(Php 1:25) “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;”  Paul through the Holy Spirit knew his work upon this earth was not over. He would continue to seek to grow the saved in the things of God. The Words he penned are for that very purpose. If you wish to grow closer to the Lord,  you will have to spend time in His Bible. How serious you are about doing so will reflect in how you structure your daily life. Will it center around Him or you?  

 (Phil 1:22b) “…yet what I shall choose I wot not. (23) For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (24) Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”  I dare say that few have found themselves with this particular spiritual dilemma. Most cling to this life tenaciously! May our love for God grow and grow until such feelings occupy our own hearts!

 (Php 1:21) “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22)  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour:”  What is “the fruit”? That Christ live through me and is glorified by the actions of His Temple, my body. So, when I am at work, conscientiously seeking to do the best I can for my employer, I will as such do at the same time for my Lord. The same will I seek to do at home and at play. The old saying is, “What you do in the closest defines who and what you really are.” May Jesus be glorified!

(Php 1:21) “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  There is only one true purpose for this life – to glorify our heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. To die as a Born Again Child of God is to be the gainer, to end up with more than one ever dreamed. “This world is not my home; I’m just a passin through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.”  That is the attitude of the child of God looking forward to heaven! 

 (Php 1:19) “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (20) According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”  Here the word “salvation” is used for both physical or spiritual deliverance. Through their prayers he would be either delivered from prison or delivered from the prison of this old sinful body. Nor matter which, he would be the winner! True salvation saves; period! If it doesn’t end up saving you from hell, then what you possessed was not salvation at all! I was entirely saved, given a new desire through my spirit, given the Holy Ghost, made a child of Heaven, my name written down, and a home reserved for me all in that moment. My prayer is that I will magnify in both this life and in my death that truth!  

(Php 1:14) “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”  Consider the thinking: “Paul is there because he is obedience to the Lord. The least I can do is join him and proclaim the gospel also.”  Interesting: no one spoke of gun rights until they sought to take that right away. Now we hear it everywhere. Will we wait to speak of the gospel until they seek to take away the privilege?  

(Php 1:12) “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;”  I wonder what would happen if we had the spiritual insight displayed here before us. A man in prison seeing it as an unique opportunity to give the gospel. We find ourselves in an emergency room, hospital bed, doctor’s office, repair shop, etc. and see it as the place God would have us this moment to witness!  

(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?