September 26, 2023

Today's Reading: Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30

Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27, Philippians 1:1-20

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul’s faith amazes me. I wish I could say that I’d have his attitude if I found myself in his circumstances in the book of Philippians, but I don’t have that kind of confidence in myself. Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. Even so, the tone of Philippians is one of joy in every circumstance. The content of the letter is, at least in part, a thank you letter for their support of his ministry and for the Church at large. In our text today, he reports back to them that his imprisonment has actually served to advance the Gospel, even into the household of Caesar. And as Christians heard about Paul’s boldness to preach to his persecutors, they themselves became more bold to preach! But even in the midst of his seemingly unwavering faith, Paul admits that he’s torn. He knows that it is far better for him if he should be killed for the name of Jesus so that he could join his Lord in heaven…but there’s still work to be done. He knew that Jesus had appointed him to the task of being His apostle to the Gentiles, and Jesus would preserve his life until his work was finished. 

At the top, I know I made it sound like I don’t have the same confidence “in myself” that Paul seemed to have. But if you really look at our text, you’ll see that Paul’s confidence was never in himself. In Philippians 3, Paul says that he has every reason to have confidence in the works of his flesh…but he counts them all as garbage when he compares them with the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [his] Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) The beautiful good news for you and for me is that we have the very same confidence that Paul did. It’s not in our own faithfulness! It’s not in our own righteousness! It’s in Christ! You have been baptized in Christ’s name; and you are united to Him. His perfect obedience is now yours. In His death, you died to sin. He is risen! So are you. The life you now live, you live it by faith in the Son of God Who loved you and gave Himself for you! (Galatians 2:20) So, right now, you can have bold confidence to say, “to live is Christ.” And whenever your death should come, you’ll know the joyful “gain” that is heaven!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, it belongs not to my care whether I die or live; to love and serve Thee is my share, and this Thy grace must give. If life be long, I will be glad that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to soar to endless day? Amen. (LSB 757:1-2)

-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.