Scripture
9I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11
Observation
Paul’s powerful prayer for the church in Philippi is one we should all be praying for each other every day. That there wouldn’t be a single day that passes where we aren’t growing. Growing in what? Growing in the knowledge and understanding of what really matters in this life. What really matters in life often gets clouded by wants and needs, cultural pressures, prideful pursuits, pet theologies, and painful circumstances. What really matters? Paul goes on to write, it’s the fruit of our salvation. In other words, we were saved unto a purpose. Our life purpose is that the righteous character of Christ is growing, like fruit, as we spend every waking moment in the presence of Jesus. What’s this unto? God gets the glory and praise when the people of God living in the presence of God walk out the purposes of God in the world around them.
Application
Never talk about money before the first cup of coffee. Lesson learned literally one hour ago. I know, I know, you’d think I’d have had that obvious piece of wisdom down by now. This Monday, Cyndi and I will have been married 24 years. She has been through many highs and lows with me in the various assignments God has called us to. We learned early on that we should never talk budget after 10pm. Well, it looks like I need to keep growing in how I’m serving my spouse as I add this to the list- never talk budget before coffee. Now that the boys are officially in summer mode we woke up talking through budget for summer plans. She had ideas. I had ideas. Those ideas didn’t match. Our discussion got spirited and I could tell I was treading on dangerous ground as she was not feeling heard because I wouldn’t stop talking. Then, the Holy Spirit got me to shut up long enough to see that I was not focusing on what REALLY matters. She matters. How hard she’s working for our family. How Jesus is using her and stretching her right now. Was I speaking in to that or just trying to speak to get my point across? Winning the argument was losing the battle and I could see that instead of producing the life of Christ’s character in this situation by lifting her up I was putting more weight on her shoulders. I apologized. I did a full reverse and celebrated instead what God has provided for already instead of pining for what doesn’t really matter at all. I spoke to her worth and value. And we kissed before I walked out the door. All of this, before my first cup of coffee. Not smart. I do know this, that I almost derailed our 24 year anniversary over superficial wants and desires. What makes a marriage work, a budget work, a business work, a family work is focusing on growing in the knowledge and understanding of what REALLY matters. Asking this simple question would be a great place to start: How is the character of Christ being seen in this situation? I sure wish I would have started with that instead of my agenda this morning. What REALLY matters is that God gets the glory every time I defer to the purposes of Christ rather than prefer my own.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for starting the day out making it about me and my plans. You work through situations like budgets, disagreements, lack of caffeine to bring me back to what REALLY matters. You aren’t even bothered by what I spend so much time being stressed about. I want to grow in the knowledge and understanding of what REALLY matters to You. That usually starts when I put others before myself. Thank You for this lesson this morning. Thank you for a patient wife who doesn’t give up on me. Thank You for how good this coffee tastes right now. May You be glorified and praised in all I say and do today.
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