Under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians, while he was being held prisoner; most likely in Rome. He had received a gift of support from the
believers in Philippi, and he wanted to thank them. However, in spite of his circumstances, he filled
the letter with joy, hope and encouragement as well, and we, also, can benefit
from it. (from NASB*)
Chapter 1
Verse 6: For
I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Verse 21: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Verses 27-30:
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,
so that whether I come and see you or remain
absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of
the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents -
which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for
you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s
sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for
His sake …
Chapter 2
Verses 9-11:
… God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on
Him the name which is above every name, so that at
the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Verse 13:
… for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and
to work for His good pleasure.
Chapter 3
Verse 8: More than that, I count all things to
be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ
…
Verses 20-21:
For our citizenship is
in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of
our humble state into conformity with the body of
His glory, by the exertion of the power that
He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Chapter 4:
Verses 4-8: Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all
men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is
lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on
these things.
Verse
13: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Verse
19: And my God will supply all your needs according to
His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Dear reader, we are saved by the grace of God
through faith. This is a gift of God,
not something we can earn by doing good deeds. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We find this gift of trusting in God’s
grace by faith through reading God’s Word. (Romans 10:17)
Pray for those living in places like North
Korea, who are denied the Bible, and where possessing a Bible can result in
imprisonment, torture, and sometimes execution.
Please support ministries like Voice of the Martyrs that smuggle Bibles
into countries where they are forbidden.
Please read God’s Word. He will richly bless you for it.
