ZPCBlog

About the author: Julie and Tom have been married for 26 years and have two amazing boys, Nate, 21 years old and a Senior at Wabash, and Noah, 19 years old and a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. Tom and Julie met at the Great Banquet and the rest is history. They have been members of ZPC for 16 years in total and are so blessed to be back!  Julie volunteers in the Middle School Ministry, on the Mission Commission, and is a Deacon, Class of 2027.

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:3-11

I am not what you would call a patient person. In our world of microwaves, email, and texts, I am spoiled with technology that does not help me be patient. I find myself thanking God for technology so I can multitask a million things, and boy, do I have a to-do list. But when God whispers to me to be still and take some time to be silent, it is at those moments that I truly think I accomplish the most.

Paul reminds us of this in Philippians 1: 3-11. He starts by being thankful not only for those reading the letter but also for God and all he is. He thanks the church of Philippi for being great partners in the faith and for spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. And not just because it was something on their list to accomplish, but because they believed from the first time they heard!

Paul continues to encourage that God wasn’t done with them and the good work that was being done through them. He urges them to continue the ministry of Jesus every day and in every situation. And, he reminds them, that just when they might think their to-do lists are done, they are not. They should continue to extend love to everyone and will be finally finished when Jesus comes back again.

He then says that he hopes they will keep growing in their faith, knowledge, and of their understanding of what really matters. And what is this? It is to live pure and blameless lives until Christ’s return so that in everything they do their righteous character will bring “much joy and praise to God.”

This is true for us as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. We are waiting expectantly but must not sit idly for being hands and feet of Christ. During Christmas time, it seems like there is much to do to remind us of the ways we can be light to so many living in shadows. But I want to encourage you to remember Paul’s encouragement, that kindness knows no calendar and should be in our hearts and minds every day of our lives.

This Christmas I pray you and your family will be a blessing to everyone you meet, spend time with, or see while shopping or enjoying the fun of the holidays. I pray you too will bring much glory and praise to God and as you wait for the hope that comes this season. Welcome God into your heart over and over again and again into your life.

Activity

Our family likes to do random acts of kindness during the holidays, especially in the rush and busyness of the season. We seek out ways where we can spread joy with little acts of kindness and then share them at the end of the day. Where can you be light in the busyness of the holidays?

Prayer

Father God, we are so thankful for you and your greatest gift ever, Jesus. Thank you for being in the  details of our days and for waiting for our response. Help us to remember at the end of the day there will always be items on the list, but to start with you first every day. Help us remember that our joy comes not from accomplishments of a list, but from sharing the Good News of Jesus with others and extending love to all we encounter. Amen.

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