(Php 1:11) “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”  Since our righteousness is the clothing provided us of Christ’s Own righteousness, the fruits are the results of it; His prompting our souls to seek His face, to please Him. The glory and the praise all belong to Him. When given praise by men, we should deflect that praise to where it rightly belongs. Don’t steal the praise which belongs to the Lord!  

(Php 1:9) “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; (10)That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;”  Should not the heart of the Child of God, those saved through the very sufferings and blood of Christ Jesus, long to please Him? This is why the Holy Spirit wishes us to grow in knowledge and judgment. We need to know the Word of God to discern what pleases the Lord.   

(Php 1:9) “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;”  Love for the Lord leads to a desire to please Him. We begin to seek the knowledge held in the pages of Scripture, asking Him to open our eyes to see. We begin to ask for wisdom to apply what we have learned so that He might be glorified. Do you love Him?  

(Php 1:6) “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (7)  Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.”  The word “meet” there means “right” or “right to do”. Paul was in prison because of giving himself publicly to bring others to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. He included that word, meet, as a qualification. You see, “you” means all who profess to be saved. Yet, he could not truly know the heart of the individual. Not all who profess to be saved are saved. There are those who will not humble themselves to ask forgiveness and give Him their life in order to receive the rebirth. They desire heaven without giving up the earth. I come alongside the desire of the Apostle Paul today. I hope you are what you profess to be.   

(Php 1:6) “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”  The word, “confident”, there, means “fully convinced.” By what? By the many promises of God Who cannot lie nor fail! He is not “hopeful” as we today use that word. No, those who are truly saved will arrive in the next life as surely as Jesus is alive today! That “good work” of salvation is an accomplished fact!

(Php 1:3) “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,”  As I look back over the years and ponder believers that were a part of my life, there are mixed feelings. Yes, I ask the Lord this day to make me remember the good, and not the bad; to think, as the chapter 2, verse 3b says, “…to esteem other better than….” ourselves. I have been blessed over the years with many, many hours of fellowship with loving, good individuals who expressed great love for me as I prayerfully have done the same to them. Thank God for each of you and may the Lord bless you in every way! May we always remember the good! (Php 1:4) “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, (1:5) For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;” 

(Php 1:2) “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our Father and our Savior, to this church and every church (a church being the Born Again)  bestows the blessings of grace (favor to be given but not deserved) and peace (between us and God). We rob ourselves of these blessings by choosing our own will and sin over His revealed Word and plan for each of us through being united in the body of local believers. We rob ourselves of peace by the same method. You need to be an active part of the local God obedient church near you. Remember, He is writing to the assembled, revealed by the direct terms bishop and deacons. You must be an active every Sunday attendee, for you cannot have an unassembled assembly which is the term for church (a called together assembly).

(Php 1:1) “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”    A misuse by denominations of the term “bishop” has robbed us of its Scriptural usage.  Instead of a hierarchy,  it was a reference to the position we know today as “pastor”. Another such example is the word, “elder”, also referring to a “pastor”. Each term speaks of a responsibility of the office. The meaning of the word, “bishop”: superintendent, overseer.  The pastor’s responsibility is over the church and its activities as a whole, from finances to preaching that comes from the pulpit. He can delegate jobs, but not his responsibility. The church is not a club, nor a democracy. It is to be under the God-called and led pastor.

(Php 1:1) “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”   The word, “saint”, comes from the word “sanctified”, which means to be separated unto God. That which is separated unto God always is seen to become holy, for it now is to be used exclusively for or by God. The Bible has this to say regarding you and your body, (1Co_6:20) “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  How will you allow the Lord to use you and your body today.