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.
One definition of integrity focuses on who you are when others are not looking. Part of what this passage invites us to consider is also why we are doing what we are doing. Do we have a sense of why we are doing what we are doing that will guide us and ground us even if no one else is watching, or no one else sees, or we don’t even know the impact?
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.