Free “Apps”

I have the privilege—if you want to call it that—of being married to a “techy.” Yes, my husband loves his tech toys. After months of pestering me about how I needed my own iPhone, he handed me his “less-new” phone when he upgraded to a newer model. I fought it tooth and nail, but I can say today that I love my iPhone. Applications, or “apps” as they are called, that I thought I would never have use for, are now apart of my everyday life. I wonder now what I would ever do without my beloved phone.

The same holds true for my Bible. Even though one of the apps on my iPhone is the Bible, nothing beats my navy, leather bound, gold-engraved, marked up, Bible that I have had for years. And let me tell you the “apps” in this book are just as amazing. One of my favorite books in the Bible is Philippians. The four short chapters are packed with nuggets of truth for everyday living. I hope you will join us the rest of this year as we journey through Philippians and unpack some amazing truths that will apply to our everyday lives.

Philippians is one of many books in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul. Paul and his companions established the church in Philippi on his second missionary journey, which is recorded in Acts 16. This letter to the church in Philippi is believed to have been written in 61 A.D. At this point in Paul’s life he is imprisoned in Rome for spreading the gospel message to the Gentiles.

Let me stop right here. He is in prison. Please keep this in mind as you read through the book of Philippians. I’m often in awe when I read Paul’s words about joy, unity, Christian living, and humility, and the circumstances in which he is writing—imprisonment.

Paul begins his letter like this: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

There are times in my life when I feel shackled to my circumstances. I feel in bondage to the past, but here is a man who is physically in prison and writing a letter of thanksgiving to his friends in Philippi. Not only that, he tells them he is praying for them with joy. Say what?

I can honestly say that thanksgiving and joy are the furthest things from my mind when I face difficult times. But what if they weren’t? What if I focused less on me and more on God and others? What would that even look like? What if I held onto the confidence that Paul talks about and truly believed that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion?

How’s that for a free app?