Salvation & Hope

Are we really ready for Christmas? This is the question we should ask ourselves during the season of Advent. There is so much more than just a baby being born and angels in the skies and shepherds. This is the story of God coming down to be on of us and live the life we live. The birth of Jesus Christ in the world, changes everything!

Click here to read this week’s scripture passage.

This week, we have talked about John the Baptist, Proclaiming God’s Forgiveness, Wilderness and Crooked Paths, God’s Invading, and today we remember God’s ways lead to salvation and hope.

Salvation begins with God coming into our lives. God’s working though Jesus Christ gives us new life and hope for something greater, in the future, and in the here and now.

John pointed people to Jesus Christ. How do our lives point people to Christ?

The message of Christmas is to be shared.

O come, O come, Emmanuel.

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Our Lives Look Different

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for many and a tragic, depressing or sad time of year for many. This time of year for others is…frustrating.

Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of the Christ child into the world, and into our hearts once again. How we live demonstrates our devotion for Christ. This does not mean that we earn our way into God’s favor or we have to work to get grace. What this does mean is that our lives should reflect the outpouring of God’s grace upon our lives. Our lives should be different from those who do not believe (either never believed, or have fallen from belief).

Our scripture for this week is Jesus speaking of the end of time and about the Son of Man’s (His) return in glory. You can read the scripture for this week here.

What stand out to you today? One thing I would like to bring into the conversation is, how we react to this passage, about the end of time, shows how we’ll act toward God and others here and now. We do not know when the end will come and when Christ will return. Jesus says to “be on guard so your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life…” We are to live as people of faith with hope in all God has done, is doing and will do in the future.

We do not have to be worried or be part of anything that will take our minds and hearts off of Christ. We trust that Christ is with us and will continue to be with us during difficult times. So, what we watch on media, what we read, what we write should all be different from those who do not have faith.

Our love of and for God and people should set us apart. It is through our actions and our lives that may people will see and experience Emmanuel (God with us). God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is working in and through us to show the world He is here and is working for restoration and reconciliation.

O come, O come, Emmanuel.

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Even in the Storm

Most important, live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel. Do this, whether I come and see you or I’m absent and hear about you. Do this so that you stand firm, united in one spirit and mind as you struggle together to remain faithful to the gospel. That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God. God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake. You are having the same struggle that you saw me face and now hear that I’m still facing. (‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭27-30‬ CEB)

“Live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel.” When you think of this phrase, what does it mean to you? At first when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we may have the idea that life will be easy and that all of our problems and issues will go away. We can easily forget how Christ suffered, and he was God in flesh!

The gospel of Jesus Christ does not guarantee there will be no suffering or struggles. The gospel tells us the God is with us and we do not live this life alone. We will feel alone at times because we can choose to go through our struggles alone; but the gospel message is that we are never alone and God has experienced life as we do and knows how hard life can be. 

We have the opportunity to share life with others who are struggling also. Since we know that we are not alone, we have the privilege to show others that, even in the storms of life, they are not alone either. We can be a tangible, physical reminder of God’s presence to them. 

People will say all kinds of things about you and about me. We stand firm in our faith because Christ is with us and is guiding us and walking with us; so we don’t have to be afraid or fearful in any way. Paul is a great reminder of this. He kept his joy and peace because he leaned on his faith in Christ to allow him to endure any situation. Paul had people care for him and you and I have people that care for us. 

So, “live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel.”

#BeJoyful

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Motives

As we take this time to journey through the book of Philippians, we can see Paul’s joy even though he’s been locked up. I’m sure there are people that are mocking him and saying all kinds of things about him; even possibly saying that others are better preachers than him just trying to get him upset. 

I know there are better speakers, listeners, writers, readers than I am. I could easily sit back and say they are not doing their job right, they’re making me look bad, their hearts are not in the right place, etc. Have you felt this way about any person, any job, any church, any friend, any enemy? I believe this is something we all should look closely at, especially me. 

How often we can succumb to the pride of thinking that we are the only ones who can do the job, we are the ones who know the right way to do the task. Paul is reminding us of something important: look at the results of the work. I will say we need to keep this in mind, especially with the church. 

We will not always agree with each other on every point. There are those who enter ministry with selfish motives to go toward fame and recognition and prestige. And, there are those who have the most incredible spirits about them that do not want or desire any recognition or honors. What does any of this matter?

Paul is saying that thanksgiving should be given to all of those who are preaching Jesus, whether or not we think their motives are correct. It is pride that can keep us from celebrating with the body of Christ, if we are not careful, because we may be the one who want to be recognized. Paul wasn’t this way. He simply wanted Jesus Christ preached. 

People come and go, but the message of Jesus is eternal and can pierce even the hardest of hearts even if it’s not done the way we want. 

As I am writing this, I am giving thanks for all of those people, all of those ministries, all of those organizations, all of those churches who work tirelessly to proclaim Christ and the life we were meant to live. I give thanks for you!

Be motivated out of love and trust that God is working.

#BeJoyful

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel. The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I’m in prison for Christ. Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time. Some certainly preach Christ with jealous and competitive motives, but others preach with good motives. They are motivated by love, because they know that I’m put here to give a defense of the gospel; the others preach Christ because of their selfish ambition. They are insincere, hoping to cause me more pain while I’m in prison. What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I’m glad and I’ll continue to be glad. I’m glad because I know that this will result in my release through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭12-19‬ CEB)

Ryan StrattonLeave a comment