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Philippians 1:27-30
In Philippians 1:27-30 (NKJV) the Apostle Paul gives encouragement to the Christians at Philippi to, “27Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”
This is a command to stand tall in Christ so that others may benefit from our reflection of Him.
This is the struggle that we all face in this world; to, “let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ,” as Paul declares in Philippians 1:27a. We should not allow the secular world to scare us into submission to the ways of this world, or to prevent us from sharing what Jesus has put in our hearts for their benefit (Philippians 1:28). Paul states that it has been granted to us to suffer for Christ, which may not sound too appealing, but Jesus declared to His followers in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” By this last statement of Jesus that, “If they kept My word, they will keep yours also,” is a promise that some will turn from the ways of this world and take heed to the message of the gospel through our sharing of it with them. We must stand strong in Christ Jesus through the adversities of this world so that we may let our conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27a).
Dear LORD,
You called us out of this world to be examples and representatives of Christ Jesus to all those we come in contact with, whether it be in person or through the technology of today that allows us to reach around the world. Please help us to realize and understand that we will face persecution for Jesus, and help us to have confidence and stand tall – In Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.