Philippians 3:17-4:1
When I was a kid, Michael Jordan was the best basketball player in the NBA. Nowadays, people want to say that LeBron James is the best. The debate will rage on forever as to who is the best of all time. I have my opinion, and so do you if you even care. As I think back to that time, almost every boy who loved basketball wanted to be like Michael Jordan. One thing that Jordan was famous for was “sticking out his tongue” when he flew into the lane for a dunk. Of course, none of us were dunking basketballs at the age of ten, but every one of us had our tongues hanging out of our mouths when we were going in for a layup. Of course, I didn’t because I didn’t like Jordan (Go “Badboys!”), but that’s another story for another time. Most of the other kids did. Why? One word – imitation!
In the face of intense religious and cultural pressure, Paul told the Philippians to “imitate” him. His laser focus of pursuing Godliness while preaching the Gospel was to be their goal. He wanted them to avoid the distractions around them. He wanted them to love each other at a high level. He wanted them to selflessly proclaim the “Good News” of Jesus Christ without reservation or fear. He wanted them to observe other faithful servants like Timothy and Epaphroditus and to learn from them.
Why was this so important to Paul? It’s because there had been so many others who had disqualified themselves from ministry impact, pursuing their own sensual desires at all costs. Some were believers who had fallen into sin; most were false teachers who had an “appearance of godliness but without its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Paul warned the Philippians to avoid getting “duped into” their provocative and appealing teachings. There are plenty of teachings out there in our culture today that claim to be from God but are far from the truth. Before you get overwhelmed with every teaching and philosophy trying to learn them all, simply decide to learn what you believe is supported by Scripture. Also, don’t let your kids have free rein on YouTube, where every system of “false teaching” is readily available to their fragile and forming minds. There is so much more I could say...
Paul wanted the attention of the Philippians! Instead of getting trapped by these false teachers (the sermon had possible examples of what the teachings were), he wanted them to live with heaven in mind. They were not to live for the praise of men! They were not to live for the advancement of their own popularity or prestige! They were not to live with greed, looking to satisfy selfish lusts. They were to live in a way that would glorify God alone, bringing people to Christ by the grace of God alone. They were to live in anticipation of heaven, knowing that the pains and struggles of their present lives would one day end. Are you living with the same mindset? Are you eagerly anticipating heaven?
You can sense Paul’s emotion toward the Philippians in this amazing section. He loved them so much! Like a cheerleader, he was trying to motivate them to endure. He wanted them to stay strong in their faith! When I think about you, I want you to know that I sincerely love you! I pray constantly for our church. I pray that God would lead you and your family forward for his honor and glory. That you would stay firm in your faith. That you would use your spiritual gifts for the honor and glory of God. That God would somehow use you and me to see people saved, baptized, and added to his church. What a privilege I have to love you. Paul felt the same way about his beloved Philippians.
Can you imagine sticking your tongue out of your mouth while going in for a layup during a basketball game? Other than not being a Jordan fan, another reason I never tried that is because I was always afraid I would accidentally chomp down on my tongue, cutting it off ?! Now, if so many boys could imitate Michael Jordan doing such a silly thing, don’t you think that there are other, more worthwhile things and people to imitate? Who are you imitating? One of the very best things that you could ever do is to find a mentor in the church to imitate. Someone who has “stood the test of time” in his or her example and who loves Jesus and his or her family. Let’s avoid wrong beliefs by finding Godly people to follow. Ultimately, when we do so, we follow Christ, who placed them into our lives.
When I was a kid, Michael Jordan was the best basketball player in the NBA. Nowadays, people want to say that LeBron James is the best. The debate will rage on forever as to who is the best of all time. I have my opinion, and so do you if you even care. As I think back to that time, almost every boy who loved basketball wanted to be like Michael Jordan. One thing that Jordan was famous for was “sticking out his tongue” when he flew into the lane for a dunk. Of course, none of us were dunking basketballs at the age of ten, but every one of us had our tongues hanging out of our mouths when we were going in for a layup. Of course, I didn’t because I didn’t like Jordan (Go “Badboys!”), but that’s another story for another time. Most of the other kids did. Why? One word – imitation!
In the face of intense religious and cultural pressure, Paul told the Philippians to “imitate” him. His laser focus of pursuing Godliness while preaching the Gospel was to be their goal. He wanted them to avoid the distractions around them. He wanted them to love each other at a high level. He wanted them to selflessly proclaim the “Good News” of Jesus Christ without reservation or fear. He wanted them to observe other faithful servants like Timothy and Epaphroditus and to learn from them.
Why was this so important to Paul? It’s because there had been so many others who had disqualified themselves from ministry impact, pursuing their own sensual desires at all costs. Some were believers who had fallen into sin; most were false teachers who had an “appearance of godliness but without its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Paul warned the Philippians to avoid getting “duped into” their provocative and appealing teachings. There are plenty of teachings out there in our culture today that claim to be from God but are far from the truth. Before you get overwhelmed with every teaching and philosophy trying to learn them all, simply decide to learn what you believe is supported by Scripture. Also, don’t let your kids have free rein on YouTube, where every system of “false teaching” is readily available to their fragile and forming minds. There is so much more I could say...
Paul wanted the attention of the Philippians! Instead of getting trapped by these false teachers (the sermon had possible examples of what the teachings were), he wanted them to live with heaven in mind. They were not to live for the praise of men! They were not to live for the advancement of their own popularity or prestige! They were not to live with greed, looking to satisfy selfish lusts. They were to live in a way that would glorify God alone, bringing people to Christ by the grace of God alone. They were to live in anticipation of heaven, knowing that the pains and struggles of their present lives would one day end. Are you living with the same mindset? Are you eagerly anticipating heaven?
You can sense Paul’s emotion toward the Philippians in this amazing section. He loved them so much! Like a cheerleader, he was trying to motivate them to endure. He wanted them to stay strong in their faith! When I think about you, I want you to know that I sincerely love you! I pray constantly for our church. I pray that God would lead you and your family forward for his honor and glory. That you would stay firm in your faith. That you would use your spiritual gifts for the honor and glory of God. That God would somehow use you and me to see people saved, baptized, and added to his church. What a privilege I have to love you. Paul felt the same way about his beloved Philippians.
Can you imagine sticking your tongue out of your mouth while going in for a layup during a basketball game? Other than not being a Jordan fan, another reason I never tried that is because I was always afraid I would accidentally chomp down on my tongue, cutting it off ?! Now, if so many boys could imitate Michael Jordan doing such a silly thing, don’t you think that there are other, more worthwhile things and people to imitate? Who are you imitating? One of the very best things that you could ever do is to find a mentor in the church to imitate. Someone who has “stood the test of time” in his or her example and who loves Jesus and his or her family. Let’s avoid wrong beliefs by finding Godly people to follow. Ultimately, when we do so, we follow Christ, who placed them into our lives.
Posted in Devotional