Philippians 1:12-14

Relax, Read and Reflect.
Prayer- Lord, open our hearts and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 1:12-14 (The Message)
They Can't Imprison the Message
12-14I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I'm in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they've learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.

I used The Message paraphrase this morning. This is one of those times where it really brings the message(no pun intended,) home. Paul is telling his friends that God does great things. He has been placed in jail, but instead of squelching him, he has made followers out of many of his guards. Not only have they heard Jesus’s message, they are now followers and are telling others.
This is called making the best of a bad situation. Actually, this is making great things out of unknown situations. What can we learn here? Many times we are think we in places we don’t deserve. We landed there by accident and sulk. God does great things. Nothing is this world is pure chance, pure accident. If we, like Paul, accept our surroundings and work with God, we might find that the place we landed by accident is actually right where we need to be.
Prayer- Lord, help us realize that you are with us always and where ever we are, we can do great things for Your kingdom. Give us strength to overcome and the patients and wisdom to perceiver. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 1:1-11

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, help us open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 1
1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers[a] and deacons:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God

Paul starts this letter the way we all would-he says hello. This is one of Paul’s favorite churches, so when he writes them it brings joy. These are his friends, and when we write our friends we tend to feel good about ourselves. Paul is being tested, so by writing his buddies in Philippi he feels better about himself. This is a way he gets strength and lifts his spirits.
We do the same. It has been a while since I wrote on this blog. My world is VERY busy at the moment and if it were not for the commitment I made to myself and to God I would never stop and take the time to do this. However, it is lent, and years ago I made the commitment to do these studies for lent. Guess what?
By stopping and taking the time to do this, I am lifted up. When I type relax, read, and reflect-I do the same. Now I am refreshed and ready to face today. By writing my friends in far away towns, like Paul, I am revived. I do thank God every time I remember you. I hope you do the same.
Prayer- Lord, thank you for friends. Thank you for getting us to stop and relax so that we can communicate. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians

This Lent we will study the book of Philippians. It is one of Paul's letters, this one to the church at Phillipi. This was the first church Paul started on European soil, in present day Greece. Since this is where he started, he had a good and happy relationship with this church. This is a happy letter, even though it was written as Paul was in jail.
The main theme of this letter is persistence in faith in the face of opposition. It was written to give the young church courage even though Paul himself was faced with possible death. It is short and sweet, but the message is great.
As we do this study, it is my prayer that you read the passages and feel what they tell you before reading my commentary. Put the two together and see what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do. The season of Lent is a time for preparation. Paul's message is one of preparation as well.
Reach out to friends and family during this time. Mostly, reach inside and see what God may have in store for you. Be excited!