Daily Devotion (August 22, 2024)
Philippians 1:15–18 (NKJV)
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:
16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
If you are a Christian, you preach Christ. Most preaching is not done from behind a pulpit, it is done in everyday life. There are those who preach Christ from selfish ambition, some from goodwill so others can know Christ.
God has a purpose in each person’s life. He chooses each one according to His will and purpose in expanding His Kingdom. Paul was in prison and still there were those who were jealous of him. Paul’s thoughts and prayers were not focused on his circumstances. He was concerned about preaching Christ. Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
Whatever spiritual gift God has given us we are to use it to life up Christ and the church. The church is God’s family. We are to love God’s church. We are to pray for God’s church. We are to minister to one another in the love of Christ. We are to support one another. We are to be faithful to Christ and His calling in our lives. Let me restate the last sentence with different words. God does not require big ministries and big names and big followers from us. What He does require is faithfulness in the calling He has given us.
I pray you are attending church and are a member of a church. Large or small the church you attend and hopefully are a member of is where you are to exercise the spiritual gift God has given you. God has a purpose for you in the church. You are not just to be a pew warmer. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. You not using your spiritual gift in the church is like driving a car where the engine is not hitting on all cylinders. Remember you are a preacher of Christ. If you are a professing Christian what people see in you is Christ. Are they seeing the Christ of the Bible or a watered-down version of Christ?