Ep. 34 | Making our Life Count | Philippians

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Phillippians 3:17-21. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

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Welcome to Formed by the Word, a podcast where we don't just read the Bible, we invite it to shape our lives. In each episode, Pastor Eddie Blaylock will provide daily devotionals seeking to connect real scripture to real life. We'll be starting with the book of Philippians. This incredible letter clearly reveals how life in Christ shapes a resilient faith and a joy that is not dependent on circumstances. So wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, and let's be formed by the word together.

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Have you ever walked through a cemetery and noticed something? Every tombstone has two dates the day someone was born and the day they died. And in between those two dates, there's a little dash, just a small line, no details, no explanation, no list of accomplishments, just a dash. Now here's the strange part. That dash represents every conversation, every decision, every relationship, every success and every failure that that person had, every moment of their entire life all reduced to one tiny line. I mean, think about it. Most of us are out here stressing over email replies, fantasy football lineups, and whether someone liked our most recent post. And one day it's all going to be summarized by a simple dash. Linda Ellis wrote a now famous poem to that end, and she said the real question isn't how long I will live. The real question is, what will I do with my dash? Will it be busy but not meaningful? What will I do with my dash? So how do I make my life count? That's the question I want to ask today. It's never too early, it's never too late to ask yourself that question. In fact, Paul addresses this question in the next section of Philippians, and he tells his friends in Philippi that while they're living in a rough and real world, living for Christ means marching in step with his drumbeat. It means making my life count for something. Let me read to you in Ephesians chapter three, beginning with verse 17. We read these words. He says, Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their God is their appetite. They brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Ah, what great words that remind us of how to make our lives count. In fact, I think Paul mentions several things here that are important for us. Four tips to make our life count. First of all, he says in verse 17, that first verse, that we need good examples to follow. If our lives are going to count, it will be helpful to have good examples to follow. Dear brothers and sisters, he said, pattern your lives after mine. Follow our example. I want to encourage you to think about that a little bit. Whose example can you follow? Find someone, choose your mentors, but choose them slowly. Study their private lives carefully and spend time with them regularly. Because having a good mentor is helpful to improving my dash. The second thing he hints at is that we must be willing to live counter to a cultural life that might be expected. He says, verse 18, for I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows that they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Wow. So he reminds his friends that they're living among people who are enemies of the cross. We have to be careful because we're in a culture that does not welcome Christ, a culture that does not welcome or focus on purity and holiness. And Paul reminds his friends of that fact. And he's firm, but he's not judgmental in telling them that you need to beware of this culture you live in and be willing to live a countercultural life. And then he describes, not judgmentally, but he gives one of the most pointed descriptions of a person who's lost in verse 19. He says this about them. He says they're headed for destruction. Their God is their appetite. They brag about shameful things. They think only about this life here on earth. Well, that describes a lot of people you and I know, doesn't it? That one verse and those four little descriptions there are probably worthy of a podcast of their own, but I want to move on for right now because understanding our culture is necessary for making our lives count, but only if we're willing to invest in the lives of those who are enemies of the cross with no expectation of an earthly return. Oh, that's hard. So the third thing we see is Paul says if our lives are going to count, we must understand that we belong to those who are bound for heaven. Verses 20 and 21. He says, our citizenship is in heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. Paul thought it important to remind his readers that they had to maintain a healthy perspective of the days on this earth. He says, We're citizens of heaven, thus we are aliens on this earth, really only passing through this world. Therefore, we should be aware of any investments that we make here. Jesus said we would do well to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Why? Because that's our eternal destination. That's where we are headed. That is our homeland. And number four, he says, if our lives are going to count, we must stand firm, but not stand still. That's in chapter four, verse one. He says, So then, my dearly beloved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and my crown. In this manner, he says, stand firm in the Lord. Stand firm, but don't stand still. Keep growing, keep moving. In his book, The Root of Righteousness, A. W. Tozier talks about why it's difficult to stand firm in this world and make our lives count. Truthfully, standing firm and growing looks so counterintuitive to us. And I think Tozer nailed it. Here's what he wrote. He said a real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for the one whom he has never seen. He talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of someone else, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, and richest when he is poorer, and happiest when he feels worse. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, and gives away so he can keep. He sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge. Wow, what an incredibly unique and good description of our lives following Christ. And so the conclusion is easy. Stand firm in your faith and keep growing. Let me leave you with a couple of practical applications here. So how can I apply this? How can I make this real in my life? Couple of suggestions. One, consider, pray about finding a mentor and never stop learning. Never stop learning, never stop reading, keep growing, stand firm in your faith, but don't stand still. Number two, understand your culture. Don't be afraid to live counter to that culture. Don't be afraid to take a stand for something that our culture goes against. Number three, don't get too attached to this world. That is so easy to say and so difficult to do. But we're just aliens, Paul says. Our citizenship is in heaven. Don't get too attached to this world. Four, I've said it already. Stand firm, but don't stand still. Don't stop growing. I think it's important that we understand the impact of what that's all about. Our takeaway today is simple. Make your life count in ways that outlive your life here. Boy, that's a thought worth reciting. Make your life count in ways that outlive your life here. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for the day and for the good day you've given to us today. Lord, I pray that you would impress upon us ways to make our lives count. Remind us often of our dash and how we are feeling what we are writing about that dash. Lord, bless this day in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.