#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
Philippians 1:27-28
The book of Philippians was written by Paul to the people of Philippi. Philippians, along with several other books in the New Testament were written by Paul to people in different churches and cities that he had been to. This is important to keep in mind because when he says, “If I come to you or not…” that is Paul’s voice talking directly to the people in Philippi, it’s not Jesus’ voice.
With that in mind, the first thing that jumped out at me from these verses was “I want to hear that you are working together as one, preaching the Good News”. I think we can all agree that in today’s world we could use more of everyone working together and spreading God’s word. And along with that, we do not need to fear those who oppose us, if we keep doing what God has asked us to do, which is to love one another and spread His word then everything else will work itself out. I find a lot of comfort in this verse, especially thinking about what is happening around the world today. Never in my lifetime have a seen a deeper need for Jesus than in the last couple years and I have never been more grateful that no matter what is happening in our world, Jesus is still on His throne.
I also love that it says, “do not be afraid of those who hate you. Their hate for you proves they will be destroyed.” It is so easy to be consumed by fear or let fear limit us or hold us back from something. But that’s not what Jesus wants from us. If there are people who oppose us, it is easy to think we need to stand up to them or engage them in something when really, if we hold strong to God’s Word and what he is asking us to do, everything else will work itself out.
And finally when it says “It proves you have life from God that lasts forever”. I truly love this reminder that this life is temporary. I find it easy to get caught up in the little things in life and even if they seem big in the moment, they are nothing compared to eternity. It is always a goal of mine to live life with eternity in mind. Meaning, to try not to stress about or get caught up in the hardships of life, but hold tight to God’s truths and know that this life is nothing but a vapor in light of eternity.
Alyssa Johnston is a Stay-at-home mom to two and author of Esther’s Grand Adventure (coming August 2017) who lives in Cincinnati, OH. She can usually be found drinking coffee, doing art projects with her kids or roaming the aisles of Target.
Defying Shadows 