Ramesh C. Reddy
Editor in Chief
Hi
y'all
May you all find peace in the everlasting arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who for your sake endured the cross that you may spend Eternity with Him as you yield to Him and His ways! Amen!
Quiet Times (Psalm 119:105-112 & Philippians 2:1-2)
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” (Philippians 2:1-2)
Observations:
I looked for words/phrases of repetition and found these:
1. If (4 times)
2. Any (4 times)
3. Being (4 times implied)
4. You (4 times implied)
I have learned through the years studying Scripture that repetition signifies important concepts and principles. So, I wanted to look deeply into these words/phrases and what they are added on to.
I also saw if-then and cause-effect principles in these verses based on the words of repetition.
Then make my joy complete by being like minded!
I asked myself what does it mean to be ‘united with Christ’ mean?
What came to my mind is believers being united as a community. I found it interesting that the ‘you’ in this passage seems to refer to the Philippians as a community rather than individually. I also realized if I am to be united with Christ, I need to do my part and other believers their part. Then when all the parts are put together there will be a whole signifying unity as opposed to separation.
It is significant that unity in Christ brings encouragement rather than discouragement.
I asked myself what is ‘His love’ mean?
What came to my mind is Jesus’ agape love for me. It is a love that is so unconditional that I am loved as I am. There is nothing I can do to earn His love but He loves me in my sin and has come to restore me. He died on the cross and sacrificed His life for me and came back to life to save me as I yielded to Him and received His love. This love is for everyone receiving Jesus.
It is significant that knowing ‘His love’ is what gives true comfort rather than distress!
I asked myself what is ‘with the Spirit’?
What came to my mind is the Holy Spirit. What was really exciting to know is that I can be with the Spirit. The Spirit is available to those who ask of the Spirit to make His presence known in their lives. This way I will not be alone in my walk but I will be with the Spirit.
It is significant that ‘being with the Spirit’ is what gives true fellowship in our lives rather than loneliness.
I asked myself what is ‘tenderness and compassion’?
What came to my mind is a state of being of the heart that is soft and not hard towards people which is also reflected in having empathy towards others to the point that we want to help them.
I saw important implications for my own life from these verses.
These verses revealed a progression in a believers’ Christian walk. I found it interesting that Paul is reminding the Philippians that actions speak louder than words. It is as if he is saying, ‘IF you say you have all these things’ then ‘you should be revealing the virtues that follow 'THEN’ in these verses in your lives.
I asked myself why were they mentioned in that particular order?
It occurred to me that I need to be united in Christ as a human being to receive His encouragement rather than being my own individualistic person. This in turn leads to knowing His love for me as I receive His comfort. As I come to know His love and receive His comfort, it is because the Spirit is with me which in turn allows me to have fellowship with the Spirit. Then, I should be able to live my life with tenderness and compassion towards others. It starts with me allowing Jesus to be part of my life letting Him work in me and through me.
As this happens, the action of being like-minded should flow out of my relationship with the Lord. Paul wanted that for the Philippians to exhibit in their actions.
I asked myself what does it mean to be like-minded?
What came to my mind is having the mind of Christ that everything I do or say should be reflective of Christ. It is as if I am to be a replica of Jesus’ mind as I live here on earth. But that is only possible IF the 4 criteria I learned about are being met.
What came to my mind were 3 ways that show us to be like-minded:
Having the same love reminded me of ‘His love’. I am to imitate the love of Christ in my surroundings when I am around people. Also, as a community of believers we are to imitate His love around people.
Being one in spirit reminded me of ‘With the Spirit’. I am to be within the Spirit as I live my life and not apart from the Spirit. In this way, as I walk in the Spirit, I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I believe it goes deeper as the ‘one’ can also imply all the believers being one that the world may know Jesus is Lord.
As believers in the Lord, I believe united we stand and divided we fall. Sadly, the world does not see us as being one in the Spirit because we are all so fractured holding on to traditional and denominational beliefs rather than the core beliefs and affirmations of Scripture. This starts to cause division among believers and Christ is not glorified.
I asked myself how could we be one in the Spirit with all these denominational differences?
What came to my mind is ‘Being one in purpose’. Regardless of what our denominational beliefs are, it is exciting to know that we can be one in purpose if that purpose is to be like-minded as Christ and letting our lives reflect that as a community.
I believe this purpose would entail the circular loop of ABCDEF with people.
A- Acknowledge
B- Believe
C- Confess
D- Disciple
E- Evangelize
F- Follow-up
If our purpose is to ACKNOWLEDGE Jesus Christ in our own lives as our Lord and Savior and use that acknowledgement to BELIEVE in Jesus that He became the sacrificial Lamb of God to redeem us from our sins and rose again on the third day to save us and give us Eternal Life, we will be willing to CONFESS Jesus Christ as our own Lord and Personal Savior as we confess and repent of our sins asking Jesus to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness to receive the new birth He wants to offer to us as Eternal Life. Then, we will be discipled by the Lord Jesus through His Word and prayer as we obey the Word and pray. As this happens, we will spiritually be involved in a believers’ community and start to DISCIPLE others who are baby Christians and as community be able to EVANGELIZE in the area the Lord has put us in. Once we put evangelism into action, we could be in a position to FOLLOW-UP on those people and the steps of ABCDEF could continue in a new person’s life.
If all of us as believers are doing the ABCDEF’s then we can have one purpose: Leading people to Christ and His Kingdom as we allow the Lord to work in our lives by exhibiting His tenderness and compassion.
I ask you now dear friends, what condition are you in?
Dear friend, it is exciting to know that you can have encouragement being united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit, and tenderness and compassion in your life which in turn can help you be like-minded as Christ. I do not know what condition you are in but all this is available for you too. Yes, it is friend!
I don’t want you to think to yourself that you have done so and so wrong and you are not worthy. You know what, none of us are worthy and yet God in His love for us while we were yet sinners sent Jesus Christ do die for us to redeem us. No matter what the condition of our heart, the Lord can take our heart of stone and give us a heart of love where we know we are loved by Him and therefore are able to love others. For the Word of the Lord says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His dear children”
That is exciting to know. If you feel your condition has turned to Salvation than you have great reason to rejoice because your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you know your condition is being lost than you have great reason to rejoice if you realize it does not have to be that way.
You can receive the Lord’s salvation in your own life. Yes, you can! Jesus waits to welcome you as you are and as you yield your life to Him, He will work in you and through you. Yes, He will! I know He will for He has done that in my life. I am no different from you. I am a sinner just like you saved by grace and now seen as a saint in the Lord’s eyes. Remember from chapter 1, that Paul addressed the believers as saints. That can happen for you too!
Christ Offers New Discipleship Importing Truth Inside Our Nature! (C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N)
Please pray this prayer to receive the Lord Jesus into your life or to rededicate your life to the Lord.
Dear Jesus, I heard that you became my sacrificial Lamb of God to save me from my sins. Thank you for shedding your blood for me and coming back to life to save me. I turn to you now. At this moment Lord, I confess to you all my sins and am so sorry for them Lord. I repent of my sins and ask you to help me overcome them for I cannot on my own strength. Cleanse me with your cleansing blood and I will be clean again. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Come into my heart Jesus. Please make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and I will serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart! Thank you Jesus for making my heart your home and living in me! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and that you have answered me. Thank you for being part of my life now and giving me a new beginning. Thank you for my Salvation. Thank you no matter how I am feeling inside, you have saved me. I love you Jesus and want to live for you. Help me to find fellowship with other believers and most of all to have daily fellowship walking with you through your Word and talking to you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh Reddy
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