For everyone looks out for his own interests

Philippians 2:21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

It seems, at least from the numerous media sources, that there is an endless supply of those who have fallen from the path of true service. The faith or belief set does not matter. The temptation to serve self is tremendous. That is why we MUST pray for those who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord.

The Apostle Paul shares some valuable insight into serving the Lord in this passage. There are many people who have that heart of a servant. And you can find them in every church in this world. When we look closely at motives for serving, it is what separates those serving from true servants of the Lord. Some serve because they hold to the belief they are not saved by grace alone. The nail in the coffin in that line of thinking is found in Ephesians 2:8&9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.  Others serve because they are looking out for their own interests. Many are the motives for serving self (hence the phrase self-serving.) It can be to achieve a level of prestige within a congregation, to find a sense of self-worth, or it can even be for ill-gotten financial gain. The imperative for all serving the Lord is to discern within our hearts the motives for serving are indeed as pure as Christ. Failure to do a heart check evaluating our motive(s) for serving is to allow Satan to have a foot in the door. And that must not ever happen! Foolish pride has tripped up many a servant. We serve out of love for others. We serve to fulfill the great commission to reach out to others. We serve because we too were served by none other than the Son of God. And one thing is for certain. Christ did not look out for his own interest. He suffered the humiliation of the cross so that you and I could have eternal life. Our salvation was paid for at the price of His precious blood. That is what inspires me in my service to the Lord.

PRAYER: Father, Abba, You alone know the truth in our hearts. You alone know our motives. Help us Precious Lord to keep self interest out of our hearts in serving You and our neighbors. Send a full measure of Your Spirit to fill our hearts to keep out pride and greed in our serving You. We ask this in the name of Jesus who with the Father and the Spirit reign as one. Amen.

I have no one else like him

Philippians 2:20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.

It was a busy weekend. Our church held a memorial service for a beloved Pastor who retired about 15 years ago. He was a remarkable man, and a true servant of the Lord. He had a servant's heart and was genuinely interested in the welfare of others. We celebrate his victory and envy his standing in the presence of his savior.

We frequently meet people in our daily walk who are Sunday Christians. They are right there worshiping with us on Sunday. And for the rest of the week you would be hard pressed to discern that they were believers. We also meet people who are serving the Lord for all the wrong reasons. They are either trying to elevate themselves in the church body or they think their salvation relies on their level of service.  Still others will talk a good faith, but when it comes right down to it, they do not share the love for others modeled by Jesus. Sadly, it seems the shallow believers out number those with a deep faith. We need to pray for those who are missing the whole point of being a Christian. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to open their hearts, their eyes, their ears and their minds to all that they are missing. I guess that given the preponderance of Halloween advertisements in the media of late, the visualization that comes to mind for this type of believer is a zombie. Not alive, and not dead (yet.) But first and foremost, they are not alive in Christ. Fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ know that they are saved. Not by anything they can do, rather what has already been done for them by Jesus. Christ was and still is genuinely interested in our welfare. He cares deeply about believers and nonbelievers. He charged believers with bringing more into the flock with the "Great Commission". We must grasp his principles and move forward in caring for others and sharing His love just as He loved us even to death on the cross and his marvelous resurrection. Truly, we have no one else like Him.

PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God we have been blessed by the live, death, and resurrection of Your Son. Our Savior Jesus Christ has freed the prisoner for the death of sin. He has fought and won the battle we could never have won on our own. For this, and the multitude of other blessing You have richly poured out upon us we give You thanks.  Help us to share this good news with those who remain dead in their sin, that they too may have life in Christ. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus who lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen

So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:17 & 18 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

It is a bitter sweet experience to see the life of a fellow believer end. We mourn their passing. Our lives feel a sense of loss, a vacuum exists where they once stood in our lives. And at the same time, we rejoice at their victory over death. They stand in the presence of our Savior! In that fact we find the comfort to cope with the loss and to move forward with our lives.

I have lost friends and family to various causes. Death of a family member or friend takes its' toll. I struggle, for a time. If the friend is a non-believer, I think I feel a greater sense of loss. For I know the finality for them in their death. Whereas in the death, in this world, for a believer is not the end. It is only the beginning of the rest of the eternal life. The first loss stings more because it usually means the words and prayers for the one who died did not pan out in a change in their life to be a believer. Guilt is part of the equation. That nagging feeling of what more could I have done. What words should I have said. What strong statement of faith did I miss the opportunity to make. It bothers me. I pray alot about this. It is a growth area for me. But then when I compare that experience with the death of a fellow believer it is still a feeling of sadness over their being out of my life, for now. But a profound sense of joy in their real victory over death, spiritual death tempers the loss. I would much rather attend a memorial service for a fellow believer than a funeral for a nonbeliever. The summary statement for the believer is he lives on. For the nonbeliever is "That's all folks!" Each one can be sad, but for different reasons.

We at Grace Lutheran Pocatello Idaho will gather to celebrate the life of Reverend Manfred Berndt this coming Saturday at 3:00 PM. We are glad for his standing in the presence of our Savior and we rejoice with him.

Fair winds and following seas Manfred.

PRAYER: Almighty God, we thank You for the life and service of Your good and faithful servant Manfred Berndt. We look back at his life and see a faithful servant, a husband, a Father, and a friend. We are saddened by his death. And we rejoice at His victory. We are humbled at the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of You Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We cling to the promise of eternal life given freely to all believers. On this promise in You Word, we stake our faith. To You be all the glory in all that we do as a body of believers. Amen

I did not run or labor for nothing

Philippians 2:16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

I am sitting here watching the drama of the successful rescue of 33 miners from the San Jose mine in Chile and the return to the surface of the rescuers. It is a time for celebration and thanksgiving. Praise God through whom all things are possible.

We often labor endlessly and tirelessly at many tasks.  It can be a job that takes years to complete. Or it can be a project that we chip away it until it is finished.  We want to see results. We want to see the fruits of our labors. We can become impatient when we do not see results quickly. When we embark on a ministry project, or witnessing to those who are not believers, or other endeavors to serve the Lord we must keep one very important fact in mind. These things unfold on the Lord's timeline and not ours. We can toil away expecting to see quick results, become discouraged and give up even before the Lord is getting warmed up. We need to be more deliberate in discerning His will in prayer. And we need to stay in communication with the Lord through prayer. We serve the Lord to glorify Him. When we forget that we fall into the trap of pride. And Satan loves that trap to be sprung. He catches so many in that trap. Or in the trap of discouragement & depression. There are many ways to be trapped and one narrow path towards freedom. Psalm 27:13&14 remind us "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." It's a faith thing.

So, when we are going about scattering the seeds of the Gospel we must keep in mind that we are not in charge, we are not alone, we are the hands and feet and not the brains. The glory in what we do goes to the Lord. His will is what we seek to fulfill and not fill our own egos. We may never see what our labors brought about. That's okay. I know that when I serve the Lord that I did not labor for nothing. And that is good enough for me.

PRAYER: Father You are the boss, and we are the workers in the field. We sometimes become impatient in waiting to see the fruits of our labors in serving You. We forget who we are serving. Help us O God to stay the course. Pour out Your Spirit upon us that our faith may never sway us from bringing in the harvest. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen

Children of God without fault...

Philippians 2:15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

I enjoy reading "The Family Circus" cartoon. Bill and Jeff Keane bring to print what we parents know so very well. If something is misplaced, broken, or there is an unexplained mess then someone called "Nobody" or "I Don't Know" did it.

The Philippians 2:15 verse reminds us of three very important aspects of our lives. We are 1.) not blameless, 2.) not pure, and 3.) children of God.   Three conditions, two of which have terminal results. One condition that gives us hope. From the very first, we humans were broken and sinful.  Adam and Eve had one thing they were told not to do. And sure enough, the rule was broken. That broken condition has existed since that day and will exist until the day Christ returns. We are broken. And we are lost in our sin. Sin drives a wedge between God and man. It is what Satan desires. He has a vested interest in keeping that wedge firmly in place. By ourselves we are lost. Fortunately, the third condition holds true. We are reminded of the gift of grace in Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  We, the lost, are once again found. Jesus paid the price for our sins and reconciled us with the Father. By ourselves we would remain lost forever. But God in his mercy gave His only Son to die for us. So that we would have eternal life. So our first two conditions have been wiped clean. We are restored to purity. We are once again blameless. And all this is because we are the children of God saved by Christ. Let us rejoice in our salvation.

PRAYER: Loving Father in Heaven, we are by nature sinful and unclean. We are far from blameless and pure. But You cared enough about us that You gave Your only Son to die for us. You dear Lord brought us back to You. Your love for us knows no end. For that we are forever grateful. We give thanks O God for the love that You have shown us in the sacrifice of Your Son, our savior Jesus Christ. Praise the Father, praise the Son, and the Spirit as one. Amen.

It is God who works in you....

Philippians 2:13 "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." 

Have you given any thought to what motivates you? Have you ever just stopped what you were doing and asked yourself "Self, why am I doing this?" As I get older, I can leave one room, walk into another room and forget why I went there. It's not the same as asking yourself why.

 

It is humbling to find out that we alone do not focus our efforts in serving the Lord. It can also be disconcerting. Looking at this verse gave me pause, about two days worth, to kick it around in my head and to pray over it. Why do I do what I do in service to the Lord? It is not just a matter of having faith in God, from God himself. It is being driven by God himself to "act according to his good purpose." It means I have a purpose in life. It is not just a matter of doing what I think is needed, it means God is working within me to "will and to act."  But how do I know what God wants me to do?  That is the part that so many Christians miss. We miss out on our time to commune with God. We miss out on the gift of prayer, meditation, ans study of His Word to discern what the will of God is for us in our lives. Let me give you an example. If I do not talk to my wife, I can not determine what she has planned for us. And I can, by my lack of communication create a schedule conflict. That is an oversimplification, but only to a degree. If we are not in conversation with God in prayer, meditation, and study of His Word we miss out and create opportunities to conflict our plans with God's plans. Success does not follow that path. Success, in the form of fulfilling God's will requires we exercise every opportunity to discern His will. After all he is in charge, it is His will and not our will we should seek to fulfill.  For it is God who works in you and I to "will and to act according to His good purpose."

PRAYER: Good and gracious Lord, ee are often so sure we know, without consulting with You, what it is You want us to do. We set forth plans and move forward in ministry. And all too often we fail. We find ourselves frustrated, defeated, and at cross-purposes with Your Will. Forgive us Father for our pride that interferes with our love for You. Guide us with Your Spirit to keep within us the faith we need. Shape us to Your good purpose. We ask this in the name Jesus Christ who with the Father and the Spirit reigns over all. One God, now and forever. Amen.

And every tongue confess...

Philippinas 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

People worship a lot of things. Money seems to draw many to its' altar. Sports, celebrities, hobbies, jobs, and addictions of all manner & variety are a few more that some feel are worthy of their worship. In each case the worship ensnares too many. Sad is the nicest word I can think of to describe this situation.

Who we confess with our tongue as Lord is important for us, and for those we encounter each and every day. If we are not consistent, this shows a lack of faith & resolve in what we believe. It offers opportunities for Satan to enter into the equation and that is never good. It can also influence those we know or encounter as we walk within out world.  We must never be confused or doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord.  We must look at all aspects of our lives carefully and frequently to verify that He still reigns over us. 

There are many people out in the world who believe their god is the same as our God, the Great I Am. This verse is directed straight at the heart of those who worship another god. And it is to their detriment that they do. It sometimes takes a dramatic demonstration of the power of God to change their minds.  Take for instance the centurion and those guarding Jesus at the crucifixion. In Matthew 27:54 we learn of their moment of enlightenment.  When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”  They had their moment when the clue phone rang so loud that even they could not ignore it. The take away for this devotional today is in time everyone will come to the realization that Jesus Christ is Lord. The difference is, will it be in time for their salvation, or will it be too late? My prayer is that it will be in time.

PRAYER: Father, there are many in this world who do not follow the path to salvation set down by Your Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are saddened, and at the same time overwhelmed. There are so many out there who need to hear the Good News of the Gospel. And there are so many who have heard the Good News and have walked away. Help us O God to reach out in love to all who do not confess with their tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. Guide us Father, give us Your words. Jesus lived His life to Glorify the Father, help us with Your Holy Spirit to do the same. We humbly ask this in the name of Jesus who lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen