Strength and Courage! Philippians, Grace & The New Radicals Daily Challenge: Read the text…Reflect…Memorize…Read the post (around 450 words- it will take 2 minutes to read.) Review the text. You’ll love this New Testament letter. When we’re done you’ll have the book memorized. 10 minutes total. Let’s do it! Day 12 ALL IN, 100%,WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN Philippians 2:12-13 “ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Today is Superbowl Sunday 2014. The coaches of both the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks will be giving the speeches of their lives to their team a few short hours from now. If I were one of those coaches I’d say something like this: “Today is more than the last game of the season, it is the most important game of our lives! In all probability none of us in our careers will ever play in a Superbowl again, nor be poised to be the Superbowl Champions as we are right now. We’ve had a good season with lots of great wins. We’ve practiced all we can. Now, focus 100% on this game, now. I need 100% of your ownership, attitude, hard work and sacrifice. We need to fight to win not only for ourselves, but even more for our fans. Look at how they provide us a dream lifestyle! 100%! Be all in! This is what it takes to win! In a few short hours you could have a Superbowl ring on your finger! Now let’s go get it!” Paul’s two short verses above are the same sort of call to win that a Superbowl coach would give. They should be memorized by every man following Jesus. Here is what Paul is saying in bullet form: •“Therefore”, because of the incredible fact that God the Son left heaven, took on human flesh and condescended to be our Savior and endured incarnation, satanic confrontation, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection for us…knowing ahead of time every second of difficulty, suffering, opposition and pain He would suffer… •“My beloved”, as you remember His great love for you and my love for you… •“Just as you have always obeyed” the Lord when I was with you in Philippi… •“So now” even more that I’m sitting in a prison cell in Rome, apart from you… •“Work out” the salvation that God has worked into you. Don’t rest on the past successes, don’t think about all that you’ve done for Jesus in the past, stay in the battle today, now. Where should the Gospel affect your personality now, your temperament now, your manhood, marriage, fathering, ministry, work, now? Work it out! Stay in the game, this is the only way to win! •“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. Challenge: As you meditate on these verses and roll them over and over into your mind enjoy the reality that the Lord not only worked in your life in the past but He’s working in you right now, this very second. Your life has meaning and significance for the King every day, in every phase of life. Not resting on the past, what’s He saying to you now, today?! Strength and Courage! Pete Note: FOR MEN IN ORLANDO- KEY LIFE MEN begins on Tuesday morning February 25…7:00-8:00 AM…Canterbury Retreat Center…1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo, 32765 Come and join us on a weekly basis and be a radical bringer. I’ll be speaking and look forward to getting to know you. Our first series: DANGEROUS FREEDOM…The Way of True Manhood
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 13:08:02 +0000
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