Thursday Reading June 14: Philippians 1

Several times throughout Philippians, Pauls mentions the need for JOY in our lfe. (more about this in chapter 3 and 4). He is still using the language of "growing in your knowledge and understanding" as well as this need to be "live worthy of the Good News". Our lives are no longer our own! We must "work out our salvation" by: good deeds, saying no to sin, forcing our bodies to obey (disciplining them to follow God's path), etc.

This was a gut check: "some are preaching out oof jealousy and rivary. Both others preach about Christ with pure motives." (v15). Which side of that do I fall on? Do I preach because I want to be good at what I do, because I want to be admired, because I want preach better than anyone else? Or do I want to preach with pure motives ... so that Christ is received and glorified? Lord, beat me if I'm not serving you with pure motives today!

What a great life verse: " For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or die."