Philippians 2:10-11
When you make Christ the head of your life and walk according to His will and plan you are assured two things, the first is trials and the second is victory… Jesus reminds the disciples in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”However, we see in the scripture penned by Paul that people will be humbled before the mighty name of the one that we serve and face trials for… Paul writes a letter to the church of Philippi focused on imitating the life of Christ… When Jesus was resurrected from the dead He received all power in heaven and on earth, He was given authority over every matter and situation and defeated the devil with His sacrifice… Paul reminds us of the authority that Jesus has in today’s focus verses… “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Today we see the reasons as to why we can smile in the midst of tragedy, today we are given evidence of how we can hold our head up in the midst of a storm, through this passage we learn how to continue in praise despite the circumstances that we face… We have victory through the blood of Jesus; we have the ability to triumph because of His nail scarred hands and we have received a clean slate because of His humility… Paul says every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord… You may see some people going the wrong way right now, you may see some people smiling in while indulging in their life of sin and you may see others that appear to be better off than you; however, we must remember that Jesus experienced the same things when dealing with the Romans and Pharisees, Jesus was belittled on this earth, but now has a place next to the father (sitting on a throne) that everyone would love to have…
He reigns because of His sacrifice and determination to fulfill the will of His father… Money, fame and popularity don’t bring success; it’s your sacrifice and determination that align you with the prosperity that only God can give… Paul reminds us that every knee will bow because there are many that disrespect the name of Jesus, many that have given Jesus a different name and many that have simply devalued His name… Paul’s words to the church of Philippi inform us that everybody will come to know Jesus whether it is on this earth or on the Day of Judgment… Everyone will stand before Him and the dead in Christ will be raised again… Jesus received authority and power because of His sacrifice… This scripture provides encouragement for the one who feels like they are being left behind or the one who feels that the way of Christ is a path too hard to travel… The more you work at something the more you appreciate it… We must work at this walk of faith knowing that we will appreciate the rewards for our perseverance all the more when we receive them… Matthew 20:16 says, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Take pride today because in the world you are in last place, your focus is on Christ and you will finish ahead of the rest when it comes to the true riches we can obtain… The bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from above, keep your mind on the perfect gift, the good gift and not the seemingly feasible things that this world offers…
Paul writes this letter to a church that has seen some good days and bad, he writes today to a church that has laughed and cried; Paul records this letter and sends it to a church that has experienced highs and lows… His message to the church is that things will get better after they have gotten worse… The verses that precede these two scriptures speak of Jesus suffering… The previous verses speak of His humility and compassion… Often time we hear people talk about the authority that Christ has and how we have the same authority because we are heirs with Him… The truth of the matter is that we have been given a chance to inherit eternal life and reap bountiful blessings, but being a child of God is more than acceptance of His will, we must suffer in this life to achieve greatness in the life to come… Paul concludes by saying that all this is “…to the glory of God the father!” God’s name will be exalted by your suffering, God will smile when you persevere, God will rejoice when you overcome… Just like a child we experience growing pains, but our parents are most proud when we blossom into wonderful men and women… God looks at you in the same manner, Jesus (His son) suffered to gain all power and bring glory to God… Today you suffer, but in the end God will be glorified and you will be exalted…If you want to become the disciple God has called you to be than imitate Christ and suffer in and for His name…
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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