Paul's Prayer for the Philippians, Part V

"In order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ" Philippians 1:10b

The Greek word translated blameless in Philippians 1:10 describes relational integrity. It means living a life that doesn't cause others to stumble. Scripture clearly teaches that believers are not to cause others to stumble. Rom14; I Cor 8

Some people appear to live that kind of life, but the facts indicate otherwise, when those whom they have had the most opportunity to influence - their children and close friends- are observed. Often a pattern of misbehavior in a child can be traced to a pattern of misbehavior in a parent. The way that parent acts in church is proved to be quite different from what he or she is at home.

The kind of integrity Paul desired to see in the Philippians requires a no-compromise attitude in accord with God's Word. We are to live deeply planted in the rich soil of Biblical truth, so that our roots tap deep into divine revelation and we flourish.

That means many times you will find yourself standing up against the world. We need to remember and understand, we may live on this planet, but this is not our home! We are not here to please people,we are here to glorify Christ. We need to resist the world's pressures because they cause cracks in our lives, and that often occurs subtly.

We need to be devoted to Christ. How long? Until the day of Christ Jesus.