Thursday 31 January 2008

Background

Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to thechurch at Philippi, one of the earliest churches to be founded inEurope. Ancient Philippi was a prosperous Roman colony located inan area known as Macedonia, in what is now modern day Greece.

Paul was being imprisoned and persecuted for his faith. He thoughtthat soon he would die and even spoke of himself as a libation,meaning a ritual sacrifice. Because he believed his days werenumbered, he wrote to his friends at Philippi with some final wordsof advice - the essentials of continuing to live in God'sway.

He urged them to "Work out your own salvation with fear andtrembling", but he wasn't talking here of being frightened of God.He was using an Old Testament expression meaning awe andseriousness in the service of God. Sometimes we find it much easierto talk of God as a friend - a mate who's always fighting ourcorner. But this can stop us from appreciating God's omnipotence,strength and power.

Sometimes people read this passage and think that Paul was sayingthat we can bring about our salvation through our own efforts,without needing God's help. But Paul makes it clear that strivingto be holy and blameless is futile unless we accept God'ssovereignty in our lives. The fact is that we simply can't doanything without God. But the good news is that God is on ourside.

Paul urged them to get along in harmony and unity, not only for thesake of the community, but as a witness to the world of God'stremendous love. In the absence of their leader Paul, they weremore than ever to shine like stars in the world, letting theiractions speak for themselves.

To Ponder

Do we sometimes fail to take God seriously and totrust God to work in our lives?

What can you do this week to shine like a star inthe world and show a little bit of God's love?

Who has been an example of a 'spiritual star' toyou? Why?