Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Philippians 2:1-2
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
One of the biggest problems with unity is that it looks so easy. If you listen to a fine orchestra playing harmoniously or watch a top football team playing with skill and precision, it all looks so very straightforward. Surely anyone could do it! But I then recall the hours that I spent in our school orchestra and those regular Saturday afternoons when I played football, and I can assure you that unity doesn’t come easily. Paul was equally clear about this. He knew that the Philippian Christians had received the gift of unity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they still needed to work incredibly hard to ensure that their lives reflected the unity that Jesus had achieved for them.
In these verses, the apostle Paul pleaded for unity. He told the Philippian church that if they had been touched by Christ’s love in any way or experienced the fellowship of the Spirit, then it was their responsibility to do everything possible to build up the unity of the church. In the course of normal life this is often extremely difficult. Agreeing wholeheartedly with one another might be easy if we were the same age and had similar backgrounds, but churches are never like that. And they never should be! Agreeing together is the product of lashings of love, grace and patience. Working together with one mind and purpose is vitally important for every fellowship. However, it only occurs when there is an atmosphere of encouragement and forgiveness. Our task is not to dream of a distant vision of harmony, but to think through everything we say and do to ensure that we are only ever contributing to the unity of the Church right now.
Question
What are you able to do to build unity among the Christians you know?
Prayer
Dear Father, thank You that You are the source of all unity. Help me to work hard to preserve and strengthen the unity that You give us by Your Spirit. Amen

Philippians 1:29-30
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
We don’t know the exact nature of the problems in the Philippian church. It had been planted in a hostile environment and was led by new Christians, who were doubtless still trying to get their heads around Christian doctrine and practice. I often hear people say that it would be good if we could get back to being like the early Church, but I’m not so sure. The early Church may have had the blessing of newness and enthusiasm, but they battled with many critical problems that we will never have to face, and we have the blessing of huge resources of Christian experience and literature to draw upon.
Paul offered the Philippian church the huge encouragement that they were not alone. Paul knew exactly what they were going through, and they had the benefit of seeing him at work. They knew the struggles that he had experienced and were also aware that he continued to be up against huge challenges. To use a much-used word these days, Paul [itals]empathised[end itals]. He could enter into the experience that they were going through because of what he had been through.
From time to time, I hear people say that they don’t need to go to church because they can worship perfectly well in their back garden. I am, of course, absolutely delighted that their garden is so inspirational, but nothing can take the place of Christian fellowship. We need one another. Churches aren’t perfect – they are often agonisingly imperfect – but sharing life with frail human beings just like ourselves is exactly what we need. As we face up to the challenges and sharp edges of life it is so helpful to hear, as the Philippians did, someone say: “we’re in this struggle together”.
Question
When have you been particularly aware of the empathy and support of other Christians?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You for the blessing of Christian fellowship. Amen

Philippians 1:27
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.
The residents of Philippi were very proud of their city. They had been rewarded by the Emperor Octavian after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and were designated a Roman colony. The city was in Macedonia, which is now part of northern Greece, but the Philippians enjoyed the same privileges as if they were living in Italy. Citizenship was a big issue for them, and they were delighted to enjoy the legal and tax advantages which came with their status. But Paul told them that far more significant than this was the fact that they were citizens of heaven. Being a Philippian was a temporary arrangement – unlike their eternal citizenship of heaven.
Paul was not saying that it was unimportant that they were Roman citizens. He had much to say about the importance of Christians living as responsible members of their community, as we have seen. In his letter to the church in Rome, at the heart of the empire, he wrote that those who followed Christ had a responsibility to submit to the governing authorities because they had been established by God (Romans 13:1). Christians should do everything in their power to support their communities and to live as responsible citizens, but they should do so with the knowledge that their principal identity is their heavenly one.
There were many pressures upon the church in Philippi. Although Paul’s letter is particularly positive, it is clear that there were plenty of challenges – both from people outside and people inside the church who were squabbling with one another. Paul knew that the church must live by the highest standards, and so he urged them to live lives worthy of the good news of Christ. The church wasn’t their little private club, but a group of people drawn together by the Spirit to proclaim the amazing news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever our churches might be facing at present, we all need to hear the same challenge to live a life that is worthy of Christ.
Question
What does it mean to you to be a citizen of heaven?
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for the eternal security that I have in knowing You. Help me to contribute positively to my temporary home here on earth. Amen

Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
During the two years that I lived in India a number of people in our community died and I deeply appreciated the way in which their deaths were handled. Soon after the person passed away, their body was prepared and laid out on a bed in the middle of the main room of the house. Visitors would then come and pay their respects, light candles around the body and say prayers. This would continue until the body was taken in an open coffin to church for the funeral service, which normally was held the day following the death. It was all so very different from the way in which I had seen death being handled before. When I returned to the UK, I deeply regretted the way in which we seem to be kept well away from death. In our verses today, Paul talks about death in a way that would probably shock many people. He is totally open about death and reflects on the varied benefits of being alive or dead.
Paul’s confidence in Christ shines through his words. He knew the Lord so well that he was absolutely convinced that death is the preferable option. For Paul, death was bound to be much better than life, because he would be set free from all those things that obstruct our relationship with Christ here on earth. But he realised that he had responsibilities on earth and so was content with staying alive.
One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is that we need have no fear of death. Not long ago a friend of mine died of motor neurone disease. The disease progressed very fast and it was alarming to see how speedily he lost all muscle control. But through it all he kept rejoicing. His confidence in God was so strong that on not a single occasion did I hear him complain. He knew that he was secure in God’s hands for time and eternity. I do hope you look to the future with a similar confidence.
Question
Do you share Paul’s thoughts about death?
Prayer
Lord God, thank You that my relationship with You will not be brought to an end by death. Amen

Philippians 1:15,18
It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives…Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
It would be nice to live in a perfect world where everyone agreed. We could then get on with living our Christian lives with the confidence that what other people said was a mirror image of our own thoughts. But the reality is, people disagree on almost every subject and Christian faith attracts the complete spectrum of reactions. There are people who love every word we speak, and others who hate it with a passion. And, as Paul observed, people speak in a whole variety of ways. Some are loving and gracious, others are bitter and divisive. Yet, amid all the confusion, Paul recognised that what really matters is the name of Jesus being preached. Of course, he would have much rather everyone spoke of Christ in the same way as he did, but in the real world we have to continue with our witness despite the confusions that can come.
I am really grateful that throughout the world a lot of attention is still given to Christmas and Easter. There is often very little understanding of what these events signify. It’s a noisy and confusing world so we need to understand that there will be many people trying to resist our message. However, just like Paul, we need to grasp every opportunity to speak up for Jesus and to declare the good news that He came to bring.
Question
How do you react when people speak about Jesus in a way that you dislike?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to do everything I can to help people to hear about Jesus. Amen