Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi to examine his life and his teachings and to put that all into practice in their own lives. He preached and lived the truth of the gospel, wanting every believer to grow up in their faith.

Sadly, today there are leaders within our faith who are not what they seem and even though they proclaim this challenge the same as Paul, they are not worthy of emulating. We must be careful. That’s not what we’re learning here today.

We can also examine Paul’s life and teachings. We can put all those into practice, knowing that we will grow and mature in our faith, and we will become bold ambassadors for Jesus. We will place ourselves squarely in God’s peace.

The question is often asked now, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Believers should ask, “What would you do if you knew you had God’s favor and peace by doing it?”

• We would travel through dangerous situations without fear.
• We would engage everyone from the homeless on the streets to the highest leaders in a mansion with the gospel of Jesus, expecting them to come to a saving knowledge of Him.
• We would go where God directs, no matter our concerns.
• We would know the culture to which we speak so we could use every relevant song, poem, or incident to grab the attention of those listening.
• We would rise from our stonings – more verbal than physical these days – and go back to those who threw the rocks to gather them into the Kingdom.

In short, we would live with God’s plan at the forefront of every ounce of our lives, knowing that God’s peace supersedes any high, any benefit found in anything else.

What is God calling you to today? Do you need to pick up the phone? Go make a visit? Write a letter? Do you need to study and practice how to speak? Are you supposed to learn about a culture your heart is pulled to? Is today the day to turn off the usual and get started putting God’s plan first?

Coffee, Bible, Journal.