Holy Rambo

 Philippians 3:1-11 I love dogs. We had some when I was little. I have one now. They were calm, friendly, happy animals. My current dog, Mister Boots, is a mostly-blind Shih Poo who doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. For thirteen years, though, I owned a Jack Russel Terrier who, while mostly wonderful, had a habit of turning on me unanticipatedly and biting me. I have the scars to prove it. I find it interesting that Paul begins this section of Philippians with the warning…” Beware of the dogs., beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision…” (Phil 3:2 NASB) The Daily Devotional Guide goes into some detail about Paul’s use of a dog to describe those people who are false and dangerous. They weren’t seen as beloved pets and family members. They were curs who ate garbage and harassed people. And, what made these people that way? They trusted in their own accomplishments. Their confidence before God was in the things they had done and the kind of people they ha...

Monday, June 28, 2021 Philippians 1-2 Okay, neighbors, I know two whole chapters sounds like a lot to read in a day, but I read at a conversational pace, and this took me a little less than seven minutes. There can be a lot to unpack in these two chapters, but it is worth taking the time to do a quick read-through, then go back and meditate on the ideas that the Holy Spirit speaks to you about. For those following the Gospel Project Daily Study, we’re on page 43, and there is a pretty good setup of quick ideas to ponder but let me add a few observations of my own. Some of Christians’ favorite passages come from these two chapters, but we tend to consider them out of a promise box, or a short devotional. Take the time to understand the context. Paul is writing from prison. While his tone seems to indicate hope that he may be released from prison, I don’t think he really expects to. This especially hits me when in 1:18b-20, Paul writes:  “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that thro...