Faithful Waiting for Fulfilled Promises

Encounter: Grab your Bible and open to Philippians 2:5-11. Before you read, take a moment to pray, asking the Holy Spirit to enter into your time in the Word, to reveal, correct, and sustain any change the Word stirs in your heart as you read. Now, read Philippians 2:5-11.

Reflect:  For many each week, perhaps even each day, holds a wide variety of emotions. It seems each day is so full of so much that challenges our sense of peace and joy. With this reality, how is it that we learn to live each day in the peace and joy of Jesus? Is there a way to be faithful to Jesus in the midst of the world’s seemingly unending responsibilities? At times, it seems we are indebted to these responsibilities; we devote all of ourselves to them leaving little time for us to even think about our selves in the midst of it all. In other words, we focus on doing to the detriment of our being. With this in mind, it isn’t much of a stretch for us to see why anxiety plagues so many of us, and at times quite severely.

In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul describes the attitude of Jesus; it was marked by submission, surrender, and sacrifice. Being created in God’s image, we have these same traits deep within our souls. Yet, these traits may not be quite as deeply buried as we may think. We perceive these Christlike traits are lost due to our sinfulness and in the distraction of our culture, but the truth is, these attitudes are simply misplaced in the day-to-day responsibilities of this world. We experience this anxiety in life because of that misplacement of character. Where God designed our submission, surrender, and sacrifice to be gladly placed towards Him, we have instead placed it in things of this world. Our souls feel the ache of this every day.

But, God. God, in His mercy and grace, offers us life through Jesus. What Jesus experienced in His submission, surrender, and sacrifice was death so that we would not have to. The same is true of this anxiety in the daily struggle to live faithfully to Jesus amidst the responsibilities that pull our attention away from Him. Jesus faced the separation from God the Father in His death on the cross so that He could make a way for us to be with God always through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When anxiety attempts to steal the peace and joy of Jesus, we bring all our raw emotions to God. We submit, surrender, and sacrifice these emotions to God, not in avoidance but as an offering. One form of this is through lament.

Spiritual Practice: One of Sunday’s readings in the 730 Challenge is from Lamentations, and in fact, we will be reading through the book of Lamentations over the next several days. In the Jewish culture, and especially in the time of Jeremiah writing the book of Lamentations, lament was much more acceptable and widely-practiced way of expressing emotion. As we read through the book of Lamentations, I challenge us to look introspectively at how lamenting may be a healthy way for us to release to God any unhealthy emotions and attachments so we may instead take up the peace and joy of Jesus.

Gather: In your small group or triad, around the table with your family and/or friends, take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the following questions:

• What is your approach to daily life? What emotions do you find yourself experiencing the most?

• How do these emotions impact your attitude?

• When you consider the attitude of Christ, how are you drawn to Jesus’s humility and the result of His obedience to God that brings about what Paul described in Philippians 2:1-4?

• Have you ever experienced what Paul described in verses 1-4? If so, share how the community was mutually encouraged. If you haven't had that experience, share of any current relationships that might benefit from the encouragement, comfort, and fellowship from the Spirit that Paul described.

Submitting, surrendering, and sacrificing to Jesus with you, Pastor Matt