Conduct Yourself
Philippians 1
Building a Community centered on Love
This blog is where I do a Bible Reading. I read a passage from the Bible and then I write down my own thoughts on what I read. I would love to know your thoughts as well!
Showing posts with label Philippians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippians. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Bible Reading #171 - Conduct Yourself
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #149
Wandering Mind
Philippians 4
 |
| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 7-8) "Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable or commendable."
My Thoughts
Our minds like to wander, don't they? Mine definitely does, and it seems to do so more when I am trying to focus on something, like prayer. Not always does it go to bad things, but it does wander. Sometimes, my mind does wander into areas I don't want it to. That's something we need to be careful about.
What we need to keep our minds focused on are what Paul mentions here. True, pure, fair, honorable, acceptable and commendable things. Don't let your mind go to places where impure thoughts abound. Doing so will lead you into temptation, like I talked about a couple days ago.
When your mind wanders into that kind of territory, you become distracted from the things of God. Our attitude can reflect it sometimes too. So if we keep pure thoughts in our minds, our attitude will reflect that as well.
There is nothing wrong with thinking about work or a project or a movie or a game. The biggest thing is that is not where our minds should be focused most of the time. Focus on the task at hand that needs to be done like work. When you're watching a movie, enjoy the movie. It's when we are bored or relaxing or otherwise not doing anything that we need to be wary of where our minds are.
When your mind is in that place where it has nothing specific to focus on or anything, that's when it may wander into impure territory. When we have nothing to do or we are bored or relaxing, we need to be careful of our thoughts and focus them on the things of God and on other good things. Not let our thoughts become dark or tainted or impure.
What we need to keep our minds focused on are what Paul mentions here. True, pure, fair, honorable, acceptable and commendable things. Don't let your mind go to places where impure thoughts abound. Doing so will lead you into temptation, like I talked about a couple days ago.
When your mind wanders into that kind of territory, you become distracted from the things of God. Our attitude can reflect it sometimes too. So if we keep pure thoughts in our minds, our attitude will reflect that as well.
There is nothing wrong with thinking about work or a project or a movie or a game. The biggest thing is that is not where our minds should be focused most of the time. Focus on the task at hand that needs to be done like work. When you're watching a movie, enjoy the movie. It's when we are bored or relaxing or otherwise not doing anything that we need to be wary of where our minds are.
When your mind is in that place where it has nothing specific to focus on or anything, that's when it may wander into impure territory. When we have nothing to do or we are bored or relaxing, we need to be careful of our thoughts and focus them on the things of God and on other good things. Not let our thoughts become dark or tainted or impure.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #20
Confidence in Christ
Philippians 3
 |
| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 3) "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh..."
My Thoughts
Paul wrote Philippians when he was in prison. He says that he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, which is the things of this world. There really is no reason to put confidence in the flesh if you believe in Jesus. Jesus is our everything. Our confidence is in Him and every part of our lives is in Him.
There may things about ourselves that we may think gives us reason to put confidence in the flesh. You're really strong, you can bench press 350 pounds! Surely you have reason to put confidence in your strength. You got 100 percent on everything and all A+ in school, you're a genius! Your intelligence is your confidence right? Or you're a celebrity, you have fame, fortune, and popularity. You have so many friends and they're all really loyal. You have enough money to last for the rest of your life, your children's lives and your grandchildren's lives without any of them ever having to work again. That's reason enough to put confidence in for sure!
If you base your confidence on what you have, your abilities, wealth, fame, possessions or anything, it will not go well with you. One day you will lose what you have. You won't be as strong or as fast. You won't have the fame or the fortune, and you will lose what you own. When you die, none of that goes with you, so why would you want to put your confidence in such things? This goes along with another Bible reading I did recently, about centering your life on Christ, storing up treasure in Heaven because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It just makes sense, doesn't it, to put confidence in something that will last? How does it make sense to put your confidence or your life or whatever else into something that will not last? I would much rather live my whole life with nothing, knowing that I will get to spend eternity with Christ after I die, than to live with everything, lacking nothing only to lose it all when I die. That is the point, friends. Death is a real thing, and you cannot escape it. When you die, the things of world will be left behind.
Your TV, your computer, your bed, house, phone, even friends. The things you have; your material possessions, are for you to enjoy while you live, but not to give your life to. If your confidence comes from any of the things I've mentioned throughout this post, and that day comes when you've lost it, that will be the day you lose your confidence. If it is your life that you've given to these things, that day will be the day you lose your life. Not that you will literally die, but you will lose what you've given your life to. We can never lose Christ. If you are in Christ and He is in you and you have given your life to Christ, He will never leave you. Nothing can take Him away from you, not even death. When your time comes to die, you will leave this world and you will go and be with the one who made this world for eternity!
Previous PostNext Post
There may things about ourselves that we may think gives us reason to put confidence in the flesh. You're really strong, you can bench press 350 pounds! Surely you have reason to put confidence in your strength. You got 100 percent on everything and all A+ in school, you're a genius! Your intelligence is your confidence right? Or you're a celebrity, you have fame, fortune, and popularity. You have so many friends and they're all really loyal. You have enough money to last for the rest of your life, your children's lives and your grandchildren's lives without any of them ever having to work again. That's reason enough to put confidence in for sure!
If you base your confidence on what you have, your abilities, wealth, fame, possessions or anything, it will not go well with you. One day you will lose what you have. You won't be as strong or as fast. You won't have the fame or the fortune, and you will lose what you own. When you die, none of that goes with you, so why would you want to put your confidence in such things? This goes along with another Bible reading I did recently, about centering your life on Christ, storing up treasure in Heaven because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It just makes sense, doesn't it, to put confidence in something that will last? How does it make sense to put your confidence or your life or whatever else into something that will not last? I would much rather live my whole life with nothing, knowing that I will get to spend eternity with Christ after I die, than to live with everything, lacking nothing only to lose it all when I die. That is the point, friends. Death is a real thing, and you cannot escape it. When you die, the things of world will be left behind.
Your TV, your computer, your bed, house, phone, even friends. The things you have; your material possessions, are for you to enjoy while you live, but not to give your life to. If your confidence comes from any of the things I've mentioned throughout this post, and that day comes when you've lost it, that will be the day you lose your confidence. If it is your life that you've given to these things, that day will be the day you lose your life. Not that you will literally die, but you will lose what you've given your life to. We can never lose Christ. If you are in Christ and He is in you and you have given your life to Christ, He will never leave you. Nothing can take Him away from you, not even death. When your time comes to die, you will leave this world and you will go and be with the one who made this world for eternity!
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Saturday, 3 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #13
Center Your Life on Christ
Phillipians 1
(v. 21) "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
My Thoughts
For the time that we have on this Earth to live, it is important that we live for Christ. We live, we love, encourage, share Christ and show the world Christ through us. If you do not live for Christ, why do you live? What is the focus of your life, the reason for your existence? My life is centered on Christ. What is your life centered on? This question is huge, but you need to be able to answer it. If your life is centered on the things of this world, they will eventually let you down.
People are not always reliable. There are a handful of people that each individual can call trustworthy. People aren't perfect, even friends. Friends come and go, some are forever, but what happens when you're no longer close to them, whether location wise or relationship wise? What about money? Money can't buy happiness, it can't buy love or friends, those things are only there as long as you have the money to keep them there. Possessions? Those get lost or damaged or replaced. Your spouse? Eventually they will die. Your kids? They will grow up and move out and start their own family.
Christ is eternal. God is everlasting. You center your life on Christ and He will never let you down. Not even death can keep you from Christ. Those who follow Christ will be with Him for eternity when they die. What about those who don't know Christ? Well, obviously they will not get to spend eternity with Christ.
This is the reason that we need to share Christ with the world. The gift that He gave us through His sacrifice on the cross; the gift of eternal life, is a gift that was meant to be shared. It cannot be kept to ourselves, we need to share it with the world. If we center our lives on Christ, we are living in a way that others will see. They may not realize it right away, but they will see that we are different than most other people. Staying true to who you are in Christ in all situations is the best way you can outwardly show that you follow Christ. When people ask you questions, answer them honestly, or when they tell you that you're different, tell them why.
Live all out for Christ. Center your life and your faith on Him and others will see it.
People are not always reliable. There are a handful of people that each individual can call trustworthy. People aren't perfect, even friends. Friends come and go, some are forever, but what happens when you're no longer close to them, whether location wise or relationship wise? What about money? Money can't buy happiness, it can't buy love or friends, those things are only there as long as you have the money to keep them there. Possessions? Those get lost or damaged or replaced. Your spouse? Eventually they will die. Your kids? They will grow up and move out and start their own family.
Christ is eternal. God is everlasting. You center your life on Christ and He will never let you down. Not even death can keep you from Christ. Those who follow Christ will be with Him for eternity when they die. What about those who don't know Christ? Well, obviously they will not get to spend eternity with Christ.
This is the reason that we need to share Christ with the world. The gift that He gave us through His sacrifice on the cross; the gift of eternal life, is a gift that was meant to be shared. It cannot be kept to ourselves, we need to share it with the world. If we center our lives on Christ, we are living in a way that others will see. They may not realize it right away, but they will see that we are different than most other people. Staying true to who you are in Christ in all situations is the best way you can outwardly show that you follow Christ. When people ask you questions, answer them honestly, or when they tell you that you're different, tell them why.
Live all out for Christ. Center your life and your faith on Him and others will see it.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thanks for reading, Godbless!
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #10
Imitating Christ's Humility
Philippians 2
(v. 4) "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
My Thoughts
In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he tells us that we should imitate Christ. If you have a sibling, you've probably dealt with them mimicking you, either what you say or what you're doing or both, or you've done it yourself. Annoying right? Even if you were the one doing it, you know (now, hopefully) that it's annoying. Sometimes people will do this to one another to mock them or to annoy them. Sometimes though, especially with a younger sibling, they do this because they want to be exactly like. It's like a show of affection or that they look up to you. So next time your younger sibling does this, don't get annoyed or upset with them, maybe laugh it off, have fun with them!
The way we should imitate Christ is not in an annoying way, and not even to try to play His 'character'. You know people get into character for different things, even wear costumes. That's not how we do this. We imitate Christ by aligning our hearts with His and filling our minds with holy thoughts. You can't always just go around healing people and bringing the dead back to life or walk on water. These things aren't impossible if you have God, but it's not what Christ expects of us. He just expects us to follow Him and His ways, like a master and apprentice kind of thing.
Wouldn't it be just such an amazing thing for someone to mistake you for Jesus? That would be cool! It would be just like someone mistaking you for a celebrity, only better! You could be Jesus to somebody. Jesus is in you, He is in your heart, so if someone mistakes you for Him, they aren't totally off because they would be seeing Jesus in you and through you. This is what can happen when you align your heart and mind and spirit with that of Jesus, and it is a very good thing.
Go out and do something for someone else this week. Be completely self-less. Give help to someone, have a chat and make their day, encourage, comfort, or think of something you could do for someone else that is totally for them and for God. It doesn't have to be something huge, remember that the small things matter too.
The way we should imitate Christ is not in an annoying way, and not even to try to play His 'character'. You know people get into character for different things, even wear costumes. That's not how we do this. We imitate Christ by aligning our hearts with His and filling our minds with holy thoughts. You can't always just go around healing people and bringing the dead back to life or walk on water. These things aren't impossible if you have God, but it's not what Christ expects of us. He just expects us to follow Him and His ways, like a master and apprentice kind of thing.
Wouldn't it be just such an amazing thing for someone to mistake you for Jesus? That would be cool! It would be just like someone mistaking you for a celebrity, only better! You could be Jesus to somebody. Jesus is in you, He is in your heart, so if someone mistakes you for Him, they aren't totally off because they would be seeing Jesus in you and through you. This is what can happen when you align your heart and mind and spirit with that of Jesus, and it is a very good thing.
Go out and do something for someone else this week. Be completely self-less. Give help to someone, have a chat and make their day, encourage, comfort, or think of something you could do for someone else that is totally for them and for God. It doesn't have to be something huge, remember that the small things matter too.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thanks for reading, Godbless!
