Plymothian

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^{[a] 6} who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,^[b] being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Following Jesus in Humility

Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity, had everything.  He is God and so he is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent.  Yet, for a while he put all his rights to one side.  Paul wants the Philippians to follow Jesus in doing this so that there will be unity.  The second step that he wants them to follow is that he took on a task which involved self-sacrifice.  He voluntarily suffered for the sake of others.  Thirdly, Jesus left it to the Father to exalt him, he did not exalt himself.  But, if God is working through a person he shares his glory with them.

In your life is there someone that you struggle to get along with?  The solution is to look to Jesus and then follow his three steps.

Prayer

To follow Jesus in this way seems so straight forward.  However, Father, I have so much fleshly thinking that serves self and avoids pain or difficulty.  Let me walk a path that changes that.

Questions

1. Where should the mind of the Philippians be focused?
2. What three steps does Jesus take?
3. What will happen if the Philippians walk the path laid out by Jesus?
4. How do you have to follow Jesus in this way?
5. What holds you back?

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Death to Narcissism

Narcissism is a natural stage in human development.  Our two year old daughter is right in the thick of it.  She has a little empathy, but when there is something she wants, she says “but I want it … but I WANT IT … BUT I WANT IT!”  Then she melts down in a fit of uncontrollable rage and tears.  Unfortunately too many parents find it hard to engage with children at this stage and teach them that their rage pays off.  Bridezilla screams in her wedding plans, movie stars and singers dictate the accomodations that must be afforded them in a hotel room, and sisters insist wedding plans be moved to accomadate their needs rather than fighting to change their own.  In a society which has it their way, we have become narcissistic. 

Narcissism also sees people as an extension of self.  This means that when I think something should happen and it doesn’t, it is as frustrating for the narcissist as if one of their own hands has ceased to function.  My narcissism came through in dating where I wore a pretty girl as an accesory to me.  Their poor performance at field hockey or social functions was a threat to me.  I was acting like Amelia.  I was acting like a two year old when I dictated to them that they should change their personality and abilities to suit me.

For the Christian it is all about Jesus.  Jesus teaches us to live for others.  Not only do we sacrifice oursleves, our comfort, and our schedule to serve God, but also to serve others.  There is no room for narcissism.  The Christian loses self as they mature.  The self is less sick and requires less attention, and others are always in need.  Our self is still there, but its focus is not on itself.  Success is not another dusty trophy on a shelf.  It is measured by the spiritual growth in those we touch.

 Prayer

I get angry and frustrated when I look only to my own agenda.  I am mad when my time is taken.  I even overlook my children in fighting for a little solitude.  Help me to see ways to serve my friends and family best.

Questions

1. To what should the Philippians look?
2. How does this resolve conflict?
3. Is one going to look to one’s own interests?
4. Do you both care for your own interests and the interests of others?
5. How do these verses touch your closest relationships?

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Jesus Provides the Relational Security for Harmony

The experience of Jesus is the same, so the outworking of the experience should be the same.  Each of the listed items of experience are relational.  We have our relational needs met in Jesus, so we do not have to fight for our corner, make sure we win, snap at others.  Remember, the context is a church which is struggling with an argumentative situation.  We often get into arguments when we believe that we aren’t having our needs met.  Paul brings the Philippians back to Jesus to remind them that all their relational needs are met.  When they received Jesus, they received encouragement, comfort from his love, a purposeful life in the Holy Spirit, affection, and sympathy.  Many people are pragmatists.  Their ethics serve their agenda.  They will behave after they have been manipulative, whining, and underhand in order to get their needs met.  Some Christians actually live lives forgetful of Jesus, and so they do not spend enough time with him to start satisfied.  Paul reminds the Philippians that they already have these things.  Fighting each other to get them is futile.  

Unity occurs in any relationship when each person realises they are in a safe place.  From that position of safety they can offer security to others.  A secure place is a unified place.  I often work hard to set up my classrooms this way.  Someone who complains, fights, and doesn’t participate often is scared and angry.  Rather than discipline them through rules, it is often, like Paul, important to establish relationship.  It is essential to remind each other of all our relational needs being met in Christ.  From that position of strength I can heal a church, a marriage, or a work situation.  I bring more to the table than I need from the situation.

Lastly, we are called in this passage back to our goal.  The unity that we have is related to the objectives we are pulling for.  If the whole church is seeking to grow closer to God and facilitate others to do so, there will be difficult times, but ultimately there will be unity.

Prayer

Let me remember the comfort, the security and the confidence that comes from being united with you.  Then let me be an agent of unity to others.

Questions

1. Where is Paul when he is writing this letter?
2. What experience does Paul expect a Christian to have with Jesus?
3. How does the secure relationship we have with Jesus help us to bring unity and harmony to other situations?
4. Which relationship looks hard for you in 2014?
5. How could you remind yourself of Jesus’ unconditionally acceptance so that you can unconditionally accept yourself and others?

²⁷ Only let your manner of life be worthy^[h] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Opposition from Without

Our lives need to be in order in such a way that those who live outside of the faith can see unity and a different approach from the norm.  In the present climate of culture wars, not only is there an attack from outside the church, but the church does not maintain a solid line itself.  Members of the church look to their leadership for direction and the leadership, across the church as a whole, has no idea how to agree with each other on issues like reproductive rights, same-sex unions, and the environment.  The words thrown at each other across the aisle of liberalism and conservatism are shocking at times.  However, sometimes the church does maintain a stance of love and compassion and come together around things like taking care of the homeless.  When the churches provide food, shelter, or clothing, they are seen as a good thing.  However, in my opinion, the good that is done is overshadowed by the constant attacks the church endures for its stance against much social liberalism.  However, if we maintain a stance that is in line with biblical teaching, we will show the truth of our position in the end.  The endurance we find in the face of detractors and even persecution will show those within and outside of the faith that we are onto something true and lasting.

Prayer

Unity is difficult.  To know when to talk and when not to is hard.  Give wisdom in what to say and when .

Questions

1. How should the Philippians conduct themselves in the face of opposition?
2. How does Paul’s example encourage the Philippians?
3. How can one escape the fear that comes and causes us to be angry or depressed?
4. How can you work today for unity?
5. Do you need to escape fear that pushes you into anger or depression?  How?

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.^{[d] 20} I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Hanging on for Dear Life

Paul continues to talk about the imprisonment that he is enduring.  For his religious beliefs he could endure a death sentence.  Persecution against Christians steadily grew in the time of Paul making each arrest and each opposition to the gospel more and more serious.  However, Paul has a hope many today have lost.  His thinking is so rooted in the gospel and the cause of Christ that he evaluates whether he lives or dies by whether he will be able to do Jesus’ work.  I believe he communicates this truth to the Philippians with good purpose.  The Philippians are bickering with a major focus on what will transpire on this earth.  Their thinking is for their own rights, for their own agenda, for their own lives.  Paul’s life serves Jesus first, his churches second, and his own life third.  He considers himself and his destiny, but only in the light of what God might want to do.

When my grandmothers died, they both died quite differently.  My father’s mother had lived a life of vicious defensiveness.  She would cause her children to fight, if she thought it served her purposes.  If she felt pain, she would deny it and  cause as much pain in others as possible until hers was gone.  The best people to deal with her were those who loved her but could remain above her emotional games and manipulation.  When she died, she mellowed and became soft.  It was beautiful to see what was previously a ‘formidable woman’ become a kind and thoughtful woman.  However, at the thought of her death a fear consumed her.  She counted backwards in order to stop time.  She would do anything to turn back time.  She had no higher purpose than eating and entertaining herself, and staring into eternity the frivolity of her life gave her no comfort.  She was hanging on for dear life.  To live was empty, to die was to enter the nightmare of the unknown.

My mother’s mother was equally stubborn.  She was also manipulative.  She could ‘throw a strop’ with the best of them.  She could push other people’s buttons with the best of them.  A strong-willed and domineering woman, she could not stand any strong willed or domineering woman.  She resisted the faith for years in order not to give her Christian children the satisfaction of seeing her convert.  However, somewhere around seventy years old, she found Jesus and started to shape her life around him.  When she died at 86, her resolve was different.  She did not fight to live, she asked to be allowed to die.  She was determined to have no-one bring her back because she wanted ‘to dance with her Jesus.’

One grandmother had the perspective of Paul, the other did not.  One hung on for dear life, the other hung on to the way the truth and the life.

As I am sat here in Panera, I hear a couple accusing each other of not listening whilst they plan for Christmas.  I hear another pair of people discussing a possible job opportunity.  An older couple says nothing, but they sit with a detachment that hints at isolation.  With the patterns we develop, we fight for our corner, we insulate ourselves from pain, and we detach.  Left with ourselves, we are not happy because it is within our own heart that the true source of pain and dissatisfaction occurs.  We are taught to fear being wrong and so we blame circumstances and personalities, and we fear death because nothing is resolved.  We have no peace in this life, how could we expect to have any peace in the next life?  However, harmony is available to those who don’t pursue it.  And contented living is available to those who don’t demand acceptance from others.  All we need, we already have.  The path of the gospel is laid out before us.  Once we realise that this life is not about us, and we shape our lives with the focus on others, we find that life or death does not hold us.  It is about Christ on either side of the veil and that purpose is not removed.  The self is to be overcome as it is wounded and selfish, but as Jesus heals us for his purposes, the self is forgotten.  Our lives gain the purpose they were designed for and whether it is night or day, we see clearly where we are going.

Prayer

As I navigate my mid-life crisis, I see that this life is but a shadow of the things to come.  The things I become attached to here seem so important at the time, but they will be burned up or fade with time.  The word of the Lord endures forever.  Help me to live in the word and to speak the word.

Questions

1. What are two possible outcomes of Paul’s imprisonment?
2. Why isn’t he afraid?
3. Why do the Philippians, who are bickering and persecuted, need to hear this?
4. What does the culture teach about death?
5. How could death lose more of its sting for you?

¹² I want you to know, brothers,^[e] that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard^[f] and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word^[g] without fear.

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Duck Dynasty, Putin, and Paul

The Philippians have obviously heard that Paul is in prison and have some ideas about what it might mean.  They think that it might be bad news for Paul or for the gospel.  Why would that be?  Being in chains may hinder the ability of a preacher to communicate their message.  It may cause people to turn their backs on a truth that can get you arrested.  On the contrary, though.  Paul has two reasons why seeming hardship can be turned into something good.  Firstly, the guard who looks after Paul in prison has now heard the gospel and talks about the strange reason Paul is imprisoned.  Many would be imprisoned for reasons we would imprison people today.  Paul might be in jail with swindlers, thieves, or violent men and women.  However, he is in jail because he has a message to communicate.  That message has spread around the jail like wildfire.  Secondly, his being in jail has not discouraged other preachers but has spurred them on.  Others either look to show the same fervour as Paul, with a competitive spirit, or they look to live up to the high standards of dedication that Paul has set.

It was usual for a person to lay out their concerns in a letter after transitioning with the words, “I want you to know …”  They would usually talk about their own circumstances.  However, rather than whine about his own hardships or lay out his own needs, Paul talks about the health of the gospel.  The gospel is doing well and that is all that matters.  Paul’s identity is not wrapped up in his own bodily needs or wants, his identity is wrapped up in the good news about Jesus.

Many missionaries through the ages have written back letters to their supporting churches.  Sometimes they will lay out a catalogue of their needs and their physical condition.  I wouldn’t condemn them for that.  However, often the focus is not on what they need or want, but the emphasis is on what God is doing in their circumstances.  Yes, they might have been ill, but they had a chance to talk to the doctor about God.  Surely, they were harassed by the authorities, but those around them saw their faith and resolve and were encouraged.  What is our life about?  What is it essentially that we want others to know?

If we are like Paul, each hardship or each victory is an opportunity to communicate something about Jesus.  Our success is not measured by how well we did on a test, or whether our bodies were clear of disease.  Our success is measured by whether we used the circumstances to communicate about Jesus.  Right now there is controversy about what a member of the Duck Dynasty said about homosexuals.  He made reference to God and the Bible in his comments.  On the T.V. a commentator from the Huffington Post made a boneheaded comment about how the Bible has promoted slavery, polygamy, and exclusion of various social groups.  We can despair about how people have a superior attitude as they spout ignorant words, or we can see that there is opportunity to talk about biblical values and godly living because the word of God is in the media.  Difficult circumstances bring opportunities and like Paul we can say of Duck Dynasty, or President Putin’s recent claims that Russia upholds Christian values better than the west, “I want you to know” that what could have been destructive to the way of truth has really served as opportunity to bring the truth to light.  In a world darkened by directionless immorality, the ancient standards that have underpinned society are once more in public debate.

Given the opportunity are you going to shy away from the possibility of personal attack, or will you see the opportunity to speak truth?

Prayer

In these turbulent days where the slide away from truth could lead to despair, help us to see opportunity to question the wisdom of our culture.  Thank you that there is opportunity to speak about biblical truth when there is vocal opposition to the ancient truths it conveys.

Questions

1. What calamity has Paul’s imprisonment threatened to bring?
2. What has Paul’s imprisonment brought about?
3. Why might the Philippians rejoice?
4. What threats are there to the gospel in the western world?
5. How can these threats be opportunities for you personally?
6. What are your thoughts about the comments of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/19/dumped-from-duck-dynasty-politics-suspending-tv-star-for-anti-gay-remarks/

⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

What I Pray for You

Love and knowledge are related.  We often say that love is blind, however, I think this is wrong.  I think infatuation is blind.  Love sees the faults a person has and loves the person unconditionally, with those faults.  In the case of God the more we know about him the more we see his perfections.  There are some who claim to be Christian but have no desire to know God more deeply.  I wonder how one can say that they are a Christian, and can even claim that they have love for God, but their desires are else where.  Paul’s desires are for more of God, more knowledge, more discernment.  This increased knowledge of Jesus’ perspective on the world will lead to a deeper decision making. The decisions a Christian makes will be more in tune with what God would want for the individual and others in their world.  The one we spend our time with the most is the one we become most like.  If we see how God thinks we will think more like God.  This leads us to a radically different lifestyle.  We realise that we are sanctified, holy, set apart from the rest of the world.  This is not because we are superior or haughty in our attitude.  One aspect of our holiness is that we need to think about ourselves less and less.  As Dr. Green of Moody graduate school described heaven, he talked of it as somewhere where we are free from ourselves.  I agree that we will be free from the self that is self-obsessed, self-promoting, and self-assured.  The new self will be God-obsessed, God-promoting, and God-assured.  In this sense, the self is lost.  Within us grows a fruit that serves others and serves God.

This has been my prayer for my small group.  When we met together, I longed for the group to grow in the knowledge and discernment that comes through a relationship to Christ.  However, some showed evidence of being locked within themselves and I had no way of opening them up.  Others lacked commitment.  I lacked faith in seeing how God could break in and change the longing and desires of the group.  First we had to admit that there was something wrong or incomplete within each of us.  We had to realise that we were wrong about many things.  In so doing, God could make it right.  Unfortunately, some of us hid behind silence or avoided vulnerability or honesty.  Others deceived themselves into believing they were committed, without actually attending.  I took the lack of longing for God on myself.  What I pray now, is that a desire for God would consume the individuals that were in the small group and a quest would begin.  Perhaps our small group was a crutch or a decoy.  Perhaps it enabled unhealthy patterns to continue.  Perhaps people believed that they must be mature because they had their small group.  Now, I long to see the fruit of God’s work in each of our lives as we are eagerly seeking the next step God has laid out on our path.  What will God do?  What will we become?  I pray the quest for God will be everything for the Skinner Small Group, now that it has disbanded.

Like Paul, do you pray for me and for others that we would know God more intimately.  I have not arrived.  There is so much in me that needs to change.  Do you pray for me?  Who do you pray for in this way?  How do you maintain an attitude of prayer that results in growth in others?  Who prays for you?  Paul prayed for his churches.  Pastors need to pray for their churches.  Ask pastors to pray for you and let them know what you don’t know.  Ask them to educate you in the ways that you need to grow.  Confess to sin with each other and discuss areas of weakness.  Then pray that God will supernaturally reveal the path to healing and wholeness.  Communication is the life-blood of relationship.  Communicate with God about his communication with others.

Prayer

Dear Father, you care for us and want us to know you.  For many of us, our desire is to be known and to have you help us live for ourselves.  I know that there is still much of my flesh that works against me.  I want to want you.  I want to grow in the knowledge and discernment that come through Jesus.  I also want that for those who were in my small group.

Questions

1. For what does Paul pray?
2. How are knowledge and love related?
3. How is your knowledge of God and its daily growth reflective of your heart for God?
4. What have you learned God desires for you?
5. What do you pray for other people?

 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I Have Faith in You

I thought I had longed for someone to have faith in me.  I thought it would be good to have someone say, “I have faith in you.”  However, when they do, it seems empty.  I don’t have faith in them.  Their judgement seems flawed … human.  Paul has faith in the Philippians in a sense because his faith is not in them at all.  He knows that a flawless God has laid hold of them for a purpose.  The purpose is to rip away the false construction of self and success that we have in life and to build something more substantial.  In fact to reveal the eternity that God has set in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  What we will be is not yet known, but the one who is revealing it is faithful, powerful, and loving.  He created you with a blueprint that has been marred physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally by sin.  He wants his strength to shine through your weakness.  Because of this, I have faith in you, if you have committed your life to God.  He will make straight your crooked paths.  The end is certain because it doesn’t depend on you.

I was walking on Dartmoor and I had a compass that was broken.  It meant that I had to navigate off of the moor in the mist and take a group from Lake Zurich, Illinois to safety.  They trusted in me, not themselves.  I must admit I was very nervous, but I did know how to navigate off of the moorland in an emergency.  The students were right to begin that journey with me, knowing that it would end in safety.

Do you know who you have trusted?  It is good, like Paul to assure others that their eventual salvation is assured because they have been saved and it is God who works in them.  Let your confidence in God show in your assurance of them.  If you are struggling with walking in a way that glorifies God, or if you are struggling to get out of bed in the morning.  Remind yourself of this verse.  Let go of your fears and failings at the foot of the cross and ask Jesus to move in you.  Ask God to show you how far he has brought you.  If he has brought you this far, will he not complete his work?

Prayer

I look for people to state their confidence in me so that I have confidence.  However, all of my confidence should be in you.  Let me see that you have worked in me to heal me of so much hurt and self-loathing.  May I stand strong in your Spirit and speak with a meek boldness that shows I put no confidence in the flesh.

Questions

1. What is Paul confident in?
2. How does Paul’s confidence encourage the Philippians?
3. Why is it better to share confidence in God rather than telling someone “I believe in you?”
4. Who could you encourage by sharing verse 6 of Philippians 1?
5. How does Philippians 1:6 encourage you?

³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Thanks for Partnership

The link between thanksgiving and joy is strong in the book of Philippians.  Paul’s desire for church unity is rooted in an ‘attitude of gratitude’.  It is impossible to be grateful without humility.  Gratitude must first admit that I am limited and incapable of providing everything for myself.  Secondly, gratitude must accept things from people who are able to do things that we are not.  Thirdly, all gratitude eventually is directed to God who is ultimately behind all the essentials we receive to stay alive, and all the blessings that we receive through creation.

The word ‘all’ is repeated in this section.  The continuous nature of Paul’s thanksgiving is emphasized, and what is the source of this continuous thanks?  Paul is thankful because this church, despite its problems, has partnered in the gospel.  This means that they actually sent finances for his work and also for the new churches that Paul founded.  They would have prayed for him, too.  In short, they get it.  They understand the importance of his work and put their money where their mouth is.  When he remembers this support, Paul is overwhelmed with gratitude.

I work with Nancy Kane.  I am very grateful for her fellowship because she sees potential in me and has invested time and energy into me.  I have read books she has recommended and asked myself the questions she has posed.  Perhaps the greatest gift she brings to our place of work, though, is the genuine gratitude she expresses for me.  It empowers me to do my work and helps me not to pick away at myself and others. 

We can apply this passage in two ways.  We can take the position of Paul, or we can take the stand-point of the Philippians.  Paul wanted to dissipate the tension and dysfunction in the church.  If our church, home, or work has disunity or dysfunction, it is good policy to enter into the situation with gratitude rather than add to the complaining.  This is done by looking to God and seeing what he has provided or is doing in the situation.  God gives us opportunity for growth through the most difficult situations and we should respond with joy and gratitude as our character, which is worth more than gold, is refined.  More obvious cause for thanks is the remembrance of kind words or gestures that have happened over time.  It takes our minds out of the present situation and to somewhere more positive.  However, remember that the good we have received in the past is only possible because there is a God.  Secondly, if we are to be like Paul, we might remember those who have partnered with us in the work of God.  With whom have you partnered to promote the true faith?  Maybe it is time to drop them a note and encourage them.

We can learn from the recipients of the letter by looking to the letters of encouragement that we might have received in the past.  If we have received encouragement from someone recalling our work for God, looking over such a letter can lift us out of a present funk and remind us of our high calling.  If we are in a church, it should not be hard work to find those who are thankful for us.  Let them know that you are struggling and see how God uses them to build you up.  If you can’t think of any reason why anyone would be thankful for you, make yourself a partner with those who work for God.  It is god to support a missionary, give financially to the church, or invest in the local Christian school.  Ministries are rarely flush with cash, especially if they are honest and hard working.  I know I receive constant encouragement from the Christian school that Daryl attends, the church leadership at The Chapel, the church I am supply preaching for, and Moody Bible Institute, where I teach.  Invest in others without seeking reward, and sometimes God uses it to affirm you in times of difficulty and discouragement.

Prayer

May I give thanks today for those who work with me in ministry.  May I see beyond these present burdens of work, home, or church.  May I see that you are working through all things and you bring unity when we humble ourselves and are grateful to forces outside of ourselves.

Questions 

1. For what is Paul thankful?
2. Why is ‘all’ emphasized?
3. How does Paul want the Philippians to respond?
4. How might you be more like Paul in this section?
5. How might you be more like the Philippians?