Dear Fellow Children of God,
On Thursday, September 24, my
devotional reading was from Philippians 2.
What God inspired Paul to write in these verses struck me. So I shared the reading with my wife, Kathy, who
was sitting in the next room. “Listen to
this verse.” I said to Kathy. And then I
read Philippians 2:2-4 to her. “2 . . . make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others.” Thinking of the division and the
unrest in our country, I mentioned to Kathy, “Imagine if our leaders and the
citizens of our country acted like that!
Imagine if we sought unity, agreement, being one in spirit and
purpose. Imagine if we acted in humility
and love ‘considering others better than ourselves!” Kathy’s reply was, “Wouldn’t that be a great
place to live!”
However, perhaps with me you shake your head at the
division that has grown in our country.
Whether people discuss race relations, environmental policies, the work
of our police, congress, our president, or the Supreme Court, there are wildly,
passionate, differing opinions. The sad
part is that the citizens of our country do not seem to be able even to talk with
one another about honest differences.
Many times in today’s world, if one person disagrees with another person,
instead of discussing with them the perceived difference, those with different
opinions are marked as enemies. How did we get to this place!?
Scripture makes plain that there is a role for
government, and there is a place for God in our lives. In a conflicted conversation, Jesus
instructed the religious leaders of his day, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's,
and to God what is God's.” (Matthew 22:21) Sadly, I remember a
time of more civility in public discourse than we see today. Yes, people had differing opinions on
important issues including the Viet Nam War, welfare, the environment. But, I also remember people discussing those
differences and often working toward a resolution which took both sides into consideration. As a child in school, we would recite The
Pledge of Allegiance every day. I still
cherish the values professed in that pledge, especially, “one nation, under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
all.” Americans could disagree, but
we were one nation. So we could still
work together. We did work for the good
of all. At least that was my perception.
Conversely, now people do not seem to even want to work
toward ‘being in one spirit and
purpose.’ Now people do act out of ‘selfish ambition or vain conceit,’ and
seem to think such behavior is acceptable.
I see politicians and citizens attack one another rather than listening
to each other. Our political system
seems broken, or at least it is not working well.
What can Christians do in such a
world? Actually, the reading from
Philippians 2 answers that question.
Listen to verses 14-16 a. 14 Do everything without
complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children
of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine
like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life-- . . .“ Paul did not tell the Christians in
Philippi to revolt in order to change the ruling system of the day. Paul acknowledged that our world is “a crooked and depraved generation.” But, children of God are called to live lives
that are “blameless and pure.” We can
seek to 3 Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. We can work toward “being
one in spirit and purpose.” When
children of God work toward unity, in actions of humble love, we can be a
blessing to the world around us, and to our country. Living in in “a crooked and depraved
generation,” we will “shine like stars
in the universe.”
Unfortunately, each of us is sinful. We all fight the inclination toward selfish
ambition and vain conceit. That is part
of our sinful nature. But, as God
inspires Paul to write, we are strengthened to bless others when we “hold out the word of life,” We may indeed
struggle with our own sinful desires.
But, as Paul writes, “ . . . it is God who works in you to will and to act
according to his good purpose.”
(Philippians 2:13) Because Jesus
acted in humility and love, we seek to live in the same way. We are told of Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross! When we learn the amazing depth of sacrifice and love God gives in Jesus,
God works in us so that our actions “shine
like stars” in a corrupt world, in a divided country.
When I read the
verse from Philippians 2 to Kathy she responded, “Wouldn’t that be a great
place to live!” How are you working to “shine like stars in the universe’ in this “crooked and depraved generation in which we live? If
the children of God seek to live as Jesus did in serving us, our world and our
country will be better for it.
A Child of God, Seeking to be a Blessing in this Corrupt
and Depraved World,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I cleaned the garden on September 28 and got
it ready for winter. Here is a picture
of my ‘bare’ garden plot. https://photos.app.goo.gl/or8ftGHYk7WAmAap9
P.P.S. I did fish
on the Kenai with Pastor Bill Hilgendorf and Gerry Zellar on Friday, September 25. We were fishing for silver salmon, but only
caught pinks, all of which we threw back.
Here are a couple of pictures from that trip. https://photos.app.goo.gl/iQectVMedCPA4WPF9
P.P.P.S. Here is
an album of most of my fishing trips this past summer in Alaska. Enjoy!
J https://photos.app.goo.gl/bDf5aRBYvopSrgBZ8
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I am now retired
from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK.
My weekly devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the
Pastor." However, with life's changes I now call the devotion
"Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." I am only sending
this message to those who have asked to receive it. If you know someone
else who desires to receive this message, have them e-mail me at
jonrock53@mtaonline.net. I will include them on my distribution list. You
can also view this message on my Facebook page.
HOWEVER, A NUMBER
OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME WHY THEY ARE NO LONGER RECEIVING MY DEVOTIONS. Since I’m only sending these e-mails to
people who ask for them, many are no longer receiving these messages. BUT, if you read this on Facebook and like to
receive these devotions by e-mail, or if you know someone who would like to
receive these devotions, send me an e-mail at jonrock53@mtaonline.net, and I will add
you to my distribution list.
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
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