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Living for What Really Matters
PHILIPPIANS
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King David penned these words as part of a song in his later years, when he could look back
and see the significance of the Lord’s hand through every moment of his life. So we shouldn’t read
these words flippantly. God is not Santa Claus who gives us things as long as we ask and we’ve
been good little girls. This verse isn’t saying that we can have anything we want as long as we ask.
But what David is saying is that when we become rooted in God’s Word and build our lives
upon a foundation of prayer, something begins to shift. The position of our hearts start to line up
with God’s. His desires become our desires. We long for the things He longs for.
As Paul prays for his friends—even while he sits in prison—he can hang on to joy because he
delights in the Lord. He’s doing the opposite of complaining in these verses because he’s fully
aligned with God’s heart for the Philippians. Paul has seen the Creator of the Universe do great
and mighty things even while he sits in prison, and that reality brings him immense joy.
Paul shares in verse seven,
It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are
all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and
confirmation of the gospel.
It doesn’t matter if he’s thrown in jail or standing on trial for spreading the gospel, Paul is
unshaken, because he remembers the worth of all he does in the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul can truly experience complete joy because he is rooted in __________________________
and his foundation is built on ________________________.
The good news of Jesus is rooted within the very creation of the earth (reference?
Explanation?). Nothing can alter what God has put into motion. Paul is reminding the Philippians
of this, and we are reminded also that there is nothing—not our poor decisions, not our struggles,
not our sin or the sin of others— can prevent God’s plan from happening.
IF HE HAS SAID IT WILL BE SO, IT WILL BE SO.
If God has put something upon your heart and you know without a shadow of a doubt that it is
from Him, don’t worry about the timing of it all. Press on. Continue praying and laying that
foundation in your life. Grow in wisdom and knowledge by spending time in the Word. Be deeply
rooted, and watch your heart align with His. He will bring His plans for you to fruition.
Bring before God a promise you have sensed Him make in your life. Ask Him to develop your
love and depth of relationship with Him so you can prepare well for that promise to come alive.
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