Page 30 - Living Light - A Message of Joy!

Wednesday January 3 - How unity works
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure... Philippians 2:14-15
‘Do everything without grumbling and arguing’. There’s a challenge! God had an ongoing issue with the children of Israel throughout their wilderness journey, and even after they crossed the Jordan: their constant murmuring and grumbling. ‘Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord’ (Psalm 106:24-25). The consequences were grave; by distancing themselves from God, their grumbling led to rebellion against their leaders, and indirectly against God. Could it be that your spiritual altitude is being limited by a carnal attitude?
We live in a murmuring and grumbling society, fed by negativity and half-truths; the result is discord. Discord is neither harmonious to the ear nor settling to the heart. Jesus prayed that we “may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).
Today, irrespective of circumstance, let’s choose to show gratitude rather than grumble and argue. Thankfulness is our response to the goodness of God. ‘Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’ (Colossians 3:17). So let’s pray...
Gracious Father, may our lives demonstrate that we are your disciples by our love for one another. I choose to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12). Amen.
Thursday January 4 - How witnessing works
Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. Philippians 2:15-16
What is it that you are holding on to? It’s a question I must constantly ask of myself. In prisons, I help to run bereavement courses. Towards the end of each course, we consider what we need to hold on to and what we need to let go of. At this point, the men have a choice: to hang on to regret, guilt, pain, unforgiveness, failure... or to focus on good memories, thankfulness, living to honour... Today’s verse, at the heart of this week’s passage, is key.
Our lives naturally bear witness – a testimony to others, irrespective of whether this is intentional or not. Is my witness akin to shining like a star against the dark backcloth of our increasingly godless society? The promise of shining like a star is conditional upon ‘holding firmly to the word of life’. May I ask a question? Does the word of life have a prime and demonstrable place in your heart? Later in his letter to the Philippian church, Paul exhorts them to emulate him, and ‘take hold of that for which Christ has taken hold of me’ (Philippians 3:12). This ‘double hold’ is unbreakable, akin to two people clasping each other’s wrists. Dear friend, the word of God lays claim to your life – by faith grasp it, and in so doing you will become an amazing witness to the glory of God!
Father God, I bow before you, taking hold of your Word of life. Please enlighten me, that I may shine brightly for you. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY