Author: Danny Panter

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:10-23 (day six)

¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. Philippians 4:14

The Philippian church had gone to great lengths to help Paul while he was imprisoned. They were partners with him in the Gospel, and when things got tough they did not abandon him (like many others), but did what they were able to ensure his needs were met.

This is the kind of gritty Gospel Paul has been talking about throughout his letter:

To live is Christ,… work out your salvation with fear and trembling,… I press on toward the goal,… I have learned to be content.

Because of God’s promise in the Gospel, because of Jesus, we keep moving forward with joy. But not only for ourselves. Gritty Gospel living, allows us to freely and kindly, ensure that others do the same. We share in their difficulty.

Joyful, humble travelers never travel alone. With Gospel kindness and grit we nudge each other along, especially when the road gets hard. It’s what we do; it’s what Jesus did, because the glory to come eclipses the difficulty we may face. Our sharing in the difficulty of our brothers and sisters reminds them of that greater truth.

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:1-9 (day six) 

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Philippians 4:6-7

We have every reason to be on edge, at our whits end…anxious. Even prior to the pandemic, life was hectic enough, and tensions tight enough to nudge us over the cliff.

Anxiety, anger, burnout, frustration, all of it makes complete sense, apart from God. That’s the point of these verses. The promise of God is that he is our peace when there seems to be no peace; he provides a way when there seems to be no way.

It’s the kind of peace that surpasses understanding.

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:17-21 (day six)

Let’s be honest, we squirm just a little, maybe a lot, when Paul encourages the Philippians to “imitate me.” It comes off smug and self righteous, but Paul does what we are reluctant to do. Paul’s “imitate me” is discipleship. He doesn’t just teach them, but he invites them to look into his life and do what he does. And not out of a sense of self-righteousness, quite the opposite. Paul’s invitation allows them to see how he responds to sin, temptation, and suffering; all the areas when his life is not perfect (3:13-14).

Paul’s call to imitate me sounds like someone else doesn’t it?

Jesus. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Discipleship.

Is there someone in your life you can disciple in this way? Or do you have a Paul?

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.-Paul, Philippians 3:13-14

One of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve had on a plane was our descent into Kunming, China. The turbulence was unlike anything I had experienced before, at times feeling like we are free-falling the length of a football field. Everyone was anxious, wide-eyed and white knuckled, while doing their best to appear as if this were normal. Truth be told, I was barley holding it together, one hand gripping the armrest, the other grasping for the barf bag in the seat pocket in front of me. I had traveled the world, but never like this.

30 minutes…20 minutes…10 minutes…5 minutes…the landing gear drops, and a few minutes later, touchdown. Phew. I had made it unscathed. My seat-mate, wasn’t so fortunate.

The journey is not the destination. In fact, the journey is sometimes downright unpleasant, with its various stops and diversions along the way, like turbulence on my descent into Kunming.

But it is the destination that sees us through to the end of journey. The destination is what helps us press on.

…let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus (the destination), the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:1-11 (day 6)

Jesus was no stranger to difficult and interesting conversations. Often enough, the locals, including the religious leaders, would try to trip Him up; other times Jesus would throw a wrench in their thinking, never shying aware from saying something truly offensive.

This account makes its way to the top of the list:  After a brief exchange with local Jews, Jesus declares, “You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.” (John 8:44)

Can you imagine how offensive this statement was to descendants of Abraham? 

But Jesus was driving home the same point Paul is making to the Philippians. Your spiritual heritage (or righteousness) is not determined by externals, where you were born, who your parents are, how well you follow the law, etc. Your heritage is determined by who you love.

“If God were your father, you would love me…”-Jesus, John 8:42

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 2:19-30 (day six)

For I have no one like him…Philippians 2:20

What set Timothy apart? Was it his unique giftedness? His eloquence? Or maybe he stood head and shoulders above all the others. Perhaps he was more educated than most, or had a quick wit. It could have been his comedic timing, or deft use of sarcasm. Maybe Paul just needed an extra pair of hands to run errands while he was in prison.

Paul mentions none of those things. We know two reasons Paul described him this way; he genuinely cared for others, and concerned himself mostly with Jesus’ interests rather than his own.

Make no mistake, Paul’s mentioning of Timothy and Epaphroditus was strategic. Aside from Jesus, he intended to tie their examples to his command:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit…Philippians 2:3

Men and woman, like this, were in short supply then and today.

Be different. Be a Timothy. You will be set apart too.