VIDEO On Guard

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

How about a Greek lesson for today? The word “guard” in Philippians 4:7 is the term phroureo, which is used in 2 Corinthians 11:32 to describe how the governor of Damascus guarded the city gates to keep Paul from escaping. The same word is used in 1 Peter 1:5, which says we “are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (NIV, emphasis added).

According to Philippians 4, we have the transcendent peace of God protecting our hearts and minds. Our part is explained in verse 6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV).

The worries and cares of life can overwhelm us at times, but when we bring our worries to God in prayer, His peace guards our hearts and minds like a soldier guarding a city. Trust Him to guard your heart and mind today.

We need to cultivate patience in the midst of our trials [knowing] that God is actively working on our behalf to bring us to a better day. Philip De Courcy

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Overcoming an Anxious Mind – Philippians 4:6-7 – Skip Heitzig

Legacy of Friends

A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

I met him in the 1970s when I was a high school English teacher and basketball coach, and he was a tall, gangly freshman. Soon he was on my basketball team and in my classes—and a friendship was formed. This same friend, who had served with me as a fellow editor for many years, stood before me at my retirement party and shared about the legacy of our longstanding friendship.

What is it about friends connected by the love of God that encourages us and brings us closer to Jesus? The writer of Proverbs understood that friendship has two encouraging components: First, true friends give valuable advice, even if it’s not easy to give or take (27:6): “Wounds from a friend can be trusted,” the writer explains. Second, a friend who is nearby and accessible is important in times of crisis: “Better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away” (v. 10).

It’s not good for us to fly solo in life. As Solomon noted: “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 nlt). In life, we need to have friends and we need to be friends. May God help us “love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10 esv) and “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2)—becoming the kind of friend that can encourage others and draw them closer to the love of Jesus.

By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

In what sense could you be isolating yourself from others? How can you regularly connect with some strong believers in Jesus to encourage each other?

Dear God, search my heart regarding my friends. Please help me provide Christ-centered counsel to them and receive godly wisdom from them.

Glorifying Christ at All Times

Sometimes we shine brightest for Christ in our darkest moments Psalm 34:1-3

Today’s psalm calls us to continually exalt and magnify the Lord, regardless of the situation. As we gaze at God through His Word, our understanding of Him becomes greater, as if we’re looking through a magnifying glass. We see the wonders of His nature and deeds more clearly and can’t help but respond in praise. 

To grasp this concept of magnifying the Lord, consider how Paul responded to being imprisoned in Rome (Philippians 1:12-14). Instead of complaining about the situation, he accepted it with grace, knowing that this was God’s path for him. Through it all, he kept praising and exalting Christ. Even though Paul couldn’t preach or start churches as he once did, the Lord opened up a new way to serve—prison ministry and written correspondence that eventually ended up in the New Testament. 

Whatever is happening in your life—good or bad, long-term or short—you have the opportunity to magnify the Lord through it. This not only benefits you with a greater appreciation of Him, but it also encourages others who see your witness. When a believer passes through trials peacefully and praises the Lord, even unbelievers notice. 

Never Forsaken

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

The promise that God will never leave or forsake His people occurs often in Scripture. It was given here through Moses to the children of Israel as they were preparing to enter the land promised long ago to Abraham. Two verses later, it was then repeated personally for Joshua, who was to be their leader in the coming battles.

Essentially the same promise had been made to Jacob as he began to assume his God-ordained role. “Behold, I am with thee,” God had said, “For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Genesis 28:15). It was again repeated directly to Joshua by God. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5).

David passed on the same promise to Solomon as he became responsible for the kingdom and for building the great temple. “[God] will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD” (1 Chronicles 28:20). “I the God of Israel will not forsake them” (Isaiah 41:17) was the Lord’s promise still later to the faithful Israelites.

And we can rejoice today in this same wonderful promise. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6). This remarkable verse has five negatives in the Greek, so that it could even be rendered literally as something like: “I will never, never leave thee, and never, never, never forsake thee.” Surely this is one of the greatest of God’s “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). HMM

Holiness is a Moral Flame

[God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling…according to his own purpose and grace. —2 Timothy 1:9

One of the most telling blows which the enemy ever struck at the life of the Church was to create in her a fear of the Holy Spirit. No one who mingles with Christians in these times will deny that such a fear exists. Few there are who without restraint will open their whole heart to the blessed Comforter. He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance….Perhaps we may help to destroy its power over us if we examine that fire which is the symbol of the Spirit’s Person and presence.

The Holy Spirit is first of all a moral flame. It is not an accident of language that He is called the Holy Spirit, for whatever else the word holy may mean it does undoubtedly carry with it the idea of moral purity. And the Spirit, being God, must be absolutely and infinitely pure. With Him there are not (as with men) grades and degrees of holiness. He is holiness itself, the sum and essence of all that is unspeakably pure. POM101-102

Holiness is Christ, our Sanctification, enthroned as Life of our life. It is Christ, the Holy One, in us, living, speaking, walking. PRL211-212

Christ—Our Precursor

Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner.—Hebrews 6:20

Out of all the aspects of truth that surround the fact of our Lord’s ascension, one of the greatest is surely this—Christ is our Precursor. A precursor is really a forerunner—an advance runner—and that is precisely the term which our text for today applies to the climactic ministry of our ascended Lord.

The NIV translates the word prodromos (forerunner) thus: “who went before us.” That translation, in my opinion, is not nearly as appealing as that found in other versions, where the word “forerunner” is actually used. “Forerunner” brings to mind a picture of our Lord as a celestial outrider “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb 2:10) and reminds us of a petition in the great high priestly prayer: “Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory” (Jn 17:24).

Henry Longfellow, in his Golden Legend, put it like this:

When Christ ascended

Triumphantly, from start to star,

He left the gates of heaven ajar!

Much as I like Longfellow, I have to disagree. Our Lord left the gates of heaven not just “ajar” but wide open. One of the creeds expresses it more effectively: “When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.” Whatever the future holds for us, we who are Christ’s can be sure of this: our Lord has ascended into heaven. And so, too, shall we.

Prayer

O Father, I see that not only was there an ascension in the life of Your Son, but there is to be one in mine too. According to Your Word, I am to be “caught up in the clouds” and to be with You forever. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.

Further Study

Jn 17:1-26; 1:12; Gl 4:7; 1Co 15:39-44

What does being sons make us?

What do we enter into through death?

New Strength

. . . but those who trust in the Lord

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary;

they will walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:31

At times you may feel so worn out and stressed that you are not sure you can take another step. You may seem to spend all your time running from crisis to crisis and to be constantly giving your time and energy to others. Your Lord wants to renew your strength and enable you to enjoy the abundant life He intends for you. The key is to wait upon Him to do so.

Our generation does not enjoy waiting. We are harried by all the commitments we have made and the many responsibilities we hold. We rush through our lives without stopping to evaluate our activities. Sometimes in our haste to get on with our work, we race ahead of God. Part of God’s restorative process is to slow us down and make us listen to Him. As we wait on Him, God will remind us of our utter dependence upon His strength. When we slow down and seek His will, He will reveal His plans.

Biblically, waiting on the Lord is never passive; it is always active. Waiting requires us to cease our own pursuits and give God our complete attention. We may have to give up some of the activities we have allowed to inundate our lives. We may need to take an entire day to sit quietly before the Lord. If we ask Him, God will show us the resources He has provided to help with the work we have been attempting on our own. God may address feelings of guilt that have motivated us to do things that He has not asked us to do.

Jesus carried more responsibility than you do. More people needed Him than will ever need you. Yet He was never overwhelmed or inadequate for the task. Now Christ offers to guide you so that you will fulfill your heavenly Father’s will and gain the strength necessary for each day (Matt. 11:28).