Represent the Light

Philippians 2:12-18 is the conclusion from the statements Paul made in verses 1:27-2:11. Paul acknowledges to the church their obedience to God not only when he is present, but also in his absence. In other words they did not need to be in his presence to be obedient to God. He concludes part b of verse 12 with an interesting statement to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Paul is not suggesting that our salvation is obtained through our works. Scripture tells us that it is through God’s grace and His grace alone that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). What Paul is saying is that once we are saved through God’s grace then there are certain behaviors we must adopt into our lives and lifestyles that appropriately represent who God and Jesus is and what they mean to us and how they have changed our lives.

God is the one who does the work in us. He is the one who will renew our mind through the reading of His word. He is the one who gifted us with the Holy Spirit so we may be reminded of the things we are taught by Jesus (John 14:26). He does it for His glory and good pleasure. God is very pleased when we represent Him in the ways according to the biblical principles we are taught.

These biblical principles before us are used to define who we are as Christians. We are instructed to become blameless to be a light in the world not just in our own homes. This means we are to do no harm whether it is inside or outside the church. We can easily get caught up in disputes amongst our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well as the church leaders and positions the church takes especially in today's caustic socio-economic environment. Follow God and God alone. Stay laser focused on God’s word reading the bible daily believing it is the inerrant word of God from cover to cover. Do not get caught in the snare of false teaching as it will lead you to where you never expected to go.

Being called a Christian has a profound meaning to it and no matter what the circumstance we are faced with, we should serve God without complaint nor should we cause disruption in the church, in the work place, in the public square or on social media because we represent a God that sits on the throne. Our faith and obedience to God provides a clear and distinct picture of who we are and who we follow that shall not be confused with the behaviors embraced by the world.

Satan promotes division and he has done this since the beginning of time. He did it when he wanted to sit higher than God (Isaiah 14:22). He did it when he convinced Eve to bite the fruit from the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:1-24). He is doing it today with the division of the churches through the clear intentional cherry-picking of scripture we see going on in the church. This behavior has propagated into so many churches conforming to the wishes of the government and society while quickly separating themselves from the true teachings of Jesus Christ along with the whole depth and breadth of the bible.

Paul adds an eschatological element to his letter to the Philippians. This eschatological element has an everlasting effect on all of mankind. It does not matter if you are a believer or non-believer. The bible is very clear about our salvation, our walk with Jesus and where our eternal destination will be. When we run the race for Jesus and follow the biblical principles that are given to us, our relationship with Christ will grow stronger, our relationship with the world becomes much weaker. It is the word (God’s word) of life that gives us spiritual energy to continue to do God’s work and to fulfill God’s plan for each one of us.

My prayer is that we see the difference in the behaviors between God’s kingdom and the world. I pray that eyes are opened to see the life that God has created for us and that we will have the courage to seek the Lord and ask Him to live in us, to be the leader in our lives so we may continue to grow in Him and He in us. I pray that today is the day that we give it all to God for His good pleasure and that we will be in heaven with the LORD for eternity. In Jesus Mighty Name I pray this Amen! Amen!