devotional “ARCHIVE”

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Our enemies will themselves be frightened at their impending destruction when we corporately come together as we were intended to from the beginning and start living as the body of Christ—and that begins by loving one another through the power of the Holy Spirit, under compulsion of unconditional obedience and submission to God's Word and its position of absolute authority in our lives.

The beauty of Philippians 1:19-26 is that Paul provides a transparent glimpse into the struggle between his own flesh and spirit as he wrestled with the majesty of heaven compared to this fallen world. Knowing he was born-again, Paul longed to spend eternity with Jesus. Yet despite the glory heaven promised, Paul understood that obedience to God's Word and His will took precedent over personal desire.

As Christians living in a world that is watching our every move, how we respond to adversity can be the greatest witnessing tool we have at our disposal. What makes things difficult and/or counter-productive though is that we're human and our flaws, imperfections and insecurities cause us to shrink back when troubles come, rather than embrace the moment with a positive frame of mind.

It has been said that people are the greatest blessing and curse of ministry. It has also been said that more pastors resign on Monday than any other day of the week due to the highs and lows they succumb to emotionally, physically, and mentally as a result of their jobs. Why?