ESOCS Devotional 8 February 2025 – Stand Fast in the Lord
MEMORY VERSE: ““Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” Philippians 4:1 KJV
TEXT: PHILIPPIANS 4:1-7
Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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The faithfulness of the Philippians brought joy to Paul’s heart, so he encouraged them to stand fast in the Lord.
How do we “stand fast in the Lord”? We take our definition and explanation from what Paul taught in Philippians 3:20–21. The way to stand fast is to keep our eyes on Christ, to remember that this world is not our home, and to focus on the fact that Christ will bring everything under His control. Standing fast also means steadfastly resisting the negative influences of temptation, false teaching, persecution, deceptive lifestyle, resisting conformity with world’s standard, etc.
“Standing fast with the Lord” comes with a cost. It requires perseverance when challenged or opposed. It requires absolute self-discipline and control.
To enable us stand fast in Him, God promised to give us strength of character and that He will be with us always till the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).So, we must not lose hope or give up. With the Holy Spirit leading, we can stand fast in the Lord till Christ comes.
CHALLENGES
- Challenges that can lead to not standing fast in the Lord come in different ways. Think about them and note them.
PRAYER POINT
- Dear Lord and Father of mankind, give me the strength of character to stay on in you till Christ comes.
FURTHER READING: Jeremiah 9:1-26; Philippians 4:8-23
ESOCS Devotional 8 February 2025
