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Daily Devotion: Philippians 4:1

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Philippians 4:1   "Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved."

It is very apparent that Paul loved these people. He wanted them to be blessed to the highest as they lived each day. He also realized, through his own experience, that there is only one way to achieve that height. When he spoke of himself, he used the word "attain."  He wrote in chapter 3:12, " Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after..."

He was striving to arrive at the point of perfection, or maturity, in Christ. He also realized there is only one way to come to the place of maturity and that was to "stand fast (strong) in the Lord.  He wrote to the Ephesians along this same line, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10)

We all have times when we are not as strong in our spiritual walk as we want to be.  Standing strong in the Lord does not mean that we always do the right thing or make the right choices. We all fall short on occasions. But being strong in the Lord also provides grace for us to be able to get back up when we fall. Being strong in the Lord means we understand He forgives us when we turn back to Him. Being strong in the Lord means we are able to overcome that weak moment and try again to live lives that are pleasing to Him.

Yes, Paul loved the Philippians and wanted the very best for them.  He commended them to the power of Jesus Christ to be more than conquerors in this struggle, called life. Let us lean on Him for all that we need each day. 

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