What the Christians are to do.

If you are in need of a pep talk, look no further than the writings of the Apostle Paul. Man, he can get you fired up for Jesus.

Our generation has it harder than any other before. The world today is full. of. distractions. Even as I am writing this (during nap time of course, because my laptop is a toddler magnet), I had a choice. I could have turned on Netflix to continue my Office binge (I may have already watched the entire series 4 times, but that’s beside the point), or caught up on social media, or folded the clean clothes, or every mom’s favorite, cleaned the bathroom. None of those options are bad, in fact cleaning the bathroom is something that HAS to be done today anyways because we are in the middle of potty training (pee, everywhere and I mean everywhere.)

But, as I weighed my options, I felt a little tap on my heart that said spend some time with Me. And even though it felt painful to walk past the three baskets full of clean clothes, I sat down in my favorite chair and began to read Philippians chapter 3.

Arrow to my heart.

Paul is writing a letter to the christians at Phillipi. Paul loves these people as he so clearly states in the first chapter. He is writing to them from prison which he has no problem with by the way because he knows that this suffering will be for Christ’s glory. But there is also a sense of urgency in his voice. He explicitly states that he understands better than ever before that “all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:8). Again, he has me fired up!

And then he goes on to author a section called “What the Christians Are To Do.”

Wow. How many times in my life have I looked up and whispered, “God, what do you want me to do?” And right here, in the Living Word is a set of instructions breathed by the Lord himself. Let’s take a closer look at what the christians are to do…

Phillippians 4:1, 4-7 “You bring me joy and make me proud of you, so stand strong in the Lord as I have told you. Be joyful in the Lord, always, I will say again, be full of joy. Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Stand strong in the Lord
Be full of joy in the Lord, always
Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind
Do not worry about anything
Pray and ask God for everything you need
Always give thanks

There it is. What a takeaway. When we are faced with a tough decision, or feel lonely, or are going through an intense struggle, here, God has told us what to do. This is my prayer, for myself, and for the beautiful soul that is reading this- that God gives us a heart that seeks Him, helps us to fight through distractions and choose what is better, keeps us strong in the faith, and gives us the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love. Lord, write these on our hearts so that we can be of service to you and help us to always remember what the christians are to do.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash