Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Just two days ago we had Paul telling us to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received,” (Ephesians 4:1) and here he is telling us to live worthy of the Gospel. That seems like a lot of pressure! The thing is, in our own strength and righteousness, none of us are worthy of any of that! We trip up in countless ways, but that is why God’s grace is grace: we don’t deserve it, but God loves and supports us anyway. In terms of the two passages, I would say that they are just two ways of saying the same thing, because a life worthy of the calling we have received is worthy of the Gospel, and vice versa. Either way, it’s a matter of maintaining focus on Christ and living consistently with that focus. That’s why the devil works so hard to distract us, and why trials can sometimes be a huge blessing. People under active persecution often have a much purer and stronger faith than those in nominally Christian societies. As has been said, there’s nothing like impending execution to sharpen our focus! As this chapter makes clear, Paul wrote this letter while he was under the threat of execution. Most scholars think he lived for some time after this, and may even have been released from prison for a while, but 2 Timothy was clearly written shortly before he actually was executed. He followed his own advice, which is why he was able to write, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) With such an example, and of course, that of Jesus before him, we too should fix our eyes on the goal and give it our all, just as Paul wrote later in this same letter. (Philippians 3:13-14)

And this naturally applies to me! At 75 I am much closer to the finish line than I have been in earlier periods of my life, so this is certainly no time to slack off. Retiring from secular teaching, I will have much more “discretionary time” than I have had previously – so I must use discretion in the use of my time! Since I will have fewer scheduled events, I will need to be all the more sensitive to the Lord’s appointments. Just yesterday I had an unexpected call to translate an important legal document. I don’t necessarily enjoy that, because I’m not exactly turned on by legalese, but it’s something I could do, and the Lord enabled me to do it, in fairly short order. I was scheduled to give a final examination to my nursing students today, but ¼ of the class has come down with COVID, so the exam is postponed and I have another clear day in my schedule. That calls for consciously seeking how the Lord would have me spend each moment, and that’s a good thing. I know from experience that, left entirely to myself, my life is not particularly worthy of the Gospel, of the calling that God has given me, so I need to be fully intentional in seeking and following Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s certainly timely! Thank You for reminding me that I need to draw up the January Scripture reading list today, and I need to get more ink to print Christmas cards that church members have requested. Help me flow on Your schedule without being anxious, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!