On Philippians

CALM for Today

Welcome back to The Daily Fill Devotionals! Whether you’re reading this from our email distribution list, on our website or listening to the podcast version, we’re glad you chose to spend this part of your day with us.

As summer begins to wind down and the school year starts ramping up, we sometimes experience a season of stress, at least in my family. Getting the kids back on their early morning school schedule, figuring out rides, starting sports, remembering how to do homework, and then trying to get to bed at a decent hour can make for a stressful few weeks. If you start throwing other family dynamics, work stress, relational tensions, general change, and then a contentious election season on top of that, this is the recipe for anxiety.

This is why the words of our passage for today are so timely.

“Do not be anxious about anything…” (Philippians 4:6).

This week we’ll be looking at how this passage can be an antidote to anxiety. It is an invitation to CALM our hearts and center them on the love of Jesus.

Today, I’d simply like to introduce you to the ideas, and then throughout the rest of the week, our writers will be expounding on each of these topics utilizing the acronym C.A.L.M. This week, we want to invite you to…

C hoose joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always” (v. 4).

A sk God for help. “Let your requests be made known to God” (v. 6).

L eave your concerns with him. “With thanksgiving . . .” (v. 6).

M editate on good things. “Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise” (v. 8).

It’s my prayer that you and I can learn to CALM our hearts before the One who loves us and has a good plan for our lives. May you experience the joy and peace of knowing that we serve a God who wants to help you in your time of need.

Josh Rose
Family Pastor

Editor's Note: The original C.A.L.M. acronym noted above was first introduced by Max Lucado in his 2017 book, Anxious for Nothing.

by Josh Rose

Our Responsibility

This past week a part of the Outreach team went to visit an organization in Vancouver that ministers to the Iranian refugees in the area. Those two days were filled with awe-inspiring stories of how God makes Himself known to His people and the responsibility the believers have to share the goodness of God with those near and far.

The House of Omeed has a team of Iranian refugees who are committed to spending every minute and opportunity to share the Gospel. They follow the words of Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”. For the executive director, being born blind made him feel like he was lacking in something. He spent many years creating a list asking God how he could glorify him through his skills and accomplishments. Little did he know that God would use his blindness to make him see even more the vision God had for him and the future of their ministry. With God’s vision they have supported many house churches in Iran and God is more greatly glorified through the last thing our dear friend, the executive director, imagined.

The church in Iran is the fastest-growing group of believers in the entire world and yet they experience dangerous persecution each day. This has not kept them from gathering and worshiping together. God is using them to bring His glory to a country that has attempted to strip Him from His people.

What are areas or parts of ourselves that we cannot imagine God can use for His glory?

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team

Grumbling or Gratitude

In Philippians 2:14, we're encouraged to “do everything without grumbling or arguing,” which can feel nearly impossible sometimes. Think about dealing with a demanding boss or being a sleep-deprived parent overwhelmed with messy diapers and endless laundry. It's natural to vent our frustrations, but complaining rarely makes anyone feel better. This attitude can lead to arguments and strain our relationships. Instead, by avoiding grumbling and arguing, we can remain "blameless and pure" as children of God.

So, what can we do instead of grumbling and arguing? It starts with cultivating an attitude of gratitude. This means recognizing the good things we have and seeing God as the source of our blessings. Paul challenges us in Colossians 2:6-7 to be overflowing with thankfulness: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” The more we see through the lens of grace, the more thankful we become.

Here are some easy ways to cultivate an attitude of gratitude:

Keep a gratitude journal: Reflect on God's blessings and write down a couple of things you're grateful for each day.

Share your appreciation: Let others know you appreciate them and what they’ve done.

Serve others: Focusing on helping others can make you feel more thankful.

Meditate on Scripture: Read Bible verses that emphasize gratitude and think about them regularly.

By making these simple practices part of your daily routine, you can develop a more grateful heart that aligns with what the Bible teaches.

-Karina

by KP

Be the Settler You Were Meant to Be

Philippians 2:12-18

Having grown up as a Protestant in a Catholic country, I have seen this passage misused in discussions about salvation by grace versus works, but it makes more sense when we remember it is a continuation of Paul's thought from verse 1:27 about what it means to live in the way worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

One way to summarize Philippians 2:12-18 would be to say, living in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus takes work (grace is opposed to earning, not effort), happens in community, stands out in the world, and the side effects might include suffering or even sacrifice . . . but it's God himself empowering you, transforming you, and the world around you, and it will all be worth it in the end!

A Colony of Heaven in a Dissatisfied World, our series title, is a helpful metaphor for understanding the passage. A colony is generally a place where a group of people come to settle which is under the control of their home country. We are like a colony in this world. We live under a different authority (Kingdom of God), empowered by a different power (King Jesus) to model a different type of community (church) and showcase our different way of life (the way of Jesus) to those around us.

The Message version paraphrases it so well:

Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.

Paul is quick to remind us that being different comes with suffering and even sacrifice (true of any settlers in any colony), but it will not be in vain in the end. And you will be in good company! Your King has suffered for you first, Paul and countless others have suffered to make sure you can be a part of this colony too. So if you are facing hardships, welcome to the club . . . or rather the colony!

Now, go be the settler you were meant to be and do something today that makes people pause and wonder about the great Kingdom you represent.

Something that reflects the unlimited power of the King who empowers you.
Something worthy of your King’s sacrifice.
Something so different that even your jaded fellow Californians will take notice! 😊

Luke B.

by Luke B.