1
Devotion Time:2012 Devotions: Philippians 1-2a December 10 – December 15, 2012
Monday, December 10Bible Text
Philippians 1:1-6(ESV)
1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
REFLECTION Questions
Philippians 1:3-5
- Note the reason for Apostle Paul's gratitude and remembrance of the Philippians. Consider the people in my life with whom I can share a sense of "partnership in the gospel." What is the state of my relationship with them?
- To what extent do I thank God for them or pray for them? Who would consider me a partner in the gospel with them?
- What is the ground of Apostle Paul's confidence regarding the Philippians?
- Who is it that began the good work in me?
- How has God been at work in my life to "bring…to completion" the work He began in me when I responded to the gospel?
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT. / Philippians 1 - Commentary
vv.3-6:“Paul begins the description of his prayers of thanksgiving in verses 3-4 with the comment that he prays for the Philippians ‘with joy.’ His primary intention for this description is simply to affirm his affection for the Philippians, but it also announces a theme that runs throughout the letter: The believer should be joyful. For Paul, joy is not the result of finding himself in comfortable circumstances, but of seeing the gospel make progress through his circumstances and through the circumstances of the Philippians, whatever they might be (1:18, 2:17). Thus, Paul is joyful when he remembers the Philippians in prayer because God is at work in their midst for the advancement of the gospel.”[1]
1
Devotion Time:2012 Devotions: Philippians 1-2a December 10 – December 15, 2012
tuesday, December 11Bible Text
Philippians 1:7-11 (ESV)
7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
REFLECTION Questions
Philippians 1:9-11
- Consider what Apostle Paul prayed for the Philippians as a prayer that the Holy Spirit would pray for me. Am I in agreement that this is what I would want more than anything that the world can give me?
- What phrase would I like to claim as something I particularly need?
- Pray the words of this prayer for someone in my life.
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT.
1
Devotion Time:2012 Devotions: Philippians 1-2a December 10 – December 15, 2012
wednesday, December 12Bible Text
Philippians 1:12-26 (ESV)
12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
REFLECTION Questions
Philippians 1:12-14
- What does this passage show about difficult or frustrating circumstances in my life?
- Why would “most of the brothers,” instead of being discouraged and silenced by Apostle Paul’s imprisonment, actually speak the word of God more boldly and fearlessly? What can I learn from their response?
- To Paul, the fact that the Gospel was being preached–-even from those with false motives—was of highest value to him. As I reflect on my Christian walk, what is of highest value to me?
- Can I rejoice when something good happensthat does not involve me or benefit me?
- Can I rejoice when others outdo me in serving God, simply because it gives me joy to know that God’s work is being done?
- How does Apostle Paul’s view of trial and deliverance challenge my view of struggles or difficulties?
- How real are people’s "prayers" and the "help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" for me compared to how real they were for Apostle Paul?
- Reflect on the power and confidence expressed in this verse. How does the gospel enable such a stance toward life and death?
- Consider what you were living for before Christ, or what the people of the world live for. How would these blanks be filled out for them:“For to me to live is ____, and to die is ____.”
- What could possibly go into the blank “For to me to live is ____,” for which one could then say that “to die is gain”? What are the things in my life that compete with Christ for that position?
- Reflect on what this passage says about who Apostle Paul was, and the fruit of his life.
- Assess the purpose and fruit of my life based on this passage.
- Are there some things I need to change in my life so that my continuing life can be a source of progress and joy for others in Christ Jesus?
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT. / Philippians 1 - Commentary
v.18:“Why did Paul seem to condone insincere preachers?Paul was tolerant toward preachers whose hearts were not entirely pure (v.15) – but who preached Christ nonetheless. He was not indifferent toward false teaching, nor was he excusing immoral or hateful behavior. But he knew that Christ could be preached even out of the mixed motives found in imperfect human beings. What really mattered, Paul insisted, was that Christ be preached.”[2]
v.19:“He simply does not think of Christian life as lived in isolation from others. He may be the one in prison and headed for trial; but the Philippians – and others – are inextricably bound together with him through the Spirit. Therefore, he assumes that their praying, and with that God’s gracious supply of the Spirit of his Son, will be the means God uses yet once more to bring glory to himself through Paul and Paul’s defense of the gospel (vv. 7, 16).”[3]
1
Devotion Time:2012 Devotions: Philippians 1-2a December 10 – December 15, 2012
Thursday, December 13Bible Text
Philippians 1:27-30 (ESV)
27Only 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, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
REFLECTION Questions
Philippians 1:27
- What would it look like for my "manner of life" to be "worthy of the gospel of Christ"?
- Note that the word "you" here is plural (e.g. Apostle Paul is addressing the church). To what extent am I standing with my fellow brothers/sisters in "one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel"?
- What do the words "standing firm," "striving," "not frightened," "opponents," and "conflict" show about the nature of Christian life?
- To what extent can I relate to these words as descriptive of my Christian life?
- Reflect on the idea that suffering for Christ's sake is a gift that has been "granted to you." What is my view of suffering, and how have I reacted in the past when I experienced setbacks, frustrations, and difficulties because of my commitment to Christ?
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT. / Philippians 1 - Commentary
v.27: “Paul exhorted the Philippians in a way which would have appealed to them. What he said, literally, was: ‘Exercise your citizenship worthily of the gospel of Christ.’ Philippi was a Roman colony, a title seen as one of the coveted prizes of the Roman empire. ‘Colonial’ status meant that the people of Philippi were reckoned as Roman citizens. Their names were on the rolls at Rome; their legal position and privileges were those of Rome itself. They were a homeland in miniature. But all this is also true of them spiritually as men and women in Christ. Grace has made them citizens of a heavenly city; in their far-off land they are the heavenly homeland in miniature; heaven’s laws are their laws, and their privileges, its privileges. The life worthy of the gospelis an inescapable obligation: it is the essence of the homeland where the Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, forms the focal point of all life.”[4]
1
Devotion Time:2012 Devotions: Philippians 1-2a December 10 – December 15, 2012
FRIDAY, December 14Bible Text
Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV)
1 Soif there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
REFLECTION Questions
Philippians 2:2-4
- How do the blessings of being in Christ (listed in v. 1) lead me to experience having "the same mind" and "same love, being in full accord" with other believers?
- Consider the call to love and oneness in this passage. What specific exhortation here do I need to heed?
- What about the gospel would enable me to look out for the "interests of others," without "selfish ambition or conceit”?
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT. / Philippians2 – Commentary
v. 2: “On the basis of what they have in Christ, Paul now appeals to the Philippians to behave in such a way as will ‘make [his] joy complete’ (v.2). The Philippians have already brought him joy (1:4; cf. 4:1), and if their behavior reflects their common life in Christ, they will fulfill Paul’s joy. The underlying exhortation is to ‘be what you are,’ to live ‘in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ’ (1:27). They are to ‘be of the same mind’(NRSV), literally, to ‘think the same.’ […] the verb refers to attitude, rather than intellectual thought.”[5]
Saturday, December 15
REFLECTION
Review the past week’s DT.
Personal Prayer
Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT.
[1] Frank Thielman, Philippians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995) 38.
[2]Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 1621-1622.
[3] Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1995) 135.
[4] J.A. Motyer, The Message of Philippians, The Bible Speaks Today Series (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1984) 93.
[5] Mrona D. Hooker, “The Letter to the Philippians,” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XI (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 499.