Philippians: Whatever HappensSample

Stars and Torches

By Danny Saavedra

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”—Philippians 2:14–16 (NIV)

Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you can stand out?” It’s a strong statement about conformity and peer pressure, which the apostle Paul would have wholeheartedly agreed.

Here in this passage, Paul tells the Philippians to “become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’” Why? So that by their lives and testimonies, they would “shine among them like stars in the sky.”

You may be saying, “Easier said than done, Danny! Especially nowadays, how can we possibly hope to shine like stars and be blameless and pure when the world is so full of darkness and depravity?” Well, luckily, Paul tells us!

This passage continues to hit at the heart of what Paul expressed in Philippians 2:3–13, providing further instructions regarding our interactions with believers and nonbelievers. In these verses, Paul:

1) explain and encourage them to walk in humility—the mindset of valuing the needs of others first, which Jesus Himself demonstrated through His life, ministry, and death. We see this in Paul’s command to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”

2) instruct them to continue to be sanctified through devotion and discipline as the Lord works in them to conform them into His Son’s image and accomplish His good purposes. This devotion and discipline require us to “hold firmly to the word of life.”

As we do this, as we grow in relationship with Jesus and begin to imitate Him in our interactions with believers and nonbelievers, we will become “blameless” as it pertains to the laws and judgment of man (Luke 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:10) so no one can bring any charge or claim of hypocrisy against us, and we can remain “pure” in internal purity and simplicity (“harmless as doves” like Jesus said in Matthew 10:16). As you examine this sentiment Paul espouses here, you can also see the clear connection to the statements Jesus made in John 13:35.

This life stands out in a world full of selfishness, division, discord, strife, anger, malice, and depravity. Believers who live like this will shine brightly like a star in the sky in a dark, wicked, and lost world.

Paul hammers home this metaphor of stars and light by reminding the Philippians to “hold firmly to the word of life.” In Greek, this expression is meant to evoke the image of holding a torch, which was done for guidance. Do you see that? Paul is reminding us we’re torchbearers.

So, by living humbly in devotion to Jesus and holding forth the light of the gospel for all to see through our testimony, we can light the way for the people God has put in our lives who are lost in the darkness to see Jesus clearly and have the light of Jesus shine in their hearts to give them “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV). In this, God is indeed willing and acting “in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).

Pause: How does doing “everything without grumbling or arguing” validate your witness for Christ and enable you to “hold firmly to the word of life”?

Practice: Examine your attitude this week. How often do you find yourself complaining or grumbling, whether out loud or simply in your heart? Are you valuing others above yourself?

Pray: Father, give me the heart of Jesus. May I walk in humility and gratitude, free from a grumbling and discontented spirit. May my testimony, attitude, actions, and interactions serve as a torch that lights the way for people to see Your Son. May my life be centered on You and my relationship with You so that I may become more like Jesus as the Word of life guides and shapes me. May my testimony be blameless before believers for their edification and sanctification and nonbelievers for their salvation. May this all be to the praise and glory of Jesus’ name. Amen.