right living

Phillipi was a large city in the northeastern section of Greece, near the border of what is now Turkey.

It was a wealthy city, a crossroads of trade to & from the middle east & the lands beyond.

There was a small group of followers of Jesus within the city that Paul had worked to bring together.

It is evident from his letter to them that Paul loved this bunch of Christ followers living & expressing Christ's love in a vibrant city that probably held all the virtues & vices found in any other thriving Roman city.

As I read chapter 2 this morning, I wondered what the areas in which we each live would be like & how they each would be impacted if we each lived lives that Paul challenges the Philippians followers of Jesus to live.

I wonder how the Philippians viewed these followers of Jesus, followers of The Way.

I wonder how our world would view us & the One we follow if we tried to live much like Paul encouraged the Philippian Christ followers to live.

Philippians 2

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?

Any comfort from his love?

Any fellowship together in the Spirit?

Are your hearts tender and compassionate?

2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other,

loving one another,

and working together with one mind and purpose.

  3 Don't be selfish;

don't try to impress others.

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

  5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

8 he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal's death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

  and gave him the name above all other names,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you.

And now that I am away, it is even more important.

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

  14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,15 so that no one can criticize you.

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

16 Hold firmly to the word of life;

then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.