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God’s call: “shine like stars”

June 24, 2024
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Daily Scripture

Philippians 2:12-18

12 Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. 18 You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!

Daily Reflection & Prayer

Philippians is often called “the letter of joy.” The apostle Paul wrote it from prison (cf. Philippians 1:13). He knew the Philippians were having a significant disagreement (cf. Philippians 4:2-3). Still, he urged them to find a way to “do everything without grumbling and arguing.” Doing that in a “blameless and pure” way, he said, would make them shine like stars in a darkened world. And that would make Paul (and God, and them) glad—so “glad” that he repeated the word four times in verses 17-18! *

  • Verses 12-13 were closely related. Verse 12 didn’t mean “save yourself by your good deeds,” as a surface reading might suggest. “The word he uses for [“carry out”] is katergazesthai, which always has the idea of bringing to completion…. The word Paul uses [in verse 13] is the verb energein…. it is always used of the action of God, and it is always used of effective action.” ** Paul couldn’t be with them; God always was (cf. Philippians 1:6). When has God’s energy brought good into your life?
  • Paul always carried the Hebrew Scriptures in his head. The idea that if the Philippians lived out their life of faith in “blameless and pure” ways they would “shine like stars in the world” came from Daniel 12:3. This may point us to sharing opportunities in a contentious election year, or maybe in the aftermath of having people angrily leave the United Methodist denomination. How can you live a joy-filled life that shines like a star in a world darkened by name-calling and angry words?
Prayer

 Lord Jesus, I thank you that your divine energy is always at work in me, moving my salvation toward its completion. Make me a beacon of your joy and light to all who know me. Amen.

GPS Insights

Picture of Ryan Pasley

Ryan Pasley

Ryan Pasley serves as a Resurrection Students intern. He is returning for his second year and is glad to be back! He previously attended JCCC but is transferring to Kansas State University to study Communication Studies! When Ryan is not serving as an intern, he enjoys playing video games with his friends, reading a good book, singing Lenny Kravitz songs with the windows down, and playing with his dogs Lily and Lionel.

Why did the star have a hard time in school? It couldn’t “shine” in every subject.

I love this joke because it describes my life well. I don’t shine in every subject. I love history and science but struggle with math. I excel in discussions but fail at keeping quiet while others speak. I have a great memory but am often forgetful—ironic, I know. One glaring “failure” is my tendency to grumble. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing.” When things don’t go my way, I grumble, and when I don’t understand something, I complain and argue. We all do. However, God calls us to avoid these behaviors so that we can be blameless, pure, and shine like stars.

Yesterday, at Rez West’s Stargazing event, I watched the movie “Home.” In this movie, a Boov named Oh frequently makes mistakes. (If you haven’t seen the movie, the purple one is the Boov, and the one with curly hair is Tip, the young girl.) At one point, he even accidentally invites the Boov’s main rival, the Borg, to his housewarming party! These mistakes make him unpopular. After inviting the entire universe, Oh becomes wanted and runs into Tip, a young girl looking for her mom. Despite initial distrust, they become friends and help each other realize that our mistakes are something to embrace. As Tip says, “My mom says that our mistakes are what make us human.”

So why did I share this? Philippians 2:17-18 encourages us to be glad and rejoice. When I find myself grumbling about writing a research paper or arguing about the number of sources needed, I should take a step back and be glad for the opportunity to learn and grow, just as Paul urged.

© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References

* A superb illustration, credited to Evelyn Underhill, said, “A Christian should be like a sheep dog. When the shepherd wants him to do something, he lies down at his feet, looks intently into the shepherd’s eyes, and listens without budging until he has understood the mind of his master. Then he jumps to his feet and runs to do it. And the third characteristic, which is not less important: at no moment does the dog stop wagging its tail.” From Maxie D. Dunnam, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 31: Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982, p. 283.
** William Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975, p.42.