Brett McMillen
In the passage, Paul asks the Philippians to imitate him. I don’t think that I could be so confident and bold to ask others to imitate me. Being the perfect Christian role model is an impossible task. We are all sinners and each day we fall short of God’s plan. I personally fall short in: not praying as often as I should, not always opening my heart to the Holy Spirit, and sometimes failing to treat other according to the Golden Rule. If I were to ask others to imitate me, it would sound something like: ”Join me in a daily struggle to be a good Christian, let’s rejoice together in good thoughts deeds, and please forgive me the rest of the time.”
The book of Philippians is a letter from Paul, an accused prisoner of crimes against the government, written to a small group of followers that includes a gruff jailer, a Jewish merchant, and a sideshow fortuneteller. When times are tough in my own life, I can look at the example of Paul to put things into perspective. Paul was imprisoned at a time in which Emperor Nero was feeding Christians to lions for entertainment. His future was very uncertain, and yet throughout the letter Paul writes of joy and rejoicing even while he is in captivity. Paul’s faith and positive attitude is inspirational.
PRAYER: I pray that I may have the faith of Paul, and rejoice in God’s love even in the darkest of times. May God grant me the wisdom and strength to live my life as God intended. God please give me the ability to have faith, help others, and that my actions will have a positive influence on those around me as continue to try to be a better Christian.
No comments:
Post a Comment