People of Light
Shining Like Stars – Part II

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:12-18

Key Verse: Philippians 2:15
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”.

Yesterday’s devotional covered the first three truths for God’s People of Light.

Today we look at our Key Verse that refers to this Light that God puts in every believer. Philippians 2:15 ends with the goal for all of us to work toward:

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky!

This is certainly God’s goal for all His children. Is it your goal?

Let’s look at the way all this can happen in our lives.

We start by reminding ourselves to make sure we are practicing the first three truths that we studied yesterday. When we work at our salvation with fear and trembling, when we examine the “wants” in our lives as part of the process of finding God’s will, and when we determine not to grumble or argue about anything, then these lead us to Philippians 2:15 conclusion:

so that you may become blameless and pure” and this leads to “shining like stars in the sky.

Philippians 2:16 tells us to:

hold firmly to the word of life.

Are you holding firmly to God’s Word? What does this look like?

First, holding firmly to God’s Word means that reading the Bible becomes a priority in our lives. Like any other priority, reading the Bible becomes a daily discipline.

If you heard someone say that they are making eating healthy a priority of their lives, you would expect that they meant they are daily working at this goal. So, it is when we make reading the Bible a priority. We carve out a daily time that we can read God’s Word.

Second, holding firmly to God’s Word means that we are practicing the truths that we read in the Bible.

For example, I recently felt impressed to make the Golden Rule more of a practice in my daily life. I wrote this goal in a place that I see every day, and it reminds me to continue to ask the question, “what would I want said or done to me?” When I remember to practice this “rule”, it makes a positive difference in my relationships with the people around me.

Third, holding firmly to God’s Word means memorizing verses that stand out when reading the Bible.

I have a lot of scripture firmly in my memory, but over the years I have not done a good job remembering where to find these verses. If you are just starting to memorize Bible verses, I recommend that you always include the book, chapter, and verse where you find them.

All this effort results in successfully shining like stars in this world.

Father, I need Your help in reading, obeying, and memorizing Your Word. May I shine bright so that others can come into a relationship with You. In Jesus’s Name, amen.