In the second half of Philippians 1, Paul gives a brief update about his own life. He is in prison for sharing Jesus with non-Jewish people, and it is possible his punishment might be death. Yet he quickly pivots to another update: he is sharing Jesus with his guards, and those around him. Paul leans into this idea, that we get to follow Jesus. And that whatever life throws at us, we have the opportunity to live for Jesus.
By Josh Zylstra, Guest Speaker Weekly Next Steps Watch Online
In a world that can feel me centric, scripture reminds us in several ways and places that it isn’t about us. That while we are a key part of the story of scripture, central to all that is God. This Psalm reminds us of the core that our story is grounded first and foremost in God. That as we move God back to the center of the story, this allows the other pieces of our lives to move back into perspective.
Friendship is hard. And yet for most of us, we want, wish, and hang onto good friends who know us well and walk with us in hard times. Sometimes what can make friendship hard is knowing what to say, what to do, and how to support each other when life gets hard. Job 2 gives us a picture of friends who realize that part of being a good friend can be found in showing up, and being present.