Living in the Spirit

October 13, 2023

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:1-9
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul closes his letters with encouragement. We all need a lot of encouragement right now as the world is in chaos. How do we, whom God has called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, deal with such chaos? Paul challenges two women, Eudia and Synthche, to get their act together because, in such a world as we live, there is not time to mess with petty quarrels. I think many of our disputes are tied to the last half of God’s commandment. We cannot love our neighbors if we do not love ourselves; we do not recognize ourselves as people of worth. Sometimes, we end up putting others down to enhance our worth. All people are made in the image of God, and thus, all people are people of worth. Sometimes, the best way we can help others is to help them love themselves. They may need to be guided through understanding that whatever may have happened in the past, God can heal our broken self-images.

Prayer: Lord, heal our brokenness so we can love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.