“Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence…”
Pay attention to your reactions.
Your reactions…that is, how you respond to certain situations…reveal sin and spiritual immaturity that otherwise would remain hidden in your heart.
I know this from personal experience.
I’m not proud of some of my reactions lately. They were out of character and not the way I normally behave. I asked myself, “Why in the world did I just react like that? That’s not me.”
But it is me.
My reaction(s) revealed my true character…or lack thereof.
Someone told me long ago that “When we’re squeezed by stress, what’s on the inside comes out.”
Candidly, what often comes out of me in stressful situations isn’t pretty. I lose my temper. I get anxious. Hold a grudge. Worry. Become irritable.
Honestly, does that sound like someone who professes Jesus as his Lord?
I can react this way in all kinds of situations, whether it’s something big like mounting deadlines at work or financial pressure at home. Or even something relatively minor, like an unexpected dead car battery.
It’s tempting to say, “Well, I’m only human…”
But stress isn’t an excuse to react any way I feel like.
Unpleasant circumstances never justify a poor reaction.
The truth is, at all times, I’m called to act and react in a “manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).
Notice what Paul says about our reactions in today’s verse.
He challenges the Philippians that “whatever happens,” they are to conduct themselves like “citizens of heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
While this sounds pretty straightforward, the key issue is how they’ll react if they never see Paul again. How will they respond when they’re no longer under his supervision? Let’s face it. Without accountability, human behavior tends to deteriorate over time.
So, the Philippians face a crossroads.
They have to make a choice.
Will they continue to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, or will they gradually drift back into their old lifestyle?
But make no mistake. How they choose to react is a direct reflection of their relationships with Jesus.
And the same goes for you and me.
You see, our reactions are an indicator of who’s really in charge of our minds and hearts. When we face a stressful situation, there’s a momentary, internal wrestling match between how we want to react in our flesh versus how we should react according to His Spirit living within us.
But remember: We get to decide who’s going to win. We get to choose whether or not we’ll react in “a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).
Lysa Terkeurst puts it like this, “Our everyday reactions testify to the kind of relationship we have with Jesus and the kind of effect He has on our hearts.”
While it might not be today, life will eventually throw you a curveball. Some way, somehow, some kind of unexpected stress will rock your world.
When it does, think back to Philippians 1:27.
Take a breath. Say a prayer. Then, show the world that Jesus is Lord over your reactions.
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director RFTH
DIG DEEPER
Read “Will Others See Jesus in You?” by Bryant Wright
