Daily Compass for Living: Daily Readings and Reflections for a Year

SAMPLE DAY 1

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Genesis 11:31

Abraham is a name that rings a bell for many people. But few people have heard of Terah, who was the father of Abraham. I like this character called Terah because he was one of the people who can see what no one else has a clue about. He made a decision to go to Canaan at a time when this location was not attractive and was not in the news. This was not only a bold decision, but it anticipated all that was to be known as a land flowing with milk and honey.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (who had lost his father), and the wife of Abram and set off for Canaan. We are not told much about this bold move and what prompted it, except that we know of the death of his son Haran. Did that death precipitate a crisis for Terah? The question is: why did he leave his other son Nahor and his family behind? Is it at all possible that God had something to do with the decision? There is however no suggestion that the latter was the case.

It seems Nahor and his family did not buy into this huge move from the land of the Chaldeans to Canaan. But Abram and Sarai were ready to go along with the plan or were conscripted. There are decisions that we all make that have life changing consequences. The person we hitch ourselves to can make all the difference in the plan that God has for our future. Terah and Abram felt responsible for Lot and decided to take him along with them.

The vision to go to Canaan was cut short by the attractiveness of Harran. The original plan was not to settle in Harran but there was something about that place that caused Terah, Abram, Lot and Sarai to settle there. Have you felt like settling in a place or with a decision because that is the comfortable thing to do? It seems that at least some of the reasons for going to Canaan were fulfilled at Harran. So humanly speaking, there was no reason to push forward with the original plan.

Is there a ‘Harran’ that is distracting the original vision that the Lord has given you? Settling for anything less than God’s vision should not be an option. It is true that the decision to go to Canaan was not presented as a vision from God to Terah. If it is not of God, then we will labor in vain.

Let us stick to God’s original plan for us.

SAMPLE DAY 2

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." Genesis 12: 1-2

Haran was a good place for Terah and his family to settle. There was no necessity to move and so the vision of reaching Canaan was aborted. We do not know how many years the family spent in Haran but it must have been a considerable amount of time. Now, the Lord intervenes and speaks to Abram: Go from your country your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. The Lord called Abram to abandon the comfortable conditions that he had known since he and his family came to Haran.

Abram was invited to take a step of faith. He was invited to move from the known to the unknown. There comes a time when all of us will have to hear God and do the unthinkable. We will have to move away from the comfort of Haran not necessarily to a more comfortable place, but to a place of God’s choosing. What made this leap of faith from Haran so interesting were the invitation to the unknown and the invitation to a life of trusting God.

Have you ever been invited by God to move beyond your comfort zone? It is never easy to abandon the familiarity of home cooking and the comfort of family and friends. But we may have to do what we believe God is calling us to.

All that Abram had was the word of the Lord. There was no way for Abram to double-check what he was hearing. All he knew was that God had appeared to him. He had no doubts about that. He also did not question the clarity of the words he was hearing. God promised to bless Abram and to bless all those who bless Abram. The options that Abram had were either to obey or to refuse to obey. Sometimes the problem people have is not that they have not heard about the promises of God. Rather, the problem is to believe that God will take care of them no matter what happens.

Trust and obey where the compass is pointing.

DAY 3

⁴ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Genesis 12:4-5

So Abram went as the Lord had told him. That is really a good definition of faith: Going because the Lord has told you. There was no argument, and there was no need to clarify the summons. Why would Abram do such a thing? It was because of what he saw and heard when the Lord appeared to him. What he saw and heard were enough to convince Abram to take the step of faith. That is a definition of faith: knowing enough about God to act upon God’s words. The truth is that we will not know all that we need to know about God to be convinced about what God is saying to us. The real issue is whether we know enough to take God at his word

Abram did know enough about God and decided at the age of seventy-five years to set out from Harran. He was going to a land that God had promised him. He took his wife and his nephew and stepped out in faith. It seemed that Abram and Sarai had accumulated quite a bit of material possession in Harran. They took everything they could on this journey of faith. Can you imagine the discussion on the road as Lot asks: "Where are we going? Are we there yet? Steadily, they walked along and arrived in Canaan.

One of the things that stand out for me is that Abram and his company arrived in Canaan. When God is leading us, we can be sure that we can leave Harran behind and arrive at Canaan. That does not mean that there were no distractions and temptations on the journey. But we are sure to arrive at the destination when God is leading the way.

Where He leads me I will follow! Follow the leading of the Lord to the destination.

Thanks for taking the time to sample the daily compass for living.

Bro. Seth

PS. All scripture quotations are from The New International Version.

JANUARY DAY 1

Peter remembered and said to Jesus, Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered! ²² Have faith in God, Jesus answered. ²³ "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:21 -24

What does it mean to have faith in God today? What is happening in your world today that makes you hear this verse differently? What situation calls for a walk of faith today?

In the context of this passage, something happened which surprised the disciples. What was unexpected became reality in front of their very eyes. A tree responded to the command of Jesus. The withering of the fig tree was ‘a first’ for the disciples.

Jesus spoke to a tree in a casual conversation without any fanfare; the fact that the tree responded to the words of Jesus was beyond human comprehension. Now, the disciples were confronted with a new reality, and that is the words from the mouth of Jesus had power over all living things including trees. Have you come to that realization?

Have faith in God! There is no situation in our world that is beyond the reach of this savior of the world. He is still speaking and making a difference in the lives of people. How do you know that it might not be your turn today to receive the word of faith spoken in your situation? Receive the word of faith today!

JANUARY DAY 2 HEBREWS 1

God has always been speaking to people. That is what the book of Hebrews tells us. We are told that God spoke to people of old in different ways. Some people heard God speak through the Prophets, but others heard God in visions and dreams. But in these last days God has spoken to us through Jesus Christ.

Why is it so important that we should hear God speak? Part of the nature of God is to reveal or disclose things to the created order. We serve the God who is more eager to make things known to us. That is because one cannot have a meaningful relation with another if they do not know each other very well. So God has been making every effort since the beginning of time to reveal what we need to know as humans.

In Jesus Christ we encounter the supreme revelation of God. This a revelation rooted in God’s love for humanity. This type of love speaks louder to all of us because it is sacrificial even unto death. We cannot run away from someone who loves us with an everlasting love. Indeed, God so loved that He gave us His Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

That is how God speaks to us in these last days. But it seems many people are still oblivious to the voice of God. There are many who still say: if I really heard the voice of God then I will believe I wish I could shout from the mountain top and say God has spoken and God is still speaking in the Bible if we will care to listen. The words are simple: I Love You

JANUARY DAY 3

Someone has prayed for you and is praying for you.

No one can be called a solitary Christian, because Christianity involves a whole community. From creation, God affirmed that it was not good for the man to be alone. God makes sure that we all have prayer partners to share fellowship with. Jesus had disciples to walk with him and he prayed for them. Paul did the same as he traveled on his missionary journeys.

In Ephesians 3, Paul indicates his prayer for the church in Ephesus and probably for all the churches. Carefully pay attention to what he prays for. First, he prays for inner strength for the believers. He knew that there were going to be times when they would have to dig deep for the strength which only Christ can give. We all need that inner strength and I pray that God will give you that Holy Spirit strength today.

Then he prays that they may comprehend God’s love. He knew that there will be times when people will feel unloved or think that God has forgotten them. But remember this love is so wide and high and deep. It is the love that will not permit us to go our own way because we have entered into a relationship with Jesus. God is saying to you today: I love you

Thirdly, Paul prays that we may all be filled with the fullness of God. Can you imagine that all the fullness of God? All that God has promised to be yours should be given to you today. Sometimes we are not ready to be filled with all that God has for us. My prayer is that you will be filled with enough manna to carry you through today. That is all that you can gather from God today!

I am praying for you today and I trust you are doing the same for me.

JANUARY DAY 4

What does it mean to be more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus? This does not make us super human beings; neither does it make us better than other people. What our position in Christ does is to make us aware that we have the presence of Christ with us daily. Paul, in this passage is dealing with the reality that faces Christians each day. He is concerned with the forces within and without that are seeking to tear Christians apart from their relationship with Jesus Christ.

These forces may be overt and sometimes subtle but they are real. They may hit us in the form of trials, illness, financial problems, work problems and conflicts. Whatever these forces may be, their goal is to make us shift our relationship with God. Being a conqueror under these circumstances will mean knowing the faithfulness of God. And therefore trusting God no matter what happens.

There is something about this God that we will not fully understand, but there are many things that we can be certain of. I am talking about God’s love for us and God’s presence with us. That is what makes us conquerors. We know that this God who will not spare the sacrifice of his own Son for us, will carry us through any struggle we may have today.

God desires that we be more than conquerors. Thank you Lord for giving us what it takes to be overcomers!

JANUARY DAY 5

We believe and know that you are the Christ

These are the words of one who has abandoned himself on the Lord Jesus. Peter and the other disciples were confronted with a question from Jesus. This question is a soul searching one. Will you also go away? What is it that made Jesus put this question to his disciples?

Jesus was observing some of his disciples abandon him because of the words he was saying and his teaching. I cannot imagine what it will feel like when close friends of Jesus become deserters. Jesus was talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He was claiming to be the bread of life.

People left Jesus because their expectations were not met in the words he was saying. At this point, Jesus was willing to allow the twelve disciples to join those who were leaving. Why was Jesus so confident to the point of risking the departure of the twelve disciples also? Probably Jesus knew something that we all have to learn. The work of the kingdom does not depend on any particular group of people. God will do God’s work even if the twelve disciples decide to leave.

Peter’s answer is one that we can all learn from. Lord to whom shall we go? What Peter is saying here is that he has weighed the alternatives and he cannot find anything comparable to the teaching of Jesus. But more importantly is the next statement that Peter makes. You have the words of eternal life, and we believe and know that you are the Holy one from God. That is a bold and insightful statement.

God’s desire is that we will all come to the point where we can boldly say: We believe and know that you are the Christ That is the place to be and when we are there, we can also ask: Lord, to whom shall we go?

JANUARY DAY 6

I know the plans I have for you

God promised that a time was coming, when God will make a New Covenant with God’s people. God has a plan when it comes to making New Covenants. Jeremiah was well assured that the new covenant was far superior to anything that was known at that time. But how will the people of Jeremiah’s day know and trust that there was something better in store for them?

The same question can be asked today. How can we know that God has better things prepared for us? The people had to place their trust in the word of God. The same thing is true for all of us. When the covenant making God speaks, we will do well to listen. What is God saying in God’s word to us today?

We live in a time when it is easy to ignore the Word that is given to us. But the prophet sees a time when the word will be put in our minds and written on our hearts.

Oh, that the word of God may be put in the minds and hearts of all.

JANUARY DAY 7

Pray, Pray, without ceasing! I have always wondered why Paul will give this admonition. I am sure Paul will concede some bathroom time out and some time for food and probably a lot of time to get some work in. This will of course will include sermon preparation and travel time to prayer meetings.

Yes, I am sure Paul will make allowances for all that, however the emphasis here is an attitude of prayer. We can never say we have prayed enough. There is always room to send some prayers upstairs on behalf of others and when you do not have anyone to pray for, please pray for me and for Christ’s church. Remember, prayer is not just petition, give me! Give me! Praise, thanksgiving and meditation all qualify as prayer. So you see we can pray without ceasing.

Paul specifically says: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. God wants us to learn to say Thank you God in all circumstances. Did he really mean ALL circumstances? I guess so. It means the circumstances that we find ourselves in today, tomorrow and every day. We may not want to say: thank you God but we are told that is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.

Several people have indicated to me that if they truly knew the will of God for their lives they will do it. Well, I have news for you today! The will of God is that we give thanks in all circumstances. So let us begin with our circumstance today. We give thanks for everything that is happening. Even for the ones we do not fully understand.

Give thanks with a grateful heart for the gift of our savior Jesus Christ

Stay blessed.

Bro. Seth

JANUARY DAY 8

Where do we fix our eyes? Where we fix our eyes is very important because it helps to determine our destiny. There are many temporary things and issues that are capturing the attention of many. Very often these issues seem to loom larger than life and we are made to believe that we cannot survive in this world without them. It is not surprising that the broad way has become attractive to those who live and walk by sight.

Paul is suggesting the road that is less traveled to Christians. It is a road on which we fix our eyes on eternal values rather that what is temporary. I know that we are people who believe that a bird in hand is better than a thousand in the bush. That certainly may be true for material things. But when it comes to things of the Spirit this type of logic does not hold. Why not?

It is because in the eternal scheme of things, one is not dealing with instant gratification. Simply put, there is more than meets the eye than what can be seen now. The final chapter of your life is not written yet!

We are not focusing on just flesh and blood. We focus on things that can make a difference by bringing about transformation. Yes, we are concerned with the welfare of generations to come as well as our own destiny. It is for that reason that Christ invites us to walk by faith and not by sight. This is an invitation to live a life that factors into it a relationship with God. Those who believe that the things we see now will soon be gone, make their aim to press towards eternal values.

Let us fix our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is, who was, and who will come again.

JANUARY DAY 9

Today is a day to give thanks. Those who have jobs have to give thanks and those who are challenged in their jobs and in finding jobs should give thanks. Thanksgiving is an attitude. We can always find something to give thanks for. Just look around, see what could have been and what is now and say thank you Lord.

We give thanks to the Lord because we are convinced of the reality of God. Some of us can say where will we be without the Lord? We are aware that life has not been easy, marriage life has not been easy, raising a family has not been easy, and making a living has not been easy. But God has brought us this far by faith.

How have we experienced God’s faithful love? Yes, we may not be at the place where we want to be in our spiritual walk. But one thing we can say is that God has been faithful every step of the way. I went with a group of 28 people to Africa on a mission trip. This was the first trip after our automobile accident in Africa. We were all grateful for the faithfulness of the Lord. All those who were injured in the accident in the previous year went back and carried out God’s mission. Before we left for Africa, several people asked us: why are you going back?

The simple answer is: God is good! God has given us the strength and health to serve others. We can all count on the goodness of God all the time.

JANUARY DAY 10

What does it mean when one says God will deliver? What does it mean when one expects God to be exalted in their body? Most often we understand these to mean that things are going to turn out the way we anticipate. What happens when the cancer does not go away, what happens when the pain is still there, what happens when the prison chains are not removed and there is no miraculous intervention.

Paul turns things around and reminds us that there are many reasons to rejoice in the prayer of the saints and the presence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. In verse 20 of Philippians 1, the author notes that Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death.

In Hebrews 2:14 we are told that: Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death. And free all those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death This is a pivotal scripture that should be lifted up more in our day. The fear of death seems to be crippling many a Christian. We have become tentative in all that we do because we want to live as long as possible. There is nothing wrong with that, but we should have the desire to be in the will of God.

That is what Paul lifts up when he says: for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul had the assurance that going to be with the Lord was far better. However, if there was an unfinished business, then he would rather hang around and accomplish that task.

We are invited to live with the assurance that God has broken the fear of death with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Real victory comes when we affirm that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

JANUARY DAY 11

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. Philippians 1:29

In our youthful culture in which suffering and pain are supposed to be excluded from life, the Christian message is not a popular one. The Christian life is a not only believing, but also suffering proposal. Most of the time what we hear emphasized is the blessings of walking by faith. The other aspect of the Christian life is reserved for the end of the passion week.

The church in Philippi was well aware of the imprisonment of Paul and Silas. They certainly could recall what happened when the apostle had his feet bound by chains. This church can well appreciate the emotions that Paul was going through as he writes to them from another prison cell. I will not be surprised if some were asking why this new faith in Jesus Christ attracts so much hostility?

This church was going through its own internal struggles and individuals were suffering for bearing the name of Christ. These Christians are being encouraged to receive faith and suffering, as gifts that are inevitable. To walk with Christ is to believe in Him and to suffer for Him. The call to Christian discipleship involves taking on the yoke of Christ and learning of Him.

The assurance is that the same presence of God that walks with us as we trust in the Lord Jesus will be with us in whatever struggle that we are going through. Lift up your head and behold the promise of the ages coming to you.

I pray that our hearts will be open to all that God has for us. Not our will but your will be done.

JANUARY DAY 12

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete. Philippians 2:1

Have you received anything from following Christ; if the love of Christ has made any difference in your life then the joy of Paul is complete. The author believed that uniting with Christ has some benefits. It is the basis of salvation. Without a union with Christ one cannot claim salvation as the Christian gospel teaches.

From this relationship with the savior one should expect the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus had reminded his disciples earlier of the mystical union that exits between him and those who come to him. Jesus said it plainly with these words: apart from me you can do nothing. Abiding in Christ is another terminology Jesus used to describe the relationship the tree and the branches.

The choice of words by our Lord and by Paul is deliberate. They are meant to emphasize the permanency of the relationship. Being united with Christ does not give one the option to walk out of the relationship. It is a long-term relationship. To be precise, one can say the union is meant to be eternal. Yes, you and I have been united to Christ. I do not know about you but for me this alone is a reason to shout Hallelujah.

Out of this relationship should come some fruit of the Spirit. One of these fruits is encouragement. We should be encouraged by the fact that we are not alone in our joys and our struggles. God is in us and we are in Christ. Be encouraged today because the battle is the Lord’s.

Also the love of God should comfort us every day. During the days when you are tempted to say not again Remember you are united with the fountain of love. I pray that the comforting Spirit of the Lord will flood your heart today.

May the tenderness and the compassion of the Lord be your portion today. You are a daughter of the King and you are a son of the Lord of Lords.

JANUARY DAY 13

Make my joy complete by agreeing with each other, loving each other, being one in Spirit and purpose Philippians 2:2

What will Christian unity look like? What will it look like if all the people in your church agreed with each other? Oh, let us say most of the people loved each other? That is the ideal that the apostle Paul was pushing the church in Philippi to consider. I like the tenderness in the tone of the request. He says: Make my joy complete by doing these things.

For starters, how do we work on Christian unity? Probably we can start from the things that unite us instead of always emphasizing our differences. Christians have a lot of things in common. That is confirmed each time one travels to another culture and participates in their Christian worship. The centrality of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus can be experienced in word, song, images, paintings, and the preaching of the gospel message. Yes, sometimes one may not fully understand what is being preached or said but we can still make connections that affirm our faith.

We can at least make an effort to love one another because Christ has first loved us. Love is a language all of us can understand and can respond to. It often requires someone to extend the loving hand. It takes the grace of God to extend that hand instead of dwelling on the past and what happened some time ago. It may be your turn today or my turn to break down the dividing wall because of Christ.

Just think about this! If the same Holy Spirit abides in all Christians, then how come we cannot be of one Spirit? It is partly because we have not yielded our human spirits to the full control of the Holy Spirit. God wants to have all of us. When that happens we will be asking ourselves all the time: What will the Spirit have me or us do? Those who are led by the Spirit, they are the children of God.

One Spirit and One purpose is our goal. Lord, do it in us!

JANUARY DAY 14

What do I get from this? What is in it for me? Do we benefit from going to church? These are the questions that we are being conditioned to ask in our modern society. If there is no reward, then the answer is simple! It is not worth it! Selfishness is an enemy to the building of a Christian community everywhere in the world. Whenever the ego or the I takes a prominent place in whatever we do, then we have a problem. When selfish ambition takes over, it seems that people put on blinders and keep forging ahead thinking only about themselves. The attitude of getting to the top at every cost and by any means does not come from Christ.

Christian communities are built on the foundation of Christ. All others become living stones in the structure of the community according to Peter. The lesson we learn from Christ is to count others better than ourselves. In so doing we help to bring out the best in the other. We all need each other; our goal is to build a community of faith in which each person’s gift is valued and appreciated. This attitude is possible when we truly believe that God is in control and God will provide everything that each member of the community needs.

The words of the apostle Paul challenge us to widen our circle of what we call Christian community. The Christian community extends beyond our shores to people in Sudan. So we have brothers and sisters all over the world who may be going through their own struggles. There are some in North Korea who are praying for the day when they can be united with their brothers in other parts of the world. When our world is limited to those around us and who look like us we are not heeding the call to put the self on the back bench and work for the unity of the family of God.

What does it mean to be conceited? This is the mind-set of the person who thinks the world revolves around them. They wish to be the center of everything. But we know that it is not about any of us. It is about Christ and what God is doing in the Christian community.

Let us pray that Christ will be exalted and all of us will decrease.

JANUARY DAY 15

Someone told me the other day that God did not make us to be doormats. I did not fully grasp what this brother was saying. But that is not important because the challenge to me is how to consider others better than myself. That sentence is not in isolation. The full sentence should add the first half of verse 3. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than you. The context sheds light on what it means to count others better than self.

The author is not suggesting that Christians should have low self-esteem. The admonition is a remedy for selfish ambition and vain conceit. When people are full of themselves they fail to appreciate the value of the other person. We are all created in the image of God. And we know that whatever God created was good and God pronounced it so. This means that each time we consider another person to be better than ourselves we are affirming the goodness of God’s creation. Hopefully, the other person can also affirm the image of God in us. This type of mutual benediction is what builds a strong Christian community.

When we have a right attitude towards ourselves we become liberated to see what the Lord is doing in another person. Moreover, Christ’s love constrains us to serve one another. We are always free to insist on our rights but that will not be the example that was set for us by our Lord. In Romans 12:10 we are told: Be devoted to one another in love, Honor one another above yourselves. There is no doubt that what is being asked of Christians in these passages is not the normal human love. It takes a mind renewed by the Holy Spirit to be able to love this way.

Thanks to God who is transforming each one of us into the image of Christ. Christ understood humility in a way that none of us will be experience. Just imagine the glory that was laid down by Christ so that he can be one of us, and by so doing save us from the power of death.

O Lord, grant us the mind of Christ!

JANUARY DAY 16

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, Philippians 2:6

You also have rights! You deserve better! Assert yourself and get what is rightfully yours! Yes, yes, yes, but sometimes we may choose to walk on the road which is less traveled. We do that not because we do not have other options. We do what we do because we want to have the attitude of Christ. Christ cannot be described as a loser the way we are looked at by some people in the world. That was a question somebody posed to me one day. He asked me: why do you hang around with these losers? In this person’s mind, I seemed like a good person and I could do better than hanging around these Christians.

Just think about this! Someone who was in the very nature God, decided to give up everything for my sake and the sake of all the sinners in the world. Jesus did not insist on his rights in heaven and he did not do that on earth either. He decided to go the way of the cross. That is what we call the attitude of Christ. It is the attitude that is willing to do anything for the salvation of one sinner. This is the attitude that did not insist on his rights as God in the flesh.

It is the attitude of obedience, Obedience to the Father and to God’s plan for the whole of humanity. The willingness to subject our own comfort for the greater good of others is a revolutionary message. Often people will say many people are doing it and even some Christians are walking the broad road. The attitude of Christ has never been a popular way to go and it will never be. The attitude of Christ delays instant gratification so that the will of God will be done.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

JANUARY DAY 17

Each time one reads a scripture passage that begins with therefore, it is important to stop and read what comes before the verse. In this particular case what we are paying attention to is He humbled himself and became obedient to death Humility and obedience are a powerful combination all the time. Christ set the example for all of us by living out that combination.

We are told that He humbled himself to death on the cross. Christ in his humility suffered the unthinkable. But thanks be to God that there is more to the story. I am grateful that the story did not end there. God begins when the human mind has come to its end. God’s work starts when human possibilities are exhausted. Therefore God exalted Jesus and God will exalt all who follow the example of Jesus. Yes, the combination of humility and obedience to God works for all people in all places and all the time.

In the case of Jesus, He was exalted to the highest place. I often remind people the position of savior is already taken. Thanks to God! Jesus was lifted to place that was rightfully his in the first place. God will also exalt all who follow in the steps of Jesus to their rightful places.

Jesus was also given a name that is above every name. It is the only name that has been given to Christians as the way to salvation. There may be names that are revered in many cultures and societies. But the Bible does not make apologies when it talks about the name of Jesus as the name above all names. We are told that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. That is an interesting statement because the Bible insists that we are to bow only to God. For Christians who accept the deity of Christ, the statement does not present any problems.

The one who humbled himself and became obedient is the one to whom we bow.

JANUARY DAY 18

Peterson’s translation of this passage Phil. 2 12 reads: keep on doing what you have been doing from the beginning. It emphasizes the confidence the author has in the church at Philippi. There are many people I will shudder to encourage to keep doing what they are doing now. I am aware that for many the charge will rather be keep adjusting your bearings in Christ as you go along. Probably Paul is saying something similar based on his knowledge of the house church in this city.

Paul was with this Church right from the beginning. He was there at the conversion of Lydia and her household and also the conversion of the Philippian jailor and his household. Paul knew that these Christians have had a solid foundation. He remembers the solid instruction in the Christian faith that he provided at the inception of the Church. He wants them to continue doing what they did when they were initiated into the Christian faith. The foundation of Christ is the best that can be laid anywhere in