July 11, 2024 -- Philippians 4:9 -- A Living Example

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9 ESV

What a bold statement Paul made to the Philippian Christians. He is declaring himself to be such a good example of what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ that his life is worthy of emulating. Not just imitating, but emulating, that is achieving the success he has achieved. Dear fellow believers, this is the power of godly living.

One of the great privileges of the prison-visiting ministry I’m involved in is seeing the great changes that take place in the life of a man who is gripped by the grace of God. His attitude changes. His language changes. His heart is inclined towards the things of God. The Bible becomes interesting. People around him are confused. They are waiting to see if this is a phase or something else. Please understand, such a man is not perfect. No. Not by a long shot. But the grace of Jesus Christ has been applied to his life and the Holy Spirit has set such a man on the path of holiness.

One defining characteristic of such a person who has been changed by Jesus is his willingness to confess his sins. When he is aware of the wrong he has committed, he will repent of his sins, turn away from it, and ask God’s forgiveness, and ask forgiveness from those he’s offended. How unlike the world around us. People excuse. Justify. Equivocate. Squirm out of accountability. Not so for the Christian. When his sin is pointed out to him, he humbly confesses.

People who know you are a Christian look to you. They want to know if what you say is what you are actually putting into practice. They are not looking for perfection. What they are looking to see is that what you believe, what you tell others is evident in your life, practiced on hard days and easy days, on your days off and lasts as long as you live. Can the people around you see your obedience that strives commit every aspect of your life into submitted service to King Jesus?

Why? Paul added the benefit of such living. God adds His great blessing of peace. Peace, that is a constant state of knowing one belongs to God, as a beloved child belongs to a loving Father. Peace that is the result of being reconciled to God and springing from such reconciliation a desire to be reconciled to the people around you. Great ripples of grace flow outward from one’s union with Jesus.

So, who in your life is looking to you to learn what it means to follow Jesus? Whose walk with God do you admire? Who are the peers in your life who can comment on your walk with God and into those lives you also have permission to speak and correct and encourage?

Oh God, Your Faithfulness is proved in Jesus Christ. His whole-hearted devotion to You as He walked here on earth is soul-inspiring and puts fire into the bones of all who believe. Looking to Jesus gives us, as believers, a burning zeal to exchange the rags of our wickedness and sin for His clothing of righteousness. Thank You for the men and women in our lives who have modeled what it is to follow Jesus in the rough and tumble of real life. Spirit of holiness, help us to walk the way of Jesus. We confess our failures. We confess our laziness. We confess the hardness of our hearts. Spirit of God, excite in us a passion for Jesus that turns us away from our sins and replaces them with a zeal for Jesus that radiates from hearts that are continually captivated by His redeeming love. Triune God, cause us to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk of faithful service. This we pray in Jesus’ Name, to the glory of the Father, seeking the strength of the Spirit. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Y0yJ8TMXjPM?si=3A_99cFfnljI3FYU “Rushing Wind”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.