13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done with love.
And, beginning in verse 15, he calls attention to people who were faithful to the cause of Christ.
15 I urge you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints--
16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.
17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied.
15 I urge you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints--
16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.
17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied.
That's pretty impressive that you have these individuals who were faithful to God and faithful to the ministry of Paul, enabling his message to go forward. And, they were recognized; their names engraved in Biblical history. In the strength of the Lord, we can ensure that that ministry of Christ goes forth - we can be empowered by Him to do His work, so that the gospel might be communicated. We can strive, according to His mighty power, to see God use us.
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Paul was teaching on strength in adversity in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 and wrote this:
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
So, if you are a man, when you empty your pockets at night, where do you put the stuff that you carry in there - you know, like your wallet, keys, loose change? What do you do with your cell phone at night?
Well, actor Chris Pratt has an idea inspired by his brother. ChristianHeadlines.com has the story centered around an Instagram post from the actor, who will be starring in Guardians of the Galaxy II later this year - looking forward to that one, by the way! In the post, Pratt writes:
The Christian Headlines piece references a Relevant Magazine web story, in which Pratt is quoted as saying that the tray is “my favorite thing I have.” The tray, according to the article, "shows the image of Christ along with the Bible verse Philippians 4:13." That verse, as engraved on the tray, says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
So, what can we take away from this simple post?
Philippians 4:13 is quite a popular and meaningful verse. Last year, it was the #3 most popular on the site, Bible Gateway. It's in the top 5 at BibleStudyTools.com. And, it does us well to think about the strength of the Lord being made available to us. I think of 2nd Corinthians 12, as well, which says that when we are weak, He is strong. I do believe that in order to experience His strength, we have to humble come before God, acknowledge our need, and allow that strength to flow in to our lives by the Holy Spirit.
Now, I would definitely not describe Cully Pratt as an exclusively religious artist, but this one tray can help us to think about the use of our artistic expression for the glory of God - we can ask ourselves, "does our work product communicate the presence of Christ?" Sure, that might be physical, but it could also speak about our overall work product and approach to our work. We can be challenged to do all things to the glory of God and remember that what we do - whether it's in our vocation or our volunteering the church - is to be done for Him. We do what we do through Him who gives us strength.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
So, if you are a man, when you empty your pockets at night, where do you put the stuff that you carry in there - you know, like your wallet, keys, loose change? What do you do with your cell phone at night?
Well, actor Chris Pratt has an idea inspired by his brother. ChristianHeadlines.com has the story centered around an Instagram post from the actor, who will be starring in Guardians of the Galaxy II later this year - looking forward to that one, by the way! In the post, Pratt writes:
So my brother, @cullypratt makes these awesome pocket dump trays. We all need a place to throw our wallets, keys, cell-phones, lighters, pistols or whatever else we keep in your pocket so you know exactly where it is the next day. Well he wanted to make me one and asked me what I wanted on it.”He had particular idea, but came up with something more, well, spiritual...he says:
“But then I thought a lot about being homesick. I'd like having a touchstone that I could take with me as I travel on the road for work … So I though [sic] about this great bible verse Philippians 4:13 which I've relied on for strength from time to time. And he knocks this thing out in like a day!! Reclaimed wood and a wood burner. All by hand … He's a unique individual and my best friend.”Now, if you click on the post, you'll see some objectionable language; Chris is certainly not perfect, and I'm definitely not supportive of his role in his last big movie release. But, you've got to admit, when he speaks of God, he gets attention. After all, he has over 9-1/2 million followers on Instagram, and the tray post has garnered over 283,000 likes!
The Christian Headlines piece references a Relevant Magazine web story, in which Pratt is quoted as saying that the tray is “my favorite thing I have.” The tray, according to the article, "shows the image of Christ along with the Bible verse Philippians 4:13." That verse, as engraved on the tray, says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
So, what can we take away from this simple post?
Philippians 4:13 is quite a popular and meaningful verse. Last year, it was the #3 most popular on the site, Bible Gateway. It's in the top 5 at BibleStudyTools.com. And, it does us well to think about the strength of the Lord being made available to us. I think of 2nd Corinthians 12, as well, which says that when we are weak, He is strong. I do believe that in order to experience His strength, we have to humble come before God, acknowledge our need, and allow that strength to flow in to our lives by the Holy Spirit.
Now, I would definitely not describe Cully Pratt as an exclusively religious artist, but this one tray can help us to think about the use of our artistic expression for the glory of God - we can ask ourselves, "does our work product communicate the presence of Christ?" Sure, that might be physical, but it could also speak about our overall work product and approach to our work. We can be challenged to do all things to the glory of God and remember that what we do - whether it's in our vocation or our volunteering the church - is to be done for Him. We do what we do through Him who gives us strength.
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