If someone asks, “How ya’ doin?” (How are you doing?), the typical answer is “fine,” right? The reason for the vague answer is that it’s really just a way of acknowledging someone’s presence, not a genuine question of interest regarding the other person’s well-being. In the Philippines, a similar question is “Saan ka pupunta?” or “Where are you going?” The expected answer is “Diyan lang” or “just there”. It’s polite but superficial.
But suppose someone gets past the pleasant formalities, and asks, “How are you really doing?” Most of us would go on to describe the circumstances of our lives. We generally respond that we’re doing “well” when we and those we love are healthy, happy, comfortable, financially sound, and have a positive outlook for the future. We’re doing “badly” when anything is happening that could make our circumstances anything less than pleasant, let alone threaten our comfort, peace, and ease.
Paul had a different perspective when he let his friends know how he was “doing” in Philippians 1:12-20. Yes, he acknowledged what was happening, but then he went to a deeper level to show what was REALLY going on… Paul had discovered the secret of looking beyond pleasant circumstances of comfort and ease to the source of real joy. For the next two Sundays, we’ll be looking at three ways that God delivers us from our preoccupation with circumstances. Read through the text and see if you can figure them out before Sunday!
Let me also remind you about our Kick Off “Second Friday” happening tomorrow at 6 pm. We’ll have dinner together until 7, worship until 7:30, learn until 7:50, and meet in small groups until you want to go home. If you don’t have a group already, come anyway and we’ll connect you up with a leader and other fellow travelers. We’ll be focusing on our “4X4 DISCIPLE” training materials and going up the “mountain” of spiritual growth together!
I’m also very excited to introduce the new Valley Church mobile app featuring 4×4 DISCIPLE devotionals and resources! Go to http://valleychurch.org/app which includes (1) Download buttons for App Store and Google Play and (2) Instructions on how to get set up with a username & password so you can have full access to exclusive content, daily devotionals, and interaction with other members. I just downloaded mine and posted a Facebook message from it. I could even “tweet” from it if I wanted to… (OK maybe not…there are enough of those going around!)
Paul said this to his friends in Rome, “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39. Live each day in the power and confidence of knowing Christ and that no circumstance can separate you from Him!
In Christ alone,
Kurt