Singergram

God is my help in many ways. He comforts me when I am sad. He always comes through with just the right person at just the right time when I am lonely or I feel forsaken. If I discipline myself to stop and listen for Him, He keeps me from feeling fearful in those times when things have not gone well. Sometimes, He keeps me and guards me from focusing on my weakness by showing me the strength that others have found in Him in similar circumstances. This morning, early, I was watching a show about animal babies on the PBS channel. At the time I tuned in, it was focused on the mountain gorilla that lives mostly in the trees of central Africa. It showed how the mountain gorilla mother kept her baby close to her until the baby had developed the strength and agility to keep herself from falling out of the tree and to find the food that grew in the tops of the trees. The “mom” gorilla was constantly attuned to where her child was and what she was doing. When she felt the babe was venturing out too far for her ability to be safe, she gently pulled the infant closer to her. This is my picture of how God has shielded me from harmful choices so many times in my life. Especially when I was a teenager, I can now see His gentle (sometimes, it didn’t feel so gentle) hand guiding me back to His side and His purpose for my life. What a marvelous, loving God He is to keep us from falling. Even when He allows us to go a little farther than he would like us to be, it is always to teach us that staying close to Him is our escape from trouble. All we need to do is to be submissive to His will for us. Precious Father, be with me as I still learn to look to you for help when I am out on a limb. Teach me to FIRST look to you for strength and the power to resist the temptations that my enemy puts in front of me. Sometimes, they are sooo enticing, and I tend to fall back into the self-centered longing to take matters into my own hands. Help me to know that You are my true helper, and that on my upward journey to the place of worshipping You, I need your steady guidance to keep me on the path toward the true joy that You offer. I do love you and praise you forever, my Lord and my God.

Q2. (2:6) In your own words, what does it mean that Christ didn't cling to his equality with God? How specifically does this passage teach that Jesus is divine? Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus was willing to give up his divinity to come to earth in human form, and to even experience death, so that we might have an example of the humility we need to have as Christians. Verse 6 states that he was "in very nature God." He was by nature pure spirit, not subject to the fleshly issues we face as human beings--hunger, thirst, sleep deprivation, sore muscles, deterioration of our physical bodies, etc. And He was willing to give all of this up so that God's plan for redeeming the human race could be completed. As a human being, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have given all that up. I know that I look forward to the day that I will be called home to be in that spirit body and to know the fullness of my salvation. I can't imagine that I would ever want to come back to a life of humanness after that. What a sacrifice our Lord Jesus made for us!

Q1. (2:1-4). To achieve unity in your congregation, why is humility necessary? Can you give an example of how lack of humility caused a division in your church? What are you doing to bring unity in your church? Humility is necessary in any relationship in order to achieve unity. It requires us to adopt the attitude that we indeed do not have all the answers to all the questions and that we could be wrong in our approach to things. In order to truly have this kind of attitude, we must be secure in the knowledge that we are valued and esteemed by God as a precious part of His creation, and that He is able to sustain us throughout any trials we may face. When we have this assurance grounded deeply into our souls, we are able to look on others as "better than ourselves." and also valuable to the kingdom of God. We have had serious disagreements in our congregation over same sex marriages. Some members approve of those; some do not, considering that God's intention from the beginning was male and female unions. There have been some who have expressed their opinions in such a way as to insult the intellect and the motives of those who disagree with them. This has caused some of our members to leave our congregation and attend elsewhere. In situations like this, I think it is important for us to be willing to accept the motives of others as being pure and wanting to advance the cause of Christ, whether we agree with the ways they might want to do this or not. It is important for us to realize that we need to ground ourselves in the Word of God and to allow others to interpret the Word as we do. What seems clear to us may not seem that clear to others, and we must do everything we do, including choosing our words, with love for one another--making every attempt to communicate with gentleness and mercy for others. I try to do this; I do not always succeed. For those times I have not succeeded, I pray that God and those I might have hurt will forgive me. Like This Quote MultiQuote

Q4. (1:23) What do Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 teach about the state of Christians immediately after death? How does this comfort you? How does this energize you? "To live is Christ" and "to die is gain" says to me that there is no way that I lose. I win--whatever happens. When my father died in 2014, I experienced death in a close family member for the first time. His last words were, "I am going to be with the Lord." Those words of faith and love sustain me and comfort me when I feel that sense of loss that comes over me from time to time. Knowing that my dad is in a much better place, experiencing the greatest of joys--being in the presence of Jesus--is so much better than his last few months on this earth. Realizing that this is also something that I can anticipate with great joy, I can be free to tell others about how I experience the love of God and how that enables me to keep on keepin' on, even as I watch my husband's health deteriorate and my own body become limited in its ability to move around and do the physical work that it once was able to do. "It's all good" is the phrase that comes to mind when I read these passages.

Q4. (1:23) What do Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 teach about the state of Christians immediately after death? How does this comfort you? How does this energize you? "To live is Christ" and "to die is gain" says to me that there is no way that I lose. I win--whatever happens. When my father died in 2014, I experienced death in a close family member for the first time. His last words were, "I am going to be with the Lord." Those words of faith and love sustain me and comfort me when I feel that sense of loss that comes over me from time to time. Knowing that my dad is in a much better place, experiencing the greatest of joys--being in the presence of Jesus--is so much better than his last few months on this earth. Realizing that this is also something that I can anticipate with great joy, I can be free to tell others about how I experience the love of God and how that enables me to keep on keepin' on, even as I watch my husband's health deteriorate and my own body become limited in its ability to move around and do the physical work that it once was able to do. "It's all good" is the phrase that comes to mind when I read these passages.

Q3. (1:20-21) How can fear keep us from being a bold witness? Why does fear of people bind our tongues? How does "losing our life" for Christ's sake actually give us an abundant life? What fear is keeping you from clear witness? Fear is the primary tool of our enemy to keep us silent and weak in our ability to testify to the great power that is ours through our Lord Jesus. We become afraid that people will consider us to be "weird" and "extreme" in our views and will not accept us into their communities. Since our very existence depends on the help that we can get from others (we were not created to be "loners"), we fear that we will become outcasts and will suffer physical deprivation if we are not acceptable to others. This is the main problem with becoming so "politically correct" that we try to be sure that our words and actions are such that no one can possibly take offense at what we say or do. This essentially makes our testimony weak and even ridiculous as we try to make it acceptable to everyone. "Losing our life" for Christ's sake means becoming emboldened to give truthful account of what He has done and is doing for us--our real experiences as He reveals Himself in all His glory to us. When we give Him the glory for what He does in our lives, others can't help but be affected. Some will reject us, and we pray for them that God will reveal Himself to them in a way that they cannot deny. Others will be blessed and encouraged by our testimony. Those we give thanks for and rely on to strengthen our resolve when we become weak and discouraged. The greatest fear that I have in regard to my witness is that in my human weakness I will become a stumbling block to someone who is watching to see whether my actions match my words. I pray that God will grant me the opportunity to confess my weakness to those I might have hurt and to allow Him to heal any wounds that I might have created. I often wonder if I could be bold enough to face execution for Christ's sake as so many have done before me. I can't say that I know the answer to that question. I just pray that in whatever I do, wherever I go, whomever I encounter, Jesus will be exalted and God's name will be praised throughout my circle of friends and acquaintances.

Q2. (1:18b-19) Why is our ability to rejoice so dependent upon our faith that God is in control, working even in the midst of difficulty? What must you believe in order to be able to rejoice in the midst of problems? What is your basis for believing that? It is evident from God's working with His people throughout history that He wants only the best for His people. He is patient and kind and loving--desiriing throughout the Old Testament to bring His people close to Him and to protect them. It is only when they rebelliously step out from under His direction that He allows them to be taken captive and suffer at the hands of others. If we can only consistently trust that God's plan is truly the best plan for our lives--that it is the only way to experience the deep joy that life with Him gives--that we can face whatever problems arise with confidence and peace. I believe that the main thing we need to believe (and it's not easy) is that God loves us and desires for us to come to him with our whole hearts. When, as human beings tied to a fleshly body, we cannot experience him through our physical senses, it is difficult to feel that great love for and, therefore, to be confident that that love is there. We begin to feel lonely and unworthy, and we behave in ways that tend to elicit negative responses from others in our lives. When we can trust in the love of God, we can behave in ways that draw others to us, and the confirmation of His love through our interaction with others becomes much easier. I have seen this happen many times in my life as well as in the lives of people I encounter in the volunteer work that I do. John 3:16 should be on our hearts from the beginning of each day until we lie down to sleep at night. It will make a difference. Like This Quote MultiQuote

From the standpoint of witness to others, you are much more credible when you are undergoing personal struggles, stress, and problems. Why is this so? It's like the person who has never had children telling a parent the way to raise his/her child. When people know that you have faced real struggles in your own life, they are much more willing to listen to anything you might have to say about what you have learned through those struggles. You have an air of authenticity in the things you may say to them. That's one of the advantages of growing older. Your lifetime gives you the opportunity for experience that you can share with those who may not have had similar experiences yet. In this way, we can learn from the past missteps of others. Why was Paul's witness so powerful? Paul had indeed experienced much in his life of struggle and problems. His miraculous conversion to the cause of Christ after being so antithetically opposed to Christianity and the reticence of the Christians to believe in the authenticity of his conversion was only the beginning of his struggles for Christ. I'm sure that if I had been a Roman authority watching this transformation, I would have watched Paul's behavior very closely in order to find something to squelch his enthusiasm for this movement. And that's just what happened to Paul. He suffered much at the hands of both Christians and those who were opposed to Christianity. Therefore, the people in the churches he established could truly believe that his advice to them was worthy of their attention. What personal struggle are you going through that could enhance your testimony if you handled it right? It may seem trivial to a lot of people, but I have battled with a food addiction for most of my 70+ years--with varying degrees of success and failure. It has brought me to my knees on more than one occasion. Currently, I am completing a study of Lysa Terkhurst's "Made to Crave" book and videos which has convinced me that my battle is "not with flesh and blood," but with the principalities and powers that would distract me from the purpose for which I was created--to give glory to God. This very Bible study is a part of my desire to give God the glory for all that happens in my life. I am working with my doctor and with friends as well as relying on my loving Father to help me in this struggle. Since March 7, I have dropped 20 pounds and experience the power of God to overcome my weakness in the face of temptation every day. Keeping Him in focus as the main reason for making my physical body healthier is the key to being able to remain in the victory over sin that is mine as a gift since I gave my life to Him. I praise Him every day for the many ways He blesses my life through this struggle.

One definition of discernment is "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure." Sometimes, it is hard to know which course of action is the best to pursue. Should I offer advice to my adult children when I can see clearly some pitfalls they are facing, or should I keep myself out of their lives and let them learn from their own experience? Is it better to follow a paleo diet or just watch my calories in order to lose the excess weight I'm carrying? Although some of the issues we face in making decisions are more important ultimately than others (not all of them have eternal implications), we need the ability to understand and acquire good information to base our decisions and our actions on. By looking to God, and trusting that He will give us that sense of peace when we are in line with His purposes for our lives, we can practice the highest form of discernment. Paul wants the Philippians to have a life full of joy, and for this to happen, they must have this ability to make good choices, both individually and as a body of believers. When we are looking at things from only a self-centered point of view, we tend to ignore possibilities that might make our choices more effective as well as in keeping with what God has in mind for our lives. Looking to God and keeping our minds open to possible solutions to problems makes us better able to make good choices. An old proverb states that, "The enemy of the best is the good." I use this in a class I teach and ask students to explain how this can be. If we settle for what may be a "good" solution and then stop trying to find a better way, we might be missing the greatest blessings in life. We need to continually be alert for better ideas and better solutions to the circumstances that we face in life--always looking to God who wants only the best for His children,

This verse is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. In it, Paul asserts what he knows about the God he serves--that He is faithful to complete the work that He begins. Paul's confidence must be based on the life of Jesus, because that is the ultimate evidence that God gives us for his intention to bring all creation under his power and glory. The resurrection is the victory over death--the curse that Adam and Eve brought upon mankind with their violation of God's instruction about what they were to eat. I struggle, and have all my life, with eating issues, and I find it quite interesting to think that eating was the source of sin and death entering the experience of humans. But this verse encourages me to know that as I rely on God, not food, to fill the voids in my life, He will bring the perfect life He has in mind for me into existence. I love Steve Green's song--"He who began a good work in you--will be faithful to complete it."

The church I attend is a mission-minded church. We spend much of our budget supporting those who work to spread the gospel of Christ among populations who are not likely to have heard the message. Currently we support a family involved in translating the Bible into the language of a people in Guinea, West Africa. They have been in that location for at least 10 years and are just now beginning to be able to complete some of the books of the Bible. The language of the people they serve was not a written language until they went to their village. Their living conditions are what most of us would consider quite primitive, but they feel blessed to be able to do the work they do. They have 4 children who are growing up in that environment. Their youngest child has Down's Syndrome, so it is quite a challenge to make sure her needs are met in such a place. Other works we support, both monetarily and with prayer support, are located in the Czech Republic, China, Ukraine, Brazil, and Chile. We are a small church of about 150 people, including children, so we don't have a large budget, but hearing about the work that is being done in those places and the lives that are being changed by the gospel makes our "investment" in those works a source of rich blessing for all of us. In addition, we support ministries in our city that serve the homeless and unemployed people that live here. We have 3 Christian universities here, so there are quite a number of ministries that target those who might be hungry and cold living among us. Each Sunday, in addition to the prayers we offer for those of our number who ask for prayer, we include by name those who are working in the places we support as well as others who give their lives to take the good news of Christ to a hurting world. Twice a year, our entire Sunday morning service is focused on the work that is being done in those far-off places and at home. I know personally many of the people we support in these various ministries. My life is blessed, not only by knowing those who serve, but by becoming acquainted with some of the people who are served by these ministries. I realize that my life is richer when I reach out to those who have not had the blessing of being raised and educated in a Christian home. I know the love of Jesus in ways that cannot be expressed in words. Praise God for the work He is doing to restore His creation and bring it under His Lordship!!

Thanks to all of you for your answers, so far. I believe I understand the meanings of these two words in my intellect, but TRULY grasping their meaning and incorporating those "ideas" into practice in my life are two different things. I understand that a slave is one who is bought to be under the absolute authority of a master; that being a slave to Jesus the Christ is recognizing that I do not live for myself but for service only to Him. How do I really do that when I spend much of my time each day doing things that sustain my existence in this world such as earning a living and taking care of the property that has been entrusted to me (including my own body, mind, and spirit)? It seems that those things are really focused on ME, and not on HIM. The only way I can reconcile these thoughts is by keeping my focus, even when I am doing things that appear to be for my benefit only, on my REAL purpose for being in this world--to bring praise to God for his glory (Ephesians 1:12-13). My father said often that our lives are to be lived in "absolute surrender" to our Lord Jesus. This is difficult to do when we are inundated with pleas for self-indulgent excesses on every side. May God grant us the daily grace to live the life He calls us to live. And this latter thought brings me to the idea of sainthood. Since I am "set apart"/ called/made holy by the blood of Christ, how can I NOT live according to HIS desires for my life? HE has granted me the great blessing of being pure and holy in his eyes. Because He cannot be in the presence of sin, HE has covered my sin with His own blood, so that I can now come joyfully into His presence and do what He calls me to do. I praise Him for his great love for me and for the power He has placed in me to do His bidding. May the glory be His forever and ever!

Good morning. My name is Gloria. I am a Texan in the area that is called West Central Texas. I am married and have 3 grown children and 5 wonderful grandchildren. My grandchildren are growing much too fast for me. One is in graduate school, another is newly married, another will be graduating from high school this year, and the other two are in high school. I do volunteer work at a faith-based nonprofit that offers job training for unemployed and underemployed adults. I attend church regularly and am quite interested in going deeper into Bible study. I am especially interested in the book of Philippians because that was one of my father's favorite books. He often quoted Phil. 4: 6-7 and found great comfort in that as he experienced the final days of his life here on earth. I especially love the hymn in chapter 2 and want to focus on the deeper meaning in those verses. Blessings to all as we enter this transforming study.

Q5. (John 1:33) How does John the Baptist’s baptism differ from the baptism that Jesus brings? Baptism is a word that means “immerse, plunge under water.” What does a “baptism of the Holy Spirit” imply about this event? John's baptism of repentance differs from the baptism of re-creation that Jesus brings. The focus of John's baptism, as I understand it, was to seal the resolve of those baptized to turn from things in their lives that would draw them away from living the life God has for them. The focus of the baptism of Jesus which involves receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, is to turn people toward a life of complete submission in all things to the One who is able (and longing) to give abundant peace, joy, and love to his creation. The power that comes with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a power to live a life with an eternal focus--one that looks beyond the cares/annoyances/stressors of this life to a life that gives a "peace that passes all understanding" and the strength to face each day with joy and love for others.

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized? John baptized for repentance or turning away from a life not centered on doing the will of God. He was calling his generation to a life that looked to God as their source--not to their jobs or their governments to sustain them. This immersion in God's will was to prepare the hearts of the people for the powerful message of redemption that was to culminate in the death and resurrection of the Messiah. I think that to those John baptized, their baptism represented a washing of the old way of life and adopting a new center--God--for the focus of their lives.