Things To Consider: What Does God Expect From Us?

"No one can be a good Christian who does not with holy zeal set out to know, delight in, and live by the Word of God!"  - John R. Rice

Another happy Monday to you!

You've probably heard this before, but I'll say it again: "It's not easy being a Christian!" Some may think that once you come to Christ, the hard work is over and it's all blue sky from that point on. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul encountered this problem with the church in Philippi. This was the first Christian church established in Europe, which by the way, happened to have been founded by him. Within ten years it had proven to be a blessing. Meanwhile, Paul was now a prisoner in Rome.

Presently, the church ran into a problem with some disunity within its members. There was complaining, grumbling, and some quarreling going on with its members. (Nothing new here, right?) Paul heard about this and it really hit him hard. The once model church was now falling apart, and he was so far away.

You know, it's not good for God's people to bicker, argue, and get on each others case. This type of behavior is not very Christlike at all. As a matter of fact we are commanded in the Word of God to walk in unity, openness and humility (Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:3).

Now, I use the predicament of the church in Philippi to showcase some points. The church was in deep trouble, so the Philippian Christians reached out to Paul for some help. The church sent Epaphroditus, a trusted member, to tell Paul what was going on. Needless to say, Paul became upset with the news.

Being a prisoner, Paul couldn't go back and straighten things out in person, so he communicated with them through letters. Somewhere along the line, the church lost sight side of what it should be doing. In other words, it wasn't meeting up to its expectations. These expectations were not just something that Paul came up with for them, either. They were God's expectations of His people.

Are you aware that God expects us to live like Jesus while we are alive? It's true. Of course, I'm not saying that we could ever be perfect, but we should try our best. Let's face it, God has the right to have expectations from us. He did make a huge investment in our lives by giving the blood of His Son Jesus on the cross to save you and I. You could say that we belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9)

It is these expectations that Paul speaks about in Philippians 2:12-16. In Philippians 2:12-13,  he discusses the expectation of the Christian's work. Notice how he uses "work" here. It doesn't mean work to be saved. or work to stay saved. Our salvation is ours because it was His first. He planned, purposed, pursued, and pressed it on our hearts!

It (salvation) became ours when we placed our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is this salvation that, when received, buries the past, changes the present and insures the future. It doesn't get better than that! But we can't just sit on it. We must "work" our salvation; we must complete it, or carry it to its conclusion as we grow into spiritual maturity.

Philippians 2:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us understanding as to what the will of God is for our lives; and that He creates inside of us a desire to carry that will out. This is how the Christian life works. God reveals His will to us and we follow Him in obedience (John 5:19-20). Simply put, He shows us what to do and we go out and do it! Isn't that why He saved us (Ephesians 2:10)?

Moving along to Philippians 2:14-15, Paul talks about the expectation of the Christian's walk. Naturally, we are to walk in obedience. That means no grumbling, complaining, belly-aching, or whatever! Like that familiar slogan: "Just do it!" Disobedience is what kept Israel wandering around in the desert for 40 years. When the Lord speaks, He expects us to obey!

We can break up Philippians 2:15 into two parts. The first part of the verse reminds us to walk in opposition of the world. That is, harmless and without hypocrisy or pretense. Whether they agree with you or not, no one should be able to look at your life and call you a hypocrite. We must be straight and true at all times.

The second part of verse 15, tells us to shine, to light the way for others. to reflect the light of Jesus to those in darkness. And finally, Philippians 2:16 piggybacks on this thought telling us that the Christian is to "hold forth the word of life," or take the faith we have been given and share it with others. If you have been saved, be a light for Him. Let God shine through you!

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:12; Matthew 5:16; Titus 2:7; 1 John 4:16; Hebrews 12:14  

Prayer: Dear Jesus, as I go out into the world today, may I be an example of what being a follower of You looks, talks, and acts like. I am not better than anyone else, I'm just someone who loves You and desires to share Your love with others. Amen

Have a blessed Monday!

Hailey