February 6, 2009 @6:50 AM
Chapter 1 As you begin to read this chapter, you may be thinking how does this relate to me? Well Paul talks about how he saw the presence of God in these people. How they turned from worshiping idols to worshipping the one true living God. He also speaks of how they saw him for who he was, and accepted him. Now to make this relevant for us today. Many times we are busy with everything that is going on in our lives, and we worship our own lowercase gods. You may be thinking to yourself, I would never do this, but if you said that you would be lying. We do this every day. How much time do you spend before God each day? I promise you not enough. Why not? Too busy? Don’t have the time? All good excuses, but why do you not have the time, or your too busy? Little gods. We want to make ourselves believe that we don’t have the time, but if we didn’t watch that tv show, or wake up a little earlier each morning, we would have the time. So maybe your thinking well what does this have to do with this 1st chapter? Paul is showing them how he is grateful that they turned from these ways, and giving thanksgiving for them doing so. So you need to ask yourself, would he do the same for you?
@11:50 AM
Chapter 2 In Philippi, Paul was treated harshly. This could have stopped him from originally going to Thessalonica, however he did not let this get in the way. Would you have? Why did he not let this get in the way? He says it in verse 6. He did not do it for the glory of people, yet for the Glory of God. Also in previous verses he talks about how he did not use eloquent speeches or flattery, or anything such as that. He gave it to them how it was. Not the Joel Osteen way “I’ll make you feel good.” He was not there to make them feel good, merely to save them from having to go to Hell. He could have deceived them as a previous man I mentioned has done to many people most likely worldwide. But he was not in it for the money or the fame. He had one sole purpose. That was for God.
He also speaks about what I love. Showing Christ as well as Sharing with words. Many times we can make the biggest impacts by our actions. People see what we go through and that through it all we still do not give up. When we don’t give up or curse God, they start to question. Many times we allow Satan to win in our times of grief and sorrow and pain. Instead we need to allow ourselves to be strengthened in that time, knowing that good will come out of it.
In verse 13 he speaks to them how they took the message in not as a human message, but as the message from God. Are we preaching that message. When people here us preach, teach or however we witness to them, or they hearing it from us or from God. Also when you hear someone preach do you judge how the message is based on the presenter? It is easy for us to say that was a good sermon from Louie Giglio, but many times we are not so apt to say the same as coming from someone of not that high influence. Why is this? Why do we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the politics? That is simply what it is. We are so worried about who is delivering the message many times that we are not saying, I wonder what God is going to say through so and so. Most of the time it is I wonder what so and so is going to say today in their message.
Finally in vs.17, Paul tells them how he is praying for them. He tells them how he wanted to see them, but was not able. Many times we must be there for people in prayer because we cannot always be there in flesh. But just because we cannot be there for them face to face, we must still be praying for them. If you are not praying for them, then who is? Remember that in the book of Galatians, we are commanded to help one another carry their burdens.
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