For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:18-21)
âEverything [is] under his control.â What a glorious truth to cling to this morning.
God is in control of our health.
He is in control of our economy.
He is in control of our work.
And while we may not know or understand His plans, all throughout Scripture, He has proven Himself to be faithful and sovereign, working all things for His glory and the ultimate âgood of those who love himâ (Romans 8:28).
One day, we will see the ultimate culmination of that good on the ...
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to deathâ even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:1-8)
Last week, we looked at Philippians 1 and how Paul used his time of isolation to âadvance the gospel.â One of th...
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)
Isolation through imprisonment was not a part of Paulâs plans.
At first glance, his imprisonment must have looked like a disruption to his attempts to spread the gospel through his work as a tentmaker and preacher. But Paul stated very clearly that âwhat has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.â
How? As verse 13 makes clear, the gospel was able to shine precisely because it gave Paul an opportunity to show that, regardless of circumstances, he was ultimately âin chains for Christ,â willingly shackled to the sovereignty of God.
That hope in the context of Pa...
You may say to yourself, âMy power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.â But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)
As weâve seen over the past three weeks, viewing our career as a calling from God and working for His agenda rather than our own can have a dramatic impact on the way we do our work. The faith of Chick-fil-Aâs founder, Truett Cathy, has influenced the company in countless ways, some of them more subtle than others. But on this final entry of this devotional series, weâll take a closer look at Chick-fil-Aâs most overt expression of faith: the fact that since the companyâs founding in 1946, they have controversially remained closed on Sundays.
Like most great entrepreneurs, Truett Cathy worked tirelessly to start up Chick-fil-A. At the beginning, the restaurant was open twenty-four hours a day, six d...
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, âAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.â (Matthew 28:16-20)
Have you ever read todayâs passage (commonly known as the Great Commission) and felt a sense of guilt of not being a âfull-time missionary,â going to make disciples of all nations?
I know I have. But years ago, the teaching of Pastor Kennon Vaughan forever changed my thinking on this subject. Commenting on Jesusâs words in Matthew 28:19, Vaughan says, âThe word âGoâ literally means âhaving gone.â The going is assumed. In other words, Jesus is saying, âAs you go, turn men into discip...
âLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.â The second is this: âLove your neighbor as yourself.â There is no commandment greater than these.â (Mark 12:30-31)
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to do everything with excellence, not doing anything half-heartedly. Why? Because when God creates, He does it with excellence, and as His image-bearers to the world, we should seek to imitate Him in every way possible. In the words of the British novelist, Dorothy Sayers, âNo crooked table legs or ill-fitting drawers ever, I dare swear, came out of the carpenterâs shop at Nazareth. Nor, if they did, could anyone believe that they were made by the same hand that made Heaven and earth. No piety in the worker will compensate for work that is not true to itself; for any work that is untrue to its own technique is a living lie.â
Few businesses demonstrate a commitment to excellence as well as Chick-fil-A. From their inc...
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of Godâs mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Godâthis is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)
Few things bring me more happiness than a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, perfectly golden-brown waffle fries, and a Diet Coke from Chick-fil-A. To say Iâm a Chick-fil-A superfan is a bit of an understatement. But itâs not just fried chicken, Icedream Cones, and Chick-fil-A sauce that I love. Itâs the company itself, built steadily over decades by men and women who love Jesus Christ and exercise their love for Him and others through their work.
For my book, Called to Create, I interviewed and researched 40+ Christian entrepreneurs and creatives, trying to understand what it looks like to live out Godâs call to engage culture through the workplace. In my research, Chick-fil-A came up time and time again as one of the best examples of what it looks like to integrate the gospel holistically into an organizat...
âFor I know the plans I have for you,â declares the Lord, âplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.â (Jeremiah 29:11)
Over the past four weeks, we have been examining a few of the most popular Bible verses and how their meaning can only be properly understood when read in context. Todayâs verse is no exception.
This just might be the most cross-stitched verse of all time, found on countless pillows, keychains, and coffee mugs. I mean, who doesnât love the promise of prosperity and hope for our careers and families? The only problem is, these promises werenât made to you and me.
These promises were made to a specific people, at a specific point in time, under a specific set of circumstances. The Lord delivered this promise to Israel in the midst of His punishment of His people. Just a few verses prior to this famous passage, we are told that God had âcarried [Israel] into exile from Jerusalem to Babylonâ for their disobedience (Jeremiah 29:4). Wh...
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
If youâve ever heard someone say, âGod wonât give you more than you can handle,â and wondered where thatâs found in the Bibleâitâs not. But this verse is where that lie is typically derived from.
1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God âwill not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.â This, of course, is wonderful and true! As James 1:13 makes clear, God himself is incapable of tempting anyone.
But somewhere along the way, we took 1 Corinthians 10:13 way out of context to wrongfully claim that God will never give us more than we can handle. Nowhere is that promise found in Scripture, and I think we all know from experience that this clichĂ© isnât true.
The truth is that God may allow us to suffer or give us more than we can bear on o...
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Weâre in a four-week series on Bible verses that are frequently taken out of context at work. Todayâs may be one of the most abused passages in all of Scripture.
The athlete tattoos Philippians 4:13 on his arm to provide inspiration for the big games.
The sales executive recites the verse before her big pitch.
The author keeps these words on a post-it note to push toward a seemingly impossible deadline.
We tend to use this verse as a bite-sized motivational speech to inspire our striving. Ironically, the context of this verse in some ways inspires the opposite. Philippians 4:13 was not written to fuel your ambitions. It was written to cultivate contentment.
Take a look at the verse in the context of Paulâs words which precede it: âI have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing pl...