Lent 2014
April 11, 2014
Read Scripture: Philippians 1:21-30
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. — Philippians 1:6, 27-28
In our scripture today Paul is not specific about the opponents, who they are or what they opposed. He had apparently had a run in with them himself at some time. He sometimes categorized those who stood against the followers of Christ in general terms as “principalities and powers” in the King James Version or as “rulers and authorities” in the NRSV. Such references seem to be about those forces in our world that separate us from our first priority: loving God. With all the things that pull and tug at our time and energy it is sometimes a wonder that we get anything done at all. I think Paul is indicating that first and foremost we must remember that our primary priority is loving God and when we do love God all other priorities fall into place.
It is actually rather freeing, I think, to know that we must deal with those who oppose us, but we can do it with objectivity because our purposes are established through our engagement with God through Jesus Christ. For one thing, it allows us to not sweat the small stuff. So many confrontations, in getting anything done, result from personal issues that in the long run really do not amount to anything. When I was a child my home town church had a major blowout over whether to upholster or not upholster the new chairs being purchased for use at the communion table. If I recall correctly we had a family or two leave over this incident. While it was a tragedy for the church, it was a great lesson for this little girl who was watching!
One of the gifts, I believe, we can bring to Putnam Heights Elementary is the gift of objectivity. We are not caught up in its “principalities and powers” or “rulers and authorities”. We just want to love them as our neighbors, which means achieving the very best for them. Our challenge is to maintain our objectivity by constantly striving for God’s purpose.
Prayer: God, help us continually seek your will and your way as we strive to love our neighbors. Amen.
The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.