Devotions (Triptych) #2

MON, 7th September

Philippians 2:12-18

Questions

1. According to this passage, what should the Philippians continue to do? How were they instructed to go about it, and why?
2. In verse 14, Paul urged the Philippians to do everything without complaining or arguing, so that they might become blameless and pure as children of God. In your own experience, has it been easy for you to hang on to God’s teaching during struggles without complaining? Please share with your life group.

Prayer Suggestions

1. Pray for God to continue strengthening us in our faith, that when faced with opposition, we would not be discouraged, but to hang on to his truths.
2. Repent of our tendency to complain and grumble.
3. Pray for a friend or a family member who, to your knowledge, might be encountering struggles in his or her walk with God.

TUE, 8th September

Philippians 2:19-24

Questions

1. Who was Timothy? What was his relationship with Paul? (Read this page to learn more about Timothy — “Timothy: 64 Biblical Facts and Lessons from the Life of a Disciple”.)
2. What was the purpose of Paul sending Timothy to the Philippians?
3. Why did Paul think so favourably of Timothy? List out the reasons.
4. Verse 20 reveals that Timothy took a genuine interest in the welfare of the Philippians. How can we learn to be selfless, to show true concern for other people’s welfare?

Prayer Suggestions

1. Pray for the people in our community to have Timothy’s virtue of genuine interest in others: to not be caught up with our own issues, but to care for and love one another.
2. Ask God to show you how you may grow through learning about Timothy’s life.

WED, 9th September

Philippians 2:25-30

Questions

1. Who was Epaphroditus? What can we learn about him from this passage? (Please refer to “Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible?” for more information.)
2. Looking at Timothy and Epaphroditus, what similar characteristics did they share in terms of doing God’s work? Reflecting on your own life, do you think you encompass these characteristics when doing God’s work? Why or why not?

Prayer Suggestions

1. Pray for the persecuted Christians around the world to not lose faith and hope in Christ. May they keep praising and honouring him, standing firm amid opposition.
2. Pray for the leaders of our church to have a heart like Timothy and Epaphroditus when ministering to God’s people. Pray for your life group leader and ministry team leader.
3. Do you know of any gospel worker or missionary who is in need? Pray that God would provide for them, and ask him to use you to attend to some of those needs.

THU, 10th September

Philippians 3:1-11

Questions

1. What characteristics of a true follower of Christ are mentioned in verses 1-3? Do you think these are true of you?
2. What do you think Paul was trying to say in verses 4-6 about putting confidence in the flesh? Why do you think he mentioned these to the Philippians?
3. From this passage, what should we solely rely on to be accepted into God’s kingdom?
4. Paul demonstrated an intense desire of wanting to know Christ and he considered everything else a loss compared to that. Do you think you share the same desire as him? Why or why not?

Prayer Suggestions

1. Ask God to increase your desire for him, that he would take priority in your life.
2. Pray for your confidence to be deeply rooted in Christ through faith and not in the flesh. Boldly ask for an increase in your desire to be a true follower of Christ.
3. Pray for someone who might be struggling in their walk with God. Pray that they would rest assure in him through faith and not on their achievements.

FRI, 11th September

Philippians 3:12-17

Questions

1. What were the goals that Paul was trying to attain as written in verses 7-11? How did he plan to achieve these particular goals?
2. What do you think is the prize mentioned in verse 14? Do you share the same desire as Paul in winning it? Are there other things in your life that are more important than this?
3. What were two things that Paul advised the Philippians to do if they were ever distracted by other thoughts or concerns?

Prayer Suggestions

1. Pray for perseverance to run the race for God, toward the eternal reward of being in his kingdom, standing justified before him on the last day because of our identity in Christ.
2. Pray that God would reveal himself to us, teaching us to put him as the priority whenever we get distracted by other things in life.
3. Mission Friday: pray for the missionaries around the world to persevere and fix their eyes on the eternal reward of being with God in times of persecution.

SAT, 12th September

Reflections on Biblical Partnership

The Philippian church, Timothy, and Epaphroditus were all partnering with Paul in different ways. How did each of them partner with Paul in his gospel ministry?

To learn more about how the Philippians partnered with Paul, look up these following verses:

• Philippians 1:19
• Philippians 2:25
• Philippians 4:15-16

And then check out this blog post that expands on this topic (mentioning the verses above): “Partners in Mission: The Example of the Philippian Church and the Apostle Paul”.

Questions

1. What did you learn about gospel partnership today?
2. How have you partnered with others in God’s mission?
3. What else can you do to partner with God to reach and save the lost?

SUN, 13th September

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