Bible Verse of the Day Thursday October 5th, 2023

Philippians 1:15-18 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

All in Phillippi were teaching Christ Jesus; it was their motives that Paul had an issue with. Envy and rivalry are not a good motive to base your teaching about Christ Jesus upon. The message could be gratifying, however, the position of the hearts of the teachers was not in line with the true gospel of Christ Jesus. Envy is the emotion that leads to jealousy and resentfulness of the success of other people that we encounter in our daily walk with Christ. If we are truly walking in the paths laid out by our Savior, we will always be supportive of and rejoice in our fellow messengers as we all present the gospel of Christ Jesus to a lost, dark, and dying world. Immaturity will always have people comparing their accomplishments with others in a manner that attempts to belittle the other person and make oneself seem superior. Motivation is crucial because if false motivation drives us, it disfigures our maturity. Small minds will always attempt to make themselves seem fine, and the other person appears small and insufficient. On the flip side of the coin, love for Jesus has its source in seeing things from a Godly point of view.

However, the Apostle Paul was not so much concerned about methods or means when it came to telling the world about the saving grace of Christ Jesus. Paul was not concerned with motives as long as people spread the message of Christ's saving grace to the ends of the earth. Sometimes, God will allow people to use wrong reasons to advance his message of salvation by grace through faith. Some in Philippi attempted to use Christ Jesus as a cover for their lust for power and material things. This practice is still alive and well today in what is known as the "Prosperity Gospel."

God has a way to turn cursing into blessings; the ones that were out to belittle Paul did so out of jealousy for his excellent mission success. Their object was to compete with him, to diminish him and his missionary journeys; however, God turned that feeble attempt into a great blessing in the life and mission of the Apostle Paul. These so-called competitors of Paul were delighted that the Romans had incarcerated Paul because they falsely believed it gave them a competitive edge in what they deceitfully thought was some contest to see who could lead the most people to Christ.

Moreover, as Paul said in the 18th verse of this scripture: 

18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice.