Philippians 25: Do Not Be Anxious About Anything

The message of joy must be repeated and reinforced because it so easily gets lost and forgotten in the worry and hustle of life, because there's so much out there trying to suck the joy out of us. If each day drains of us joy, as we keep coming up against opposition, obstacles, detractors, doom-mongers and deadlines, then we need to recharge the batteries of joy by reading verses like this again and again and reminding ourselves of their vital truth.

Philippians 2: Saints in Christ

Holy people, that's what we are. It's important to be clear about this word 'holy', because it's often misunderstood. It doesn't mean perfect, it doesn't mean sinless and it doesn't mean better than everyone else. It means 'set apart', people who were chosen and invited to be part of God's family. Not because of anything special they'd done to earn it, but because God loved them and wanted them. If you're a follower of Jesus, you're holy and set apart too. He loves you and wants you in His family. It's a wonderful privilege, but it's not exclusive, and open to all. The only requirement for joining, the only way to be holy, is to say yes to God through Jesus.

Philippians: Context and Background

I’m writing about Philippians to help people understand the context of its famous verses and to discover some of its less well-known treasures. There's a lot of Philippians that's comparatively unfamiliar, lots of teaching that doesn't work quite so well on a fridge magnet or card but which is still hugely helpful to us in our walk with Jesus. Let's walk some of those less-trodden paths together, you and me.

Philippians

A quick announcement to tell you about a new devotional series coming soon on the Book of Philippians. Join me soon for a journey through this fantastic book.

Deuteronomy 8: That It Might Go Well With You

This is the eighth post in my Deuteronomy series, exploring the premises and promises of Deuteronomy.

Beginning and Ending Well

My Lesson of the Month for August: the importance of beginning and ending each day well.

September’s Lesson: Prayerlessness is a sure recipe for falling into temptation

September's Lesson: Prayerlessness is a sure recipe for falling into temptation.   We need to pray more. That’s not exactly a revolutionary statement – I think many of us have thought this at one time or other – but do we take prayer, or the lack thereof, seriously enough?   This statement was one of …

July’s Lesson: Lay down tracks of truth for your train of thought to follow

July's Lesson: Lay down tracks of truth for your train of thought to follow.   This fantastic sentence was originally written by Jeff Lucas, and it was my wife who introduced it to me in July. She was inspired by it so much that she wrote an entire devotional on it, which you can check …

Having a Healthy Thought Life, Part 2: Worry

Having A Healthy Thought Life Part 2: Worry.   I’m delighted to be hosting a new series of guest posts by my wise and wonderful wife, Lucy. It’s called ‘Having A Healthy Thought Life’, and over the next few weeks Lucy will be sharing the content she wrote for a small group Bible study series. …

Having a Healthy Thought Life, Part 1: Tracks of Truth

Having A Healthy Thought Life Part 1: Tracks of Truth.   I'm delighted to be hosting a new series of guest posts by my wise and wonderful wife, Lucy. It's called 'Having A Healthy Thought Life', and over the next few weeks Lucy will be sharing the content she wrote for a small group Bible …