Hello friends!
How was your weekend? I have been really processing through the quarantine that we have been living in and the reality of re-entering life. On one hand, I cannot wait to see my kids back in action doing the things they love. I am so excited to see friends and fellowship in person with my church community. Actually going to a restaurant and sitting across from my Jason for a date sounds wonderful! And…maybe, in the near future we will even be able to plan a trip to the beach to dip our toes in the water, walk along the shoreline, take a deep breath and put this whole ordeal behind us.
On the other hand, the thought of re-entering life, picking up the pace and jumping back into the hustle and bustle that occurs outside of my four walls is pretty overwhelming. It is not that I have control over what happens in my house…there happen to be 4 fiercely independent and strong-willed people who live here! It is just that things seem simpler, slower and safer. It just somehow seems that there is less to contend with, less to worry about, less to threaten the safety of those whom I love the most when we are camped out together, “sheltering in place.”
And yet, we are not called to camp out or hide from the world. Instead, we are called to be a light, to “shine like stars in a dark sky.” Perhaps this has been a respite in some way. We have been offered a chance to renew our hearts and minds, to re-center our lives. As we step back into life, our calendars may look the same as they did before this pandemic, but my prayer is that our hearts will not.
Paul, the author of Philippians is a wonderful example of such a heart transformation. As you are aware, Paul was once “Saul,” a great persecutor of Christians, a murderer in fact. It is not that Saul was intending to do the wrong things. In fact, he was a zealous Jewish leader, seeking to abolish the followers of Christ for fear that they were blasphemers. Paul was completely changed, transformed and made new when he encountered Jesus Christ. He went from murdering Christians to spreading the good news of the Gospel all around the world. His behavior was changed as a result of a complete and total heart transplant. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.” Paul was a new creation in Christ and we are as well!
As we prepare to re-enter our “normal” lives, I pray that our behavior may reflect the heart change that the Lord has been working out in us as we have studied and grown together. In her book, “What the Bible is All About,” Dr. Henrietta C. Mears points out seven desires of Paul’s heart as he serves as a light for Christ in this fallen world. I am going to ask the Lord to allow these same seven benchmarks to be my heart’s desire and we step out of this tucked away time and back into the busyness of life.
- “That I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
While our salvation is secure, I pray that my daily goal will be to please the heart of God. - “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10.
Each day, I desire to spend time in the Word of God, deepening my knowledge of His character and love. - “And be found in Him” (Philippians 3:9).
I trust God to wrap me in His purity and make me blameless and complete. I will not believe the lie that my past still has a hold on me. - “I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).
I will pray that the Lord will fill me with His power each day to do His will. I will not work in my own strength. - “I want to know…partnership in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).
I will pray to have a supernatural peace in life’s challenges, understanding that suffering with Christ only deepens my bond to him. - “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).
I pray that the Lord will clearly show me His purpose for my life each day. I will not plan my way into being too busy to listen for His direction. - “I press on toward the goal to win the prize” (Philippians 3:14).
I will remember that my calling to live for Christ is of greater importance and therefore hold the greatest prize of anything in all of eternity. I will pray for clarity, not getting sidetracked by the distraction and lesser prizes of this world.
Now we’re ready!!
Friends, let us step back into the world with a new direction, a new purpose and new perspective than we had before!
This week’s reading:
05/04-05/06: Philippians 3:1-14
05/06-05/08: Philippians 3:15-21
I will send some questions for your reflection on Wednesday.
Please be in touch anytime!
Love you all!
Hugs!
Kinsee
