Last Week’s Prize Winner is…Shelli Sneddon! Today you will be sent a gift from Design4Living! And, today as your name was drawn you were prayed for.
Last week we left with Whatever Happens… Say that out loud, 
WHATEVER HAPPENS, DOT, DOT, DOT!
We can not control many of the things that we end up finding ourselves in, but it is the dot, dot, dot…the reaction, response, the choices we make when we find ourselves in a WHATEVER HAPPENS situation that counts. It is the decision we make, in the middle of the WHATEVER HAPPENS, that determines if we live UP in it, or spiral DOWN in our fears, emotions and insecurities.
One thing for sure, Life is often hard, and as this quote from John Wayne says, It’s harder when we are stupid! Stupid for us, is when we live like we do not belong to God. Harder when we are not looking to God and when we are stupidly going our own way!
So, before we continue on…I want you to stop and think about what is happening in your life right now. Identify the WHATEVER HAPPENS thing that is in your face today. Now with that in mind, let’s continue on our walk through the Word of God in Philippians.
Philippians 1:27-28
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
Keeping in mind the WHATEVER that is happening in your own life right now, look at what it says TO DO…
Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ!
Conduct is from the Greek, politeuomai, which means to fulfill one’s duty, to lead one’s life. It’s root is in the Greek politeuma, which is “citizenship”.
Paul will later go on to remind them that their citizenship is in Heaven. ( Phil 3:20) Look at what it says in Ephesians 2:19,
” Consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you are being built together to be come a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
Let’s break this down.
Whatever happens…..add your thing to this….. we are to lead our life as a citizen of God’s Kingdom. The Word tells us that we are no longer merely citizens of the world or community we live in, but we are citizens of God’s Kingdom. We are not foreigners of God’s Kingdom, but now foreigners of this world, and this cutures customary way of handling life.
So…what ever happens in our lives, we are to lead our life as a woman belonging to God, fulfilling her duty as a citizen of Heaven. In simplistic terms, I think this is saying…
Whatever happens LIVE UP! Live up in truth, Live up in response, Live up in abiding in Christ, Live up in faith, Live up by once again aknowledging WHO YOU ARE and WHOSE YOU ARE, and refuse to make choices in this “thing” that is happening, based on anything other than faith in the ONE who will give you the strength and power to get through this current “thing.”
Let’s close by looking at it in The Message,
“Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision…”
There is this funny and often icky place in life…called the meantime. It’s the “meanwhile” in this verse. It often seems mean, and often makes no sense. It’s that space in between God’s promise and the problem you are trusting Him with.
I am writing a book on The Meantime, and am wanting to hear some women’s “meantime” stories. If you are in the meantime and I can interview you, or if you could tell me your greatest challenge in the meantime, email me!
Bless you this Monday April 26th, 2010. It comes once….Live Up! no matter what happens.
loving you in prayer,
Debbie
This week’s drawing begins today! The winner will receive a crystal cross necklace.
Wow, think this was for me. Last week was really tough and could have handleded a situation better then I did. This is the second reference to the very same topic (well actually, the same scripture in Philippians) from two completely different sources within the past two days. Thank you Jesus for teaching me. Thank you Debbie for being his conduit.
In the meantime…yep, I might a good word or two…let me think on that!
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