December 20th, 2025
by John Thweatt
by John Thweatt
Yesterday we started looking at Philippians 2:9 and stayed with the first word, “therefore.” Do we have any people reading today who will join the likes of Judson and Carey, Lottie and Annie, and the Hudson Taylor’s of our great history. Taylor suffered and agonized for years in China and yet said, “I never made a sacrifice.” Why could he say something like that? Why could the Massai warrior Joseph endure such a beating? Why could Edmund sell a horse and give it all to God rather than keep even enough to buy a shirt? It happened because they understood the “therefore” of verse 9. When we humble ourselves and live according to God’s plan—He will glorify Himself in us and we will be exalted.
Study the life of Jesus and you’ll find two themes—suffering and exaltation, humility and glorification. WE want to jump to the exaltation and glorification and bypass the suffering don’t we? Whole theologies are built upon that desire, but the call of Jesus is to take up the cross. The call of Christ bids us to come and die. Are we willing in light of Jesus’ great sacrifice to trust God for the “therefore” in our lives?
As a side note, years ago I was in China and as we stopped at a church, the driver casually mentioned, “Hudson Taylor built this church.” That got my attention. The Gospel continues from the seeds he planted.
Study the life of Jesus and you’ll find two themes—suffering and exaltation, humility and glorification. WE want to jump to the exaltation and glorification and bypass the suffering don’t we? Whole theologies are built upon that desire, but the call of Jesus is to take up the cross. The call of Christ bids us to come and die. Are we willing in light of Jesus’ great sacrifice to trust God for the “therefore” in our lives?
As a side note, years ago I was in China and as we stopped at a church, the driver casually mentioned, “Hudson Taylor built this church.” That got my attention. The Gospel continues from the seeds he planted.
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