STAND!

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

One of the many wonderful things about our God is that He always finishes what HE starts. We know that this is something we should do, and some may try, but it is not something that we always do. But the Bible says that "he will." Not he might, not he’ll try, not when he gets around to it, but HE WILL. I love that! You cannot always depend upon the promises of people but you can always be sure that whatever God promises HE WILL DO! And, as his children, he has wants us to finish what we start too. In this first chapter of Philippians, Paul is encouraging the saints at Philippi to faithfully continue on in their work for Christ. As part of his encouragement he shares how joy has triumphed over suffering in his own life. Also, he tells them that he wants to come and see them personally, to tell them these things, but encourages them to faithfully carry on, even if he does not.

Philippians 1:27-28 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."

• STAND FAITHFUL Keep serving. Be a constant & consistent example to others.
• STAND FAST Keep strong in Christ. Stay close with your church brethren/family (fellow soldiers).
• STAND FIRM Keep steady in your testimony. Do not waver!
• STAND FEARLESS Keep soul-winning. Fight for the cause of Christ & win souls to him!
• STAND FIXED Keep settled and stable in the Word of God.

These are not traits that you are born with. These are traits that you have to set your mind upon and determine that you will not waver. And, you must trust the Lord to see you through no matter what. The trouble with most of us is that when the first breezes of a storm start to blow, we run. Some never stop running. Let me encourage you if I can. I am not a young girl, nor am I an elderly woman, but I have been through some storms in my lifetime. Some caught me off guard, while others I steered myself right into. There were times when I wondered where God was, but he was there. There were times when I thought I was all alone, but he was there. There were times when I thought I couldn’t take another step, and he was there. As I look back at these storms and see the damage that some of them did, I am ever so grateful to my Saviour for having been my constant stay. I cannot fathom where I would be today, were it not for the Lord. The wonderful news for you is, He wants to do that for all his children! God paid the ultimate price for us. How hard can it be to just stand? This brings to my mind the words of a song that has been a great encouragement to me..... "Stand, when you can’t go any farther, you just stand. For he knows your joy and sorrow and he’s the one who holds tomorrow, and he has you safely in his wondrous plan.......When all your strength is gone and you feel you can’t go on, he says, ‘you don’t have to walk, just stand’."