You Are My Sunshine

Philippians 1:3-11

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Was it the unexpected loss of a loved one? The loss of your job or maybe even your career? The breakup of a relationship? For me, it was our first child who was still born.

We were young and excited to become parents. In preparation, we wallpapered the nursery; refinished the high chair that I had used as a baby; my wife’s sister gave us the crib her son had used; and we got lots of gifts at a baby shower. One of the gifts was from my Mom. It was a little stuffed wind-up sun that when you wound it up it played, “You Are My Sunshine”.

That night my wife stayed in the hospital and I came home to an empty house. It wasn’t a house filled with the joy of a newborn, but a house filled with emptiness. The high chair was in the kitchen never to hold our daughter. The nursery would never hear her cry or see her sleep. She would never hear “You Are My Sunshine”.

Paul knew what it was like to experience loss. In fact, he wrote to the Philippians while in prison; so he had lost his freedom to come and go as he pleased. One of the ramifications of that is he lost relationships because he couldn’t travel freely.

 Paul also wrote about being a “slave to Christ” which means that he willingly gave up

certain rights and relationships that he might have enjoyed otherwise. For instance, he might have gotten married had he not been so driven in his commitment of following Christ. All this to say that Paul knew the pain of loss.

Most of us will never experience the pain and suffering that Paul did due to persecution. But in this world you either already have experienced loss, pain and suffering, or you will at some time. When that happens Paul’s words to the Philippian believers should encourage you.

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.    NLT

 It is Paul’s concern, goal and prayer for the Philippian church, as well as for you and me, that God’s good work is completed in us; that we keep our focus on our Lord. Maybe the writer of Hebrews said it best.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.           Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV

It’s All Just Stuff, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31

My husband, son, and I are moving this week. Friday we are loading up the car and starting a cross country drive from California to Wisconsin. There are many things I am looking forward to, but one of them is our new home.

For the past two years we have been renting and so we haven’t done anything special knowing our residence was temporary. Although I understand material things are not important, I am looking forward to painting the walls, and unpacking every box we have.

Our passage tells us to deal sparingly with the things of this world. The Common English Bible says, “Those who use the world should be like people who aren’t preoccupied with it, because this world in its present form is passing away.” The word preoccupied here, means, not to be engrossed in this world, rather we need to occupy our time and resources on our eternal dwelling.

Although I am looking forward to putting roots down in my new home, I am reminded that Heaven will be the place I spend eternity so I can’t get distracted from God’s call to serve him by serving others.

Watching the news lately makes me think today’s passage is truer than ever. There is so much unrest between not only countries, but there is physical unrest with our earth. The earthquake in Japan followed by a Tsunami certainly makes me see how fragile and short life is. It also reminds me that there is a world out there that still needs to know Jesus.

Read today’s passage at Biblegatway.com 1 Corinthians 7:25-31