Philippiansናሙና

This letter begins a lot like many of the letters written by Paul, where he greets his readers and sends his gratitude and love. Here we have Paul thanking the Philippian church specifically for their generous gift that they sent to him while in prison. And then we read one of the most well known scriptures that most Bible-reading believers have been encouraged by since they’ve first read it, Philippians 1:6.

I believe one of the reasons this scripture hits home for us is because we all know the struggle of the meanwhile, or the waiting. Whether it’s waiting on some news you might need before moving forward with something, waiting on a check to hit your bank account, waiting for your kids to finally sleep through the night, or waiting on Jesus to come back, we all know the waiting so well!

The word “work” we see in this scripture is translated from the original Greek word, “ergos,” meaning “an action that carries out, to complete an inner desire,” also known as purpose. What I love about this word ergos is it makes the waiting less about the “job” being done and more about the joy in the process as we engage our purpose. As we study the scriptures today, let’s be encouraged again as we work, as God works, and how he partners with us along the way.

Prayer points:

• Ask God today to help you find the joy in the “job” before you. It was the joy set before Jesus [Hebrews 12:2] that enabled Him to complete His assignment on Earth, and that same joy is our strength today [Nehemiah 8:10].
• Ask God to show you who you can thank, encourage, and bless today, and then do it.