9/27/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Our Epistle reading for this week, from Philippians 2, is often used almost like a motivational speech. If we have any fellowship in Christ, we should find unity, love, and purpose. We just need to get along. And we do it without grumbling!
What’s all this predicated on? It is all dependent on fellowship in Christ. We’re consoled by His love, not by our own. We look to the Holy Spirit for our unity. We don’t look at our own spirit. That will only lead us to trust ourselves and enter into strife and animosity. No, we trust in the Lord. He’s the one who has reconciled us to God the Father. He’s the one who reconciles us to one another.
At every point, as we look at the Epistle lesson, we can ask ourselves how we are doing. We realize that we fall short of the perfect obecience the Lord would require. And we turn to him in repentance to find his forgiveness and grace. Then we see that all of the characteristics the apostle mentions are those of our Lord and Savior. He, in turn, has given his nature to us. We live in him and he lives in us. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Our Epistle reading for this week, from Philippians 2, is often used almost like a motivational speech. If we have any fellowship in Christ, we should find unity, love, and purpose. We just need to get along. And we do it without grumbling!
What’s all this predicated on? It is all dependent on fellowship in Christ. We’re consoled by His love, not by our own. We look to the Holy Spirit for our unity. We don’t look at our own spirit. That will only lead us to trust ourselves and enter into strife and animosity. No, we trust in the Lord. He’s the one who has reconciled us to God the Father. He’s the one who reconciles us to one another.
At every point, as we look at the Epistle lesson, we can ask ourselves how we are doing. We realize that we fall short of the perfect obecience the Lord would require. And we turn to him in repentance to find his forgiveness and grace. Then we see that all of the characteristics the apostle mentions are those of our Lord and Savior. He, in turn, has given his nature to us. We live in him and he lives in us. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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