Then you will shine among them like
stars in the sky as you hold firmly
to the Word of life.
Philippians 2:15-16
I have to admit in the carrot and stick scenario of motivation I tend to be more of a “stick” motivated person. My fear of punishment or failure outweighs any reward I might be offered. It’s probably why my favorite book in the Bible is James. He’s upfront, to the point, and sounds a bit chastising at times. So, when I read about the glorious promises of faithfulness to God, I can sometimes gloss over them.
But when I read this section in Philippians – where Paul is urging the church to obey God’s word – I was struck with the visual he presents as our reward. “To shine like stars.” He reminds us to pray, be obedient and faithful without grumbling or arguing (a bit of chastising). He also reminds us that as Christians, we are to be constantly viewing ourselves as being “set apart.”
Do everything without grumbling or
arguing, so that you may become blameless
and pure, children of God without fault
in a warped and crooked generation.
Philippians 2:14-15
And the reward for being set apart through this constant reminder that we are firmly attached to Jesus’ main vine? To be like those beautiful, twinkling stars in the night sky.
My husband and I walk our dog each night after dinner. We are just far away enough from the city to have a decent darkened sky. Each night we stop in one place briefly and look at the stars. From our location we can easily find the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt. I’ve always had a fascination with the stars – wondering what is beyond our tiny blue planet. When we are in a season to see other planets, we bring out our phone’s star apps and marvel at the world beyond.
Although in reality there are billions upon billions of stars in the sky, we can only see a few of the brightest ones. They wink at us saying “hello old friend!” And when I look up and see the ones familiar to me, it brings me comfort that they are the same today as they were when I was a child. They steadily burn bright.
That’s what the apostle Paul wants for us. To be those shining, steady beacons. Comforting many who see us as ones set apart for the glory of the heavens. This is surely the carrot in our motivation story. But it is the chastising spirit of the stick – obeying God, immersing ourselves in His Word, praying regularly – that will help us burn brightly.
emboldened.net 