I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. – Philippians 4:12

Today's Scripture Reading (April 15, 2021): Philippians 4

Socrates taught that "he who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." It is a truth that has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, not being content keeps us driving for next steps. Life, like biology, is all about growth and what comes next. If we stop anywhere on the journey, we begin the slow march toward death. We need something that keeps us moving forward.

But the reality of contentment is that we have to be content on that journey. If we start to think that the only way we can be happy is to achieve that next level, we will never be satisfied. That is the real secret of life. It is about being content with the journey that we are on and not the level that we are currently experiencing. We need to find happiness and contentment wherever life takes us, yet still be willing to drive on toward wherever the next steps might take us on this journey. Being content, and yet not content.

And that is really what Paul's argument. He is discontented with many things in his life. He doesn't want to stay where he is. He wants the churches' sin to be eliminated, and he desires to see the divisions healed. It is the reason why he writes his letters and visits the churches. And right now, he wants to be with the Philippians. But his discontentment is always based on aspirations and advancement of the moral law, not on things and situations. Both Paul and Socrates agree, as far as things and situations, they are content wherever they find themselves and with whatever they possess.

For Paul, he is under arrest, and his situation is bleak as he awaits trial. But he is content with where he is and what he has. He knows the truth of Socrates's words; if you are not content with where you are and what you have, you will never be content.

We often reverse the process. As far as morality or the spiritual health of the Christian church is concerned, we are content. After all, we do our best, and we are only human. Why should we press on to be better? But as far as things and situations, we never seem to be content. There is always something in our lives that we wish was different, ways that we think we would be better if we only made more money, lived in a nicer place, or had other friends. And we have experienced the result. Regardless of what it is that we have, we always want more. And we are never content in the exact places that Paul argues that he is.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Colossians 1

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. – Philippians 3:7

Today's Scripture Reading (April 14, 2021): Philippians 3

Eugene Peterson called it "The Great Reversal." Jesus continually returned to the idea, reminding us that this world has got its priorities messed up. "The Great Reversal" was present every time Jesus taught that in his kingdom, the first would be last, and the last would be first. "The Great Reversal" was present at the Sermon on the Mount, especially in the Beatitudes when Jesus taught "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3) and "Blessed are the meek" (Matthew 5:5). It is the upside-down kingdom that reveals how messed up we really are.

"The Great Reversal" is something that Paul knew well. He knew that this world had corrupted his priorities. It is essential to note the plurality of Paul's "gains" and the singularity of the "loss." All of Paul's gains now counted as one significant loss in the upside-down kingdom. And the Apostle's gains were many. According to Jewish tradition, he was circumcised on his eighth day of life. He was born into Judaism. He had worked hard to become a Pharisee, a Jewish sect that the people respected for their holiness and complete compliance with the directives of the Mosaic Law. He had persecuted the church because he believed that the early Christians were violators of the Jewish law. He had been educated by Gamaliel the Elder, a leading authority in the Jewish courts. Paul knew that he had much about which he could brag. And earlier in his career, he did.

But Paul was stopped on the Damascus Road by a voice asking one question: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me" (Acts 9:4)? At that moment, Paul was introduced to "The Great Reversal." Everything that he had pursued and worked hard to achieve now added up one significant loss because it was precisely these things that had caused him to miss Jesus.

I wonder if we miss the importance of Paul's statement. Often, we work for power and respect the same way that Paul had toiled for it. We want to be recognized for our achievements. We want people to know about the height of our educational accomplishments, and we want them to see the positive actions in our daily lives. But I have to admit that often when I look at church elder boards and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, I really don't see a difference between the Church of Jesus Christ and the institutions in our world. Our sense of importance often seems to be based on the very things that Paul counted as loss.

If you want to see real Christian leadership, it is often hard to find. But that is not because it isn't there, but instead because authentic Christian leadership works behind the scenes, doing the things that we usually cannot see. Once in a while, these leaders get highlighted, but most of the time, they work without recognition. And that is just the way they want it because the only recognition they want comes from above and the Savior they seek to serve. These servants are the leaders of the upside-down kingdom and the stars of "The Great Reversal."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 4

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. – Philippians 2:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 13, 2021): Philippians 2

The hymns of the church are important. Although admittedly, some are more important than others.  And some have weathered the winds of time better than others.

          Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,

          Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.

          Heir of Salvation, purchase of God,

          Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Fanny Crosby's lyrics are among those that have stood well the test of time, although we have to work a little harder for the meaning. We are assured of our salvation, even amid our doubt. This really is our story and song as we praise our Savior all the day long.

Maybe a hymn that has suffered a little, although I love the song, is "Come Thou Fount." The lyric, written by Robert Robinson, can make us trip, especially as he writes, "here I raise my Ebenezer." Ebenezer is not a word that we use much anymore, even inside of the church. Unless it is Christmas, and we are referring to the ubiquitous Christmas miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. But even Robinson's words have the capacity to hit home. I can't help but sing out the lyrics of the hymn that are born out of personal experience as Robinson writes,

          Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

          Prone to leave the God I love;

          Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

          Seal it for Thy courts above.

The purpose of our songs, both the old hymns of the church and the more contemporary pieces, is to put into words the music of our hearts. A good hymn or current song helps us express our Christian experience in terms that our souls understand.

Paul, as he writes to the Philippians, breaks out into a song. His original readers likely began to sing even as they read the words, just as it is hard to read "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine" without singing it, if you are acquainted with the song.

The hymn that Paul begins to sing reminds the singer that God's nature was different from our nature. The existence of Jesus didn't start in the manger. He is God and dwelt in heaven with God long before he was born in Bethlehem's stable. But even though he was God, it was not something of which he took advantage. The phrase "Son of God" wasn't printed on his stationery. And when his disciples said that he was the Son of God, he wanted that fact to be kept a secret. It was a reminder of the deity of Jesus, as well as his humility. And a reminder that while we are not God, if God could be humble, so should we. All spoken in the language of our hearts, in the words of a song.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 3

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. – Philippians 1:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 12, 2021): Philippians 1

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said that "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." He should know. He presided over the United Kingdom during one of the worst moments in her history, not only for England and her sister countries but also for the entire world. It was a moment when the world stumbled from one possible solution to another, with none of them being judged to be perfect. They were simply actions that could be done. Yet, Churchill insisted that his people would never surrender, definitely not now, nor would that be a path that the United Kingdom would follow in the hard days ahead. It may not sound as good as "we will fight on the beaches," but as far as Churchill was concerned, he could have said, "we shall stumble on the beaches, we shall stumble on the landing grounds, we shall stumble in the fields and in the streets, we shall stumble in the hills." We will stumble through whatever circumstances lie before us; we will stumble until we finally succeed. "We shall never surrender."

The year was 61 C.E. Paul has arrived in Rome and is now under house arrest. He might have had some ability to move around Rome under guard, especially if he worked to pay for his lodging. But he will be in Rome until after his trial before Caesar, which, at this time, is Nero. But Nero is a busy man. He had started building his palace, the Domus Transitoria, in 60 C.E. The Roman historian, Suetonius, writes, "He [Nero] built a palace extending all the way from the Palatine to the Esquiline, which at first he called the Domus Transitoria, but when it was burned down shortly after its completion and rebuilt, the Golden House." The Domus Transitoria was destroyed in the Great Fire in 64 C.E.

But for now, Paul is playing a waiting game. Even if he has some freedom, he is still a prisoner. He can't leave the city or continue the missionary journeys that he felt were so important. He is restricted and under house arrest, except for those times when he was working.

But he refuses to let his arrest stop his activity. So, with the help of Timothy, he writes to the Christians in Philippi. Division has developed in the church that needs to be addressed. Paul wants to go to the church and meet with these friends for whom he is thankful. But his reality is that he can't, not until Nero decides to meet with him and decides about his future. But, for now, he is stumbling through what he can do, trusting that even his stumbles, in God and without any loss in enthusiasm, will result in success.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 2

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

Today's Scripture Reading (April 11, 2021): Ephesians 6

We may not see the world as it is. Unconscious bias fills our perceptions. We can't make sense of every little event that we experience, every moment of our day. As a result, our brains have developed shortcuts. Past experiences form a template for future interactions. When events take place, our brains immediately make use of these templates.  We don't necessarily see what is or take an objective look at what we are experiencing. Instead, we allow past interactions to fill in the blanks, an unconscious bias, and we react to a combination of the events and our bias. 

The world is not as it seems. But we kind of understand that. If it were, then life would be so simple. Instead, life is complicated and exists on so many levels. We often think we know what is going on, only to find out something else is at work. As much as our actions shape us, so do our intentions, and if it were just that, even then, life would be easier than it is.

We live in a physical world, but it is also a spiritual one. And both have a distinctive effect on what it is that happens in our world. Paul doesn't invite us to consider that maybe the spiritual realm has more to do with what we see happening around us than we think; he announces it as a fact. It is not "Maybe we should consider that our struggle is not against flesh and blood," the apostle declares that "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood." The world is not just as we perceive it; there is so much more going on.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world saw an uptick in violence against people of Asian descent. The apparent correlation was that we believed that the virus, which shaped our world, originated from China. And especially because it seemed to originate in China's "wet markets," a concept that those from the sterile societies in the West seem to be a disaster waiting to happen, this is the obvious connection to Asian violence. But we also have to recognize that there is a spiritual connection. It is an accusation from the dark powers that we are not all "the children of God," regardless of race. The violence is bound in a satanic belief that not all of us are worthy of being loved and that some of us are less valuable. If it were not for the battle taking place in the spiritual world, prejudice in the physical world would not easily take hold of us.

Paul commands that when we consider this world's problems, we have to recognize what is happening in our physical realm, but we also have to be aware of the battle that is taking place in the spiritual realm. Fixing only one aspect of our struggle is not good enough. We have to be mindful of the whole battle that is happening in the world that we see.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 1

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my sister, Cheri. I hope you have a great day.

Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (April 10, 2021): Ephesians 5

Novelist and social critic James Baldwin argued that "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." It is the reason why I think that Harry Chapin's 1974 folk song, "Cats in the Cradle," is one of the saddest songs ever written. In the final chapter of the story, we find that the child has imitated the parent and even mimicked the father's excuses to delay spending time with his son. The child had learned his lessons well.

Children are natural imitators. And so, Paul encourages the Ephesians to be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. If we are his children, we should be willing to imitate our Father, taking on ourselves, his characteristics. But this shouldn't be an unreal expectation to which we are commanded to conform, but rather something that we want to do because God is "Our Father in heaven."

Unfortunately, we often seem to react in reverse. When Peter writes, ^"but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy,'" our reaction is often to ask "how can we, who are not God, ever be holy?" What if we were to, instead, embrace Peter's words by saying, "we, who are the children of God, want to imitate the holiness of God, even if, as children, we do so imperfectly."

Theologian Charles Spurgeon wrote

"What are we sent into the world for? Is it not that we may keep men in mind of God, whom they are most anxious to forget? If we are imitators of God, as dear children, they will be compelled to recollect that there is a God, for they will see his character reflected in ours. I have heard of an atheist who said he could get over every argument except the example of his godly mother: he could never answer that."

I dream of the day when we, God's children, become so wrapped up in the imitation of our Father that those who oppose the church look at us and say, "I don't believe that there is a God, except that I see him reflected in his church, his children; I don't have an answer for that." Unfortunately, that is not the reality. Our critics often fail to believe that there is a God because the church doesn't look anything like him. If we reflect the image of the living God, then they want nothing to do with that kind of God.

When God wanted to make his presence known to his people, he sent his prophets, often with a message of God's love for his children. And in the ultimate act of love, he sent his son. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). So, as God loved us, go and love the world. In this, be holy, imitating "Our Father in heaven." 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:3

Today's Scripture Reading (April 9, 2021): Ephesians 4

Sarah Silverman says that she is politically homeless. She is fed up with the elitist structure of the political system, but her complaint goes beyond that. According to Silverman;

You know, Republicans might hear an idea that they would totally agree with, but if it comes from [Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], then they hate it. And of course, you know, to be honest, when I hear an idea that comes from a Republican, it's suspect to me. We all put too much s**t on this stuff. We no longer are able to be a nation of ideas.

She's right. We are in a place where the political left and right routinely put down the ideas of the other simply because of who authored the concept, not because we disagree with the basic idea. Silverman asks this question, and she deserves an answer. "Without a common truth, how can we talk about it?" Maybe her words hit home with me because this is often the way that I feel. I, too, often feel that I am politically homeless. But more importantly, I also sometimes feel that I am religiously homeless as well. The disease of division has invaded most of the aspects of our lives.

Our culture is struggling with division. I get it. This is the age of the echo chamber. We want to divide the world up according to race, gender, religious beliefs, political party, sexual orientation, and any other dividing line that we can imagine. We separate, advertise what is wrong with the other, and preach about the evils of being them. And suppose anyone dares to attempt to understand our struggle. In that case, we explode with anger, screaming to anyone who will listen, complaining that they would dare to tell us how we are supposed to feel, and in the process deepening the division. But the reality is that we get what we see. If what we see is what separates us, the result can only be division.

The Contemporary Christian Church is divided against itself. We have focused on the things that separate, resulting in one wing of the church arguing for the exclusion of the other. We are wasting time and energy on the purpose of division, strengthening our echo chambers, and making the pool of people with whom we can communicate smaller and smaller. And we never hear the good ideas that might come from people who are not like us. And that is a huge societal problem.

Paul's message to the Ephesian church is the total opposite. He argues that we should "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit." I believe that means that we need to celebrate the things that we agree on and how the Spirit is working in all of us, rather than claiming that one side possesses the Spirit that the other side lacks. And I am convinced that that means celebrating the things that we hold in common as Christians. And politely listening even to ideas on which we might disagree.

I would describe myself as a part of the Christian evangelical movement inside the church. Some years ago, I was in conflict with a pastoral colleague. But the totality of our disagreement was around the term "evangelical." When we sat down for a conversation, we discovered that we agreed on almost every significant issue. It was the label that had caused the division and the assumptions that went along with the brand. Maybe, as Christians, we need to move toward a reality without titles. We are Christians, followers of Christ. We are on a journey, and even if we are taking a bit of a different route, our destination is the same. And part of our instructions is to celebrate the similarities and recognize the presence of Jesus in each other, regardless of whatever label might be applied to what we believe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5