13 as his Editor’s pick from God’s word to illustrate his teacher’s point that we need to live beyond self for something higher in life … for God’s kingdom and for His glory! That verse means a lot to me, personally, because it was the verse God used to break me away from my selfish pursuit of pleasure and upward to live for Christ. But that’s too long of a story to relate here.
Hillman, though, uses a reference to the life of William Wallace, which you may know of from the movie, Brave Heart, where Mel Gipson played the legendary 13th century Scottish hero, pictured in the photo attached here from the movie. Wallace learned that he had to live beyond his selfish desire for revenge; and doing so, he led Scotland on a quest for freedom from a tyrant king in England. He is quoted to have said to the Scottish nobles who desired to hold on to their own serfdoms, … "Yes, we might die. We will all die sooner or later. But we will die for a cause worth dying for … so that our children and their children might live in freedom."
Well, as a Christian, in many respects, we, like William Wallace, have to put on the war-paint of Christ, using HIS strength to do battle against the world’s forces in order to stand up for the freedom the Lord won for us on the cross. We are charged as Paul wrote about in Phil. 2: 5 to take on the attitude of Christ and to live for HIS freedom in the strength HE provides for us to do battle in HIS mighty Name.
What about it, fellow warrior? Are you willing to stand for Christ when you go out against the world today, facing the biggest tyrant of all, Satan, on his worldly battle-fronts? Are you well-armed for battle (see Eph. 6: 13-17? Do you carry His sharpened and well-practice Spirit-sword (Eph. 6: 17) Have you taken the high ground of prayer for battle today (see Eph. 6: 18? And do you realize that only going beyond self can we capture the strength which Jesus has for us [again see the highlight verse above!], … i.e., His resurrection power, … to be strong and to walk in the freedom He has already won for us?
Today, … this very morning, … this warrior, … another “William, the conqueror,” … is putting on my face-paint, as well as my full armor. … And, I’m taking up my Spirit-sword, ... and taking the high-ground of prayer ... to do battle in Christ’s Name.
My Prayer for Today … Oh, my LORD, … I CAN do all things through You … because You give me Your strength for battle. … Amen
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