Living the Bible

At some point or other in our lives, most of us experience some degree of financial need. I can think of a few of times in my own life when I had serious financial worries. The first was when I lost a lot of money on a business venture in my early twenties. The second was when I was a student for the ministry, and I was working as a delivery driver to make ends meet. The third was when I went nine months without a call to serve a church. ‘How will I survive?' I kept worrying.These were horrible months full of fear, anxiety, and stress. But, one day, while browsing a used book store, I came across a little book by Charles Spurgeon, The CheckBook of the Bank of Faith. It was a series of devotionals based on Philippians 4:19. The 10 cents I paid for that little book was one of the best investments I ever made. It brought me so much peace and calm. Let's look at this verse in its context.

Which is harder? Contentment when poor or contentment when rich? Most of us would say it's much harder to be content when poor. “If only the Lord would give me this income, this house, this car, this retirement, then I would find it really easy to be content.” In Philippians 4:10-13, the Apostle Paul suprises us by saying that we have to learn how to be content whether we are rich or poor. Contentment does not rise or fall with our incomes and mutual funds. It rises and falls based upon our spiritual condition. How can I learn contentment?

Scientists estimate that for every hundred pieces of information that enter our brains, ninety-nine end up in the spam folder. Noticing only one thing out of every hundred is a good thing. As many suffering autistic people will tell you, if you don't have a good mental spam filter, you can be overwhelmed with useless and harmful data.The problem is, many of us have spam filters that are fantastic at letting in only the negative things and filtering out the positive. With such a grim input of one-sided data, is it any wonder that we experience so much stress, demotivation, and relational breakdown? How do we develop a better SPAM filter? In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul retrains our brains and SPAM filters so that we Scan for Positive and Affirming Messages. 

Causes cure. What do I mean by that? The first step to curing a problem is discovering the cause of the problem. For example, I get flare-ups of arthritis. I can take painkillers to tamp down the symptoms. But because I haven't addressed the cause of my arthritis, as soon as I stop the Ibuprofen, it flares up again. Without knowing the cause, I don't really have a cure.  Most of the time, the cause is too much stress and too little sleep. When I admit that, and trace my pain to that, then I'm identifying the cause and only then can I work towards a cure. In that sense, causes cure.Same goes for anxiety. We can take meds to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, but it will almost always return when meds are stopped. So how do we cure anxiety? First identify the causes. That's what Paul does in Philippians 4:1-7.

Are you a copycat or a copy-Christ?When I was young kid, it was an insult to be called a copycat. We used it to mock someone who copied someone's clothes, or actions, or words. But being a copycat isn't just something we see in children. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all copy someone to some degree. Whether we're aware of it or not, we are copying others, following their example, influenced by them. They are our models and we are their mimics. That's fine when they are good examples but disastrous when they're bad examples.Paul saw this danger in Philippi. But instead of simply saying “Stop copying others,” he said, “Choose better models.” Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us (17). He sets himself up as a good model and warns about bad models. Paul's asking the Philippians and us, “Who is your model?” 

Forty years ago, I went on a mountain climbing camp with my church. On the first day we tried to climb one of the highest mountains in the Scottish Highlands. It was especially tough because most of the city-kids had ever climbed a mountain before. After hours of agonizing ascent, I still remember getting to what I thought was the peak only to realize that it was a plateau before the real peak, which was probably another hour of even harder climbing. Most of us decided enough was enough and decided that the flat plateau would be our peak. But there were a few kids, mostly farm boys, who used the plateau as an opportunity to rest and renew before pressing on to the real summit. In every area of life, most people plateau, while a few press on to the summit. Most just settle for mediocrity, but others refuse to settle and press on to peaks of excellence. It's the same in the spiritual life. There are plateau Christians and there peak Christians. How can we make sure we are peak Christians rather than plateau Christians? Let's join the Apostle Paul on his climb to the summit in Philippians 3:12-16.

The number one reason people do not become Christians is the fear of what they will lose. I remember going through that calculation myself when the Lord was calling me to Christ in my early twenties. “But I'll lose my job, my friends, my reputation, and my Sundays. Above all, I'll lose my sins, my sinful pleasures and habits.” No matter how many times I tried to add it up, and get a different answer, it always came out the same: too much to lose and too little to gain. So, I resisted and resisted. Thankfully, God helped me recalculate my losses, just as he did with the Apostle Paul. Paul puts this better than I can in Philippians 3:8-11, so let's see his working on the problem of “What will I lose if I become a Christian?”

At family devotions, Shona will sometimes say, “David I don't think Scot knows what that word means.” Usually, it's something I think is really basic and just assume that Scot knows. Shona's usually right and therefore I have to try and explain this basic word or concept. The strange thing is that I usually learn in the process! There's something about trying to answer basic questions that's helpful for everyone.In Philippians 3:2-8, Paul has to answer the most basic question for the Philippians: What is a Christian? How do I know if I'm a Christian? Let's learn together with the Philippians as Paul goes back to basics.

I once wrote a book called The Happy Christian. Many of my Christian friends and colleagues in the ministry viewed me as suspect when they heard about it. They thought I'd “gone all Joel Osteen,” as one of them put it. Another narrowed his eyes and asked, “What are you trying to do, David?” “Make Christians happy!” I answered. You'd have thought I'd denied the resurrection. “How can I be happy?” is the most fundamental human question. It's what drives every human being. God allows as to answer it in a Christian way. In fact, he provides the Christian answer in Philippians 3:1. 

Where do you find satisfaction? What fills you? What gives you pleasure and fulfillment? What makes you feel ‘in the zone'? You've tried many things haven't you? So have I. I've ended up where you may be today. Having tried multiple ways to find satisfaction, I always ended up empty rather than filled. How can I find satisfaction? In Philippians 2:17-30, Paul stuns us with a surprising answer. The way to satisfaction is to satisfy others. The way to filling is emptying self to fill others. At first glance, these verses don't look too important. They seem to cover some personnel matters, with Paul arranging some substitutes for himself while he's in prison. But if instead of skipping over them, we pause to dig into them, we realize that Paul is using even these staffing adjustments to teach the Philippians unity and service. 

We're living through the last dying breaths of the war in Afghanistan. American forces are retreating as we hand this poor country over to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Most agree the war was necessary to rid the country of Al-Qaeda. Most also agree that the war went on too long, with many terrible consequences, not least the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding before our eyes. Although these horrific and horrifying scenes are imprinted on our minds forever, that's a good thing, because we need to see the full consequences of war now if we are to avoid unnecessary wars in the future. Although not intended, the pictures and sounds of the suffering at the airport, have helped answer the question many have asked through the centuries: “How do we stop war?” Show the catastrophic consequences. Similarly, in Philippians 2:14-16, the Apostle Paul uses the horrendous results of war and the happy results of peace to answer the question, “How do we stop church fights?” 

“My work out isn't working out.” A few months ago, one of my friends started working out again. He really went hard at it, working out at the gym five days a week. Lots of effort, pain, sweat, blood, and tears. But, two months in, his weight had hardly dropped, and his muscles had hardly grown. He was discouraged. “All that work and nothing to show for it,” he moaned. I tried to encourage him, that if he kept working at it, he would eventually see some change. But, I have to be honest, I wasn't sure. Some people just can't seem to lose weight. Others can't seem to put on muscle, (I'm one of them). Sometimes we feel the same about holiness. We're working hard at putting off bad habits and putting on new habits, but we still don't seem to be making any progress. “All that work and nothing to show for it. How do we keep working on holiness, when holiness isn't working? When it comes to holiness, we can be sure our work will pay off, because God's Word is sure in Philippians 2:12-13.

We're living in days of disunity, Christian disunity. It's not just the historic inter-church disunity that flows from denominational divisions and splits.  It's the present inner-church disunity being caused by COVID-19. Christians are painfully divided over politics, masks, vaccines, social distancing, Dr Fauci, and so on. We will probably never agree on these matters. So do we just give up and accept the disunity. How can Christians unite while disagreeing about COVID-19? Is that possible? Yes, if we can find something far more important to agree on, that will vaporize these squabbles. That will make That's what Paul does in Philippians 2:9-11. 

Think about the humblest person you've ever known. Don't you want to be like that? While the world boasts about pride, the Christian glories in humility. Humility is so beautiful. Pride is so ugly. But how do I get humility? Thankfully Paul answers that for us in Philippians 2:6-8. Paul has called First Church of Philippi to unity through humility. Their next question though is, How do I get humility? Paul's points the Philippians to Christ's mind. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (5). Think like Jesus did. A Jesus outlook would produce a Jesus outcome, a Jesus attitude would result in Jesus actions. A Jesus mind would be seen in Jesus manners. So, what did Jesus think about all the time? Look at Philippians 2:6-8.

I lived through a terrible church split in Scotland. My historic presbyterian denomination was gradually torn apart over a period of ten years until it ruptured completely in the January 2000 over theological and moral issues. It was a terrible time with disastrous consequences that continued to devastate individual lives, marriages, families, and churches for years to come. I remember visiting with a counselor a few years after the split, who told me that his practice had been overwhelmed with depressed and anxious Christians from both sides of the divide. Sometimes church division is inevitable, but, I'm sure you'll agree, unity is preferable if possible. So, how can we promote church unity? The Apostle's Paul's one word answer is ‘humility.' Unity is sourced in humility and humility serves unity. But he used more than one word to persuade First Church of Philippi of this in Philippians 2:1-4.

When I opened Facebook this morning, I came across a message from a UK family whose parents have been missionaries in Afghanistan for the last ten years and are presently hiding for their lives. The family wrote: “They have led countless people to Jesus. Most of whom will meet him in the coming days.”“Just Facetimed with my parents” wrote one of the family members. “They are hiding, surrounded by gunfire and bombs. Everyone is hiding in their homes. The Taliban are taking women, and slaughtering anyone who resists them. They will kill all foreigners and anyone who has worked with foreigners over the past 20 years. Yet my mum and dad are full of peace and joy.”What? Full of peace and joy while surrounded by bombs and bullets? Full of peace and joy, knowing that they are about to be killed?How were they suffering for Christ without fear? How can I suffer for Christ without fear? Philippians 1:28-30 explains how. It starts with not frightened in anything by your opponents (29). How's that possible? Paul reframes suffering to remove fear.

COVID-19 has infected churches as well as people. Arguments over masks and vaxes have turned many friends into enemies, and divided more churches than any worship wars ever have. By the time it's finished, COVID may well kill more churches than people. If it does, then the spiritual death toll will be far greater than the most horrifying CDC statistics. Although COVID-19 is a deadly disease that we must take seriously, there's no question that powerful people are using COVID-19 to undermine our hard-won national liberty. But the devil is also using COVID-19 to undermine our hard-won church unity. What have we gained if we win national liberty but lose church unity? So, while we must fight for our national liberty, we must also fight for church unity. Before we get involved in another mask or vax fight, let's ask ourselves, How hard should I fight for church unity? Then remember Paul's answer in Philippians 1:27-20. 

James longs for heaven and often expresses the wish to die young so that he can get there early. Susan loves life and doesn't like thinking about heaven too much because there's so much kingdom work to be done on earth.Most of us are varying mixtures of James and Susan, which creates a confusing and painful tension at times. Sometimes we feel guilty about how little we long for heaven, other times we feel guilty that our desire for heaven is merely escapism from this world's troubles. How do I balance my longing for eternal life with my longing for a useful life?The Apostle Paul was a James-Susan mix, and, in Philippians 1:22-26, models the answer for us.

Have you ever viewed death as a deliverance rather than a defeat? That's what Paul does in Philippians 1:19-21. He's in jail and his beloved First Church of Philippi is in trouble. Rival pastors were fighting each other (1:15-18), the believers were fighting each other (1:27), and external opponents were fighting them all (1:28-29). How will God get me out of this? the Philippians asked each other. Paul answers with a surprising view of deliverance, that we do well to embrace.

“My favorite preacher has fallen, what now?” How many times has that happened to you? It seems like almost every few weeks, another well-known preacher bites the dust. Mark Driscoll, Tullian Tchividjan, James McDonald, Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, and on and on it goes. It's perplexing and confusing isn't it? They preached sound sermons and wrote good books. Do I now discount and deny all the benefit I got from them over the years? Do I stop listening to their sermons and reading their books? Can I separate their words from the one who spoke or wrote them?Maybe it's not that our favorite preacher has fallen, but they are falling in our estimation. We're beginning to see things that concern us. Maybe it's their lifestyle, their wealth, their vanity, their ambition, their self-promotion. Or perhaps it's their competitiveness and their love of controversy. They seem to enjoy putting down other preachers and pointing out all their faults, which usually makes themselves look far superior. We're uneasy and concerned but they seem to preach Christ still and are faithful expositors of God's Word. What do we do with that? How do we relate to fallen (or falling) preachers? Let's see how Paul answered that question in Philippians 1:15-18.

“Invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket.” So says the Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams,  In his bestselling semi-biographical book, How to fail at almost everything and still win big. His point is that failure comes with big pockets full of value if we would welcome it, embrace it, and pick its pockets. That's what the Apostle Paul did 2000 years ago when his Gospel mission “failed” and he ended up jailed. Let's see what Paul finds in failures pockets as he helps us answer the question, how should I deal with personal setbacks?

“How can I be more productive?” Paul shares the secret to productivity in Philippians 1:9-11.

What are the three most powerful words in the world? “I love you.” So, why do we find them so hard to say. I've lost count of the number of people who've told me that their parents never told them that they loved them. They usually say something like, “I don't think my Dad or Mom ever told me that they loved me. I mean they showed it, but they never said it.” Someone might say, “Well showing it is better than saying it.” I disagree. Yes, showing it is better than just saying it but not showing it. But there's something incredibly transforming about hearing someone say to us, “I love you.” How do we learn to say, “I love you.” 

Perhaps you're starting out on the Christian life and have the same fears as I had. “How can I be sure I'll keep going?” Or, you've been on the Christian path for many years, even decades, but the trials of life are mounting and crushing, and you wonder, maybe for the first time, “How can I be sure I'll keep going?” Well, let me share with you how God delivered me from this terror, not just once but forever. 

How can I thank God when I've got nothing to thank God for? Sometimes we feel like that don't we. God takes away our loved ones, God takes away our health, God takes away our joy. What's left to thank God for?

“How do I tell her I love her without telling her I love her?” That question dominated my life about 2-3 months after I started dating Shona (who's now my wife of 30 years). Although our friendship had developed slowly and cautiously, there was now no doubt in my mind that I loved her and wanted to marry her. But there was a problem. She didn't know that. I'd been so scared about scaring her off, I hadn't even held her hand yet. And now she was about to return to her parents' house for the university break. I wouldn't see her for a couple of months. What if she goes home and some fast-moving highlander sweeps in, sweeps her off her feet, and sweeps her away? I couldn't blame her. At my current pace, we might be married when we were 80. So, “How do I tell her I love her without telling her I love her?” How do I persuade her to fend off all these highland predators without scaring her off? 

Spiritual friendship is not just tender, it's also tough. How do we challenge one another to change?

Paul reveals the encouraging heart of Christ that lies behind his encouraging words in Colossians 4:7-18.  Ultimately it's Christ that is sending greetings and hugs to his people. How can we be more encouraging to our spiritual friends?

We all want friends, but how many of us want spiritual friends? What is spiritual friendship?

Some of us walk the walk but never talk the talk. Some of us talk the talk but don't walk the walk. God's way is a wise walk plus wise talk to maximize Gospel opportunities and Gospel success.

If we're not clear about the Gospel ourselves, we won't be clear in telling others about it. What is the Gospel? 

How do I talk to to others about God? It begins with talking to God about others.

“I hate my work. I hate my boss. I don't get paid enough.”How can I enjoy my job better?

Limits involve setting boundaries in connection with digital technology, media use, friends, home-time, bed-time. But it also involves discipline when the limits are crossed. This is a difficult and delicate area and the easiest area to provoke, exasperate, and discourage our children. If you want to provoke your children to wrath, here's how.....

Milwaukee Bucks star player, Giannis, was asked, how he kept his ego in check. Let's learn from his fascinating answer. 

What happens to leaderless families? The same thing that happens to leaderless companies, organizations, and churches. DriftDivisionDestructionWho is the leader of your home and family?

“Fatherlessness is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation,” “It is the leading cause of declining child well-being in our society. It is also the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child sexual abuse to domestic violence against women. Yet, despite its scale and social consequences, fatherlessness is a problem that is frequently ignored or denied. Especially within our elite discourse, it remains largely a problem with no name." DAVID BLANKENTHORN (Author of Fatherless America).How do we love our children better?

Many Christians, and even secular analysts, have said that the biggest crisis our culture is facing is the failure of fatherhood. As Christians, we would say it is the failure of men to become what God has created them to be, that is, models of God's fatherhood to their children.Blake Wilson calls this crisis, “Daddy Deprivation,” a crisis that Eric Mason says, “crosses cultural and socio-economic grounds; it's a crisis prevalent in all areas of society, for the absence of a father leaves a lasting void in a man's identity and development.” Some of the stats that demonstrate this crisis are: Tonight, about 40 percent of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live.Before they reach the age of eighteen, more than half of our nation's children are likely to spend at least a significant portion of their childhoods living apart from their fathers.This is why Jordan Peterson is a father figure for so many young men. He's telling them things their fathers should have.This is why the Bible places such a heavy responsibility upon fathers. Yes, as we've seen in our last few episodes, men are given the privilege of leading their wives and children; but with that enormous privilege comes tremendous responsibility. Colossians 3:21 is a warning to fathers. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. But as with every warning in the Bible, it implies an encouragement. On the flip side of every coin of biblical warning is a biblical encouragement. How do we encourage rather than discourage our children? 

A "bonus" episode. Back to Colossians tomorrow.

Hey kids, thanks for listening to this podcast. I know there are a number of families that use this podcast for their daily devotions. Kids, I want to speak to you especially today. I'll chat to your parents tomorrow. Most of you finished school with a report card from your teachers on how well you did in various subjects, didn't you? Well, God has a report card for every child and it has one subject on it: Obedience to parents. It has a verse written at the top: Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord (Col. 3:20).How many of our families would be transformed if this short verse was practiced? So, let's ask, How does a complete Christ completely change children?

Marriage is in a mess, and therefore we are in a mess.It is being re-defined (man-man, woman-woman, polygamy, polyamory)It is being delayed (average age for marriage is now 30)It is being broken up (almost 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce)It's not just marriage in general that's in trouble; your own marriage may be in trouble. Or perhaps you're unmarried but you've seen so many troubled marriages that you've decided, “Not for me." Or if you do go forward, you're pessimistic about it working out long-term. Marriage is in a mess, and therefore we are in a mess. How can I have a happy marriage? In Colossians 3:18-19, God lets us in on the simple secret to a happy marriage. 

Pursue inner change for outward change. Many in our society want change but few know what to change first or how. So, what needs changed most and how do we make change last? In Colossians 3:12-17, Paul points us to what must change first and how to effect lasting change. He was addressing two temptations that faced the Colossians and have faced all Christians through the ages.  ·      Some Christians limit personal renewal to their internal and invisible world. ·      Some Christians focus on outward change but it has no inward foundation or power.Paul, therefore, showed the Colossians how to pursue renewal in every area of life. 

Our labels determine our lifestyle. Recently I've been working hard at improving my diet and fitness. One of the greatest helps I've found for that has been Under Armour clothes! I'm not being paid to say this, but since I started wearing more Under Armour clothes I've found it easier to adopt an Under Armor lifestyle. My kids now mockingly call me Mr Under Armor. The label has become my identity which in turn changes my lifestyle. The label changes the way I view myself and the way I live. Our labels determine our lifestyle. Spiritually, there are only two designer brands: ‘Old You' and ‘New You.' Like all designer labels these spiritual brands also define our identity and determine our lifestyle. They decide who we are and what we do. So, how do use our label to change our lifestyle? In Colossians 3:5-8, we're told the first step is to rip off our ‘Old You' label. 

Has anyone ever told you, “You need to change?” and you've wondered what on earth they are talking about? They see it but you can't see it. Or perhaps you reply, “I know, but I don't want to change.” Or, “I know, I want to change, and I've tried to change, but I just can't.” Or, “I'm trying, but the change is so slow and small.” Personal change is hard.How does personal change happen? In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul takes us to heaven to change our lives on earth. 

Full and free! Fulness and freedom! Two great longings of the human spirit. We want to be full and we want to be free. We want to be full of goodness and free from evil. We want to be satisfied and we want to be safe.That's what Christianity offers the human spirit: Fullness in Christ and freedom in Christ. That's why the devil attacks the Christian's fullness and freedom. How do we get and keep fulness and freedom in Christ? Colossians 2:16-23 warns of three threats and trains us, not in self-defense, but in Christ-defense.

Forgetfulness can be fatal. Sometimes, our forgetfulness has limited consequences (e.g. forgetting to wash our car). Other times, our forgetfulness has far greater consequences (e.g. forgetting to put gas in the car). But there's a forgetfulness that has even more serious consequences. As Christians, we sometimes forget how spiritually dead we were before Christ gave us life. Why is this so serious? When we forget how spiritually dead we were, we forget how desperate our condition was (which undermines humility), we forget how bad our future was (which undermines gratitude), and we forget how great God's life-giving power was (which undermines worship). How do cure spiritual amnesia? Paul helps the Colossians and us by reminding us that we need spiritual resurrection as much as Christ's resurrection.

Do you sometimes feel a distance and detachment from Christ's death and resurrection? What possible connection can the dusty streets of Jerusalem in AD 30 have with our high-tech lives in AD 2021? In the age of TikTok, how does a naked, bloodied, and bruised body, hanging on a wooden cross outside Jerusalem, have any connection with my life?How can we close this distance and connect with Christ's cross? The Apostle Paul provides a path in Colossians 2:11-12. 

Fill in this blank. I'm not …………. enough. What word did you insert? I'm not good enough? Clever enough? Tall enough? Thin enough? Popular enough? Rich enough? Happy enough? When our identity is defined by what we're not, it's no surprise if we feel empty. How do we find a full and fulfilling identity?The theme of Colossians is Christ is enough, therefore I am enough. That's why the devil is so focused on cultivating Christless Christianity and why Paul was so focused on cultivating Christ-full Christianity in Colossians 2:8-10. He starts by warning about the dangers of Christless Christianity.  

One of my daughters has Type 1 diabetes. Her regular clinic visits always focus on one number, her HbA1c. The lower the better. If it's lower, the medical staff ask her “What did you do differently to make this improvement?” The basic idea is, “Whatever you've been doing, let's keep doing it. As you've begun, so continue.” The same idea applies to progress in our spiritual lives. We want to ask, “How did I begin to know Jesus?” so that we then say, “As I began, so let me continue.” So, how did we begin with Jesus? With the Apostle Paul's help in Colossians 2:6-7, today we're going to look at how we began with Christ in order to learn how to go on with Christ. 

From time to time, we hear and read warnings about scammers in our area. The police or consumer protection groups alert us to the danger, tell us what to look out for, and how to avoid being scammed. But spiritual scamming is much more widespread and much more dangerous. Many have been taken in and taken away by various spiritual errors in doctrine, worship, and practice. How do we avoid being scammed? In Colossians 2:1-5, the Apostle Paul provides us with two pre-emptive measures that can defend us from spiritual scammers. Some spiritual scammers (the Gnostics) had infiltrated the Colossian church. In chapter one he's already buttressed the Colossians with the Gospel and in chapter two adds two further lines of defense. 

Is your Christian service Bible-shaped or culture-shaped? When we are shaped by the culture more than by the Word of God, we will have wrong expectations, the wrong message, the wrong aims, and the wrong power source.What does Bible-shaped Gospel service look like? The Apostle Paul gives us his model in Colossians 1:24-29.