Title: God's Desire (Philippians 02:12-18)
Contents What is the biggest wish of the parents for their children? Perhaps it is to live by fulfilling their wishes. “To those who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..” (John 1:12) Therefore, everyone who believes in the name of Jesus and receives him must be children of God. It is quite natural that they are living like people of God.
In the text, Apostle Paul enumerates the life that the saints should pursue as children of God as follows.
First, it is admonishing us to become one in Christ, second, to live humbly like Christ, and third, to work hard for the saints to achieve their own salvation. We urge the saved saints to achieve 'sanctification', a present salvation that imitates the perfect person of Christ toward a future salvation that will be fully glorified, rather than dwelling only on the salvation of the past.
Those who have already been saved by believing in Jesus through God's grace must actively pursue God's will with thanksgiving. In other words, you should strive for your own spiritual growth and bear the fruits of your life.
In other words, if we remove the sinful inclinations of human beings, we can become holy and live a life that resembles Christ. To that end, we are admonishing you to appear as the light of the world as a child of God who is blameless and pure without any grudges or quarrels. However, resentment and quarrels often appear in our church community.
This is the time for me to be glorified in the Lord's place. It is a time to try to fulfill my will rather than God's wish. It is time to go ahead of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It's time to do it on my own without a sense of calling. It is when we forget that we are members of one body. It happens when you forget to be grateful for a given task. Then, what should we do to work without resentment and disputes in the church community?
First, in order to know God's wishes, we must know the words of the Bible written about God and act accordingly. Second, by participating in the sacraments, which are the visible symbols of God's Word, we receive help from prosperity. Third, we can understand God's will accurately through prayer and meditation, which are conversations with God. Fourth, we must realize the providence of God to share in His holiness for our benefit.
However, all these things are possible only if the children of God are spiritually regenerated and spiritual people. This is because the process of sanctification is the stage of female growth, and the fleshly person cannot know the spiritual things.
In particular, there are some words that believers who serve in the church should keep in mind. “As each one has received a gift, serve one another as good stewards of the various graces of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as if he were speaking the word of God, and if anyone would serve, let him do it by the power that God supplies. that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and power forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11).
As you know, a gift is a gift from God. It is given to each believer in a different form by the will of God so that the church can perform its original function. So, the gifts must be used according to God's will for the church. You must also realize that God requires greater service and devotion from those who have received many gifts. Gifts should not be used as tools to show off. If so, then it would be Sochi that does not know God's wishes at all. We are just servants of God doing what we ought to do.
Paul, the shepherd, sacrificed our faith and service and poured out himself as a drink offering like wine poured on it. His love and devotion to the Lord became a good “model for the shepherds and saints” for us.
However, there is a perfect model for living according to Heavenly Father's wish. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
In order to make Heavenly Father's wish come true, we must look to Jesus only today. We must look to the glory of his resurrection through his cross. Persevering in hope without ceasing.