Good Night: Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Philippians 1:27-30

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

As we conclude our day of prayer and fasting, and chapter one of Philippians, I would like to focus on verse 27. It is a tall order — conducting myself in a manner worthy of the gospel ("good news") of Christ! However, it is a great goal to keep pursuing. Last year, I joined with a group of friends to study the Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges. I believe that pursuing holiness is conducting ourselves in the manner Paul refers to. This is text from the back cover of Bridges' book:

"What does holiness look like? For starters, it doesn't look anything like perfection. And it doesn't necessarily look like victory. Mostly, it consists of effort, prayer, grace, and obedience. "Scripture speaks of both a holiness we have in Christ before God, and a holiness we are to strive after," writes the author. We can ignore neither Christ's role nor our own if we are to successfully pursue holiness. It is as simple as refusing to smudge the truth on a tax return or as complicated as forgiving the person who has most viciously hurt us. Jerry takes holiness out of the realm of the impossible and brings it into the real world of our daily lives and decisions."

If you have not read it, I highly recommend Jerry Bridge's book

Of course, verse 29 reminds us that we must also suffer for Christ. It is part of the deal. Those close to Adam are suffering. None are closer than Amy. In an interesting bit of timing, her Tuesday night blog post focused on none other than joy! She is suffering, but full of joy in the Lord. She is living Christ!



Let's work at being joyful. It will enhance the time we spend in prayer. If we pray for Adam with joy in our hearts, we will look forward to our prayer time.

Are you hungry? I am. Use your hunger to turn to God. Pray, again, before going to bed. Pray for joy, first, then pray for Adam and his family.

I will post, again, in the morning. Good night.