Your Daily Forward Devotional
Your Daily Forward Devotional
Login

The Lord Is Near - Your Daily Forward Devotional

Login

In The Days of the Judges

In The Days of the Judges

A Glimmer of Hope

A Glimmer of Hope

Bitter or a Believer?

Bitter or a Believer?

Great Faithfulness

Great Faithfulness

Bitter Emptiness

Bitter Emptiness

God Intended It For Good

God Intended It For Good

Getting Started...

Getting Started...

The True Vine

  • Jun 3, 2023

The True Vine

The Way

  • Jun 2, 2023

The Way

The Resurrection and the Life

  • Jun 1, 2023

The Resurrection and the Life

The Good Shepherd

  • May 31, 2023

The Good Shepherd

The Door

  • May 30, 2023

The Door

The Bread and the Light

  • May 29, 2023

The Bread and the Light

John Saw It All

  • May 27, 2023

John Saw It All

Worry About Yourself

  • May 26, 2023

Worry About Yourself

Count the Cost

  • May 25, 2023

Count the Cost

Do You Love God?

  • May 24, 2023

Do You Love God?

Jump All In

  • May 23, 2023

Jump All In

Gone Fishing Again

  • May 22, 2023

Gone Fishing Again

You May Have Life In His Name

  • May 20, 2023

You May Have Life In His Name

The Disciple Who Believed

  • May 19, 2023

The Disciple Who Believed

The Disciple Who Doubted

  • May 18, 2023

The Disciple Who Doubted

APRIL - JUNE 2023
January - March 2023
October - December 2022
July - September 2022
April - June 2022

The Return of Christ

  • Jun 30, 2022

The Return of Christ

Just Jesus

  • Jun 29, 2022

Just Jesus

Joy In Christ

  • Jun 28, 2022

Joy In Christ

Privileges and Practices for Christians

  • Jun 27, 2022

Privileges and Practices for Christians

Grace and Freedom

  • Jun 25, 2022

Grace and Freedom

So We Do Not Lose Heart

  • Jun 24, 2022

So We Do Not Lose Heart

Fatherly Discipline

  • Jun 23, 2022

Fatherly Discipline

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

  • Jun 22, 2022

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

  • Jun 21, 2022

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

God in The Flesh

  • Jun 20, 2022

God in The Flesh

The Great Physician

  • Jun 18, 2022

The Great Physician

Service and Sacrifice

  • Jun 17, 2022

Service and Sacrifice

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

  • Jun 16, 2022

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

Is It Even Worth It?

  • Jun 15, 2022

Is It Even Worth It?

A Future Perspective

  • Jun 14, 2022

A Future Perspective

Misplaced Priorities

  • Jun 13, 2022

Misplaced Priorities

Judgment and Joy

  • Jun 11, 2022

Judgment and Joy

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

  • Jun 10, 2022

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Pride Goes Before Destruction

  • Jun 9, 2022

Pride Goes Before Destruction

Does God Care About Justice?

  • Jun 8, 2022

Does God Care About Justice?

That All Should Be Saved

  • Jun 7, 2022

That All Should Be Saved

A Battle Between Brothers

  • Jun 6, 2022

A Battle Between Brothers

The Cold Hard Truth

  • Jun 4, 2022

The Cold Hard Truth

Just You Wait

  • Jun 3, 2022

Just You Wait

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

  • Jun 2, 2022

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

The Lord Reigns Supreme

  • Jun 1, 2022

The Lord Reigns Supreme

Restored to Glory

  • May 31, 2022

Restored to Glory

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

  • May 30, 2022

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

The Bearer of Bad News

  • May 28, 2022

The Bearer of Bad News

Salvation Is of The Lord

  • May 27, 2022

Salvation Is of The Lord

God’s Plan

  • May 26, 2022

God’s Plan

What’s the Point?

  • May 25, 2022

What’s the Point?

Read the Instructions

  • May 24, 2022

Read the Instructions

A Real Relationship

  • May 23, 2022

A Real Relationship

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

  • May 21, 2022

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

God Behind the Scenes

  • May 20, 2022

God Behind the Scenes

Miraculous Reconstruction

  • May 19, 2022

Miraculous Reconstruction

Coming Home

  • May 18, 2022

Coming Home

Not Just A Building

  • May 17, 2022

Not Just A Building

The Family of God

  • May 16, 2022

The Family of God

Discipline and Destruction

  • May 14, 2022

Discipline and Destruction

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

  • May 13, 2022

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

The Greatest King Ever

  • May 12, 2022

The Greatest King Ever

No King But God?

  • May 11, 2022

No King But God?

A Love That Redeems

  • May 10, 2022

A Love That Redeems

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

  • May 9, 2022

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

A Literal Scarlet Thread

  • May 7, 2022

A Literal Scarlet Thread

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

  • May 6, 2022

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

Why Did It Take So Long?

  • May 5, 2022

Why Did It Take So Long?

Holy as He Is Holy

  • May 4, 2022

Holy as He Is Holy

Passed Over

  • May 3, 2022

Passed Over

The Beginning of Redemption

  • May 2, 2022

The Beginning of Redemption

The Lord Is Near

  • Apr 30, 2022

The Lord Is Near

I’ll Be Happy When…

  • Apr 29, 2022

I’ll Be Happy When…

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

  • Apr 28, 2022

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

You Can’t Hide a Lie

  • Apr 27, 2022

You Can’t Hide a Lie

The Sin Underneath All Others

  • Apr 26, 2022

The Sin Underneath All Others

Play the Long Game

  • Apr 25, 2022

Play the Long Game

Where Does Joy Come From?

  • Apr 23, 2022

Where Does Joy Come From?

Well Worth the Wait

  • Apr 22, 2022

Well Worth the Wait

Getting to Know God

  • Apr 21, 2022

Getting to Know God

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

  • Apr 20, 2022

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

Take Heart, He’s With You

  • Apr 19, 2022

Take Heart, He’s With You

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

  • Apr 18, 2022

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

What Are You Afraid Of?

  • Apr 16, 2022

What Are You Afraid Of?

Nothing Can Separate Us

  • Apr 15, 2022

Nothing Can Separate Us

What Has God Forgiven You For?

  • Apr 14, 2022

What Has God Forgiven You For?

But by the Grace Of God

  • Apr 13, 2022

But by the Grace Of God

A Healthy Swap

  • Apr 12, 2022

A Healthy Swap

Tell Yourself the Truth

  • Apr 11, 2022

Tell Yourself the Truth

He Hears You

  • Apr 9, 2022

He Hears You

Listen and Learn

  • Apr 8, 2022

Listen and Learn

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

  • Apr 7, 2022

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

Keep Your Cool

  • Apr 6, 2022

Keep Your Cool

Great Is His Faithfulness

  • Apr 5, 2022

Great Is His Faithfulness

Move on to the Meat

  • Apr 4, 2022

Move on to the Meat

Saving Faith Works

  • Apr 2, 2022

Saving Faith Works

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

  • Apr 1, 2022

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

January - March 2022
October - December 2021
July - September 2021
April - June 2021
January - March 2021
October - December 2020
July - September 2020
April - June 2020
January - March 2020
backtothebiblebttb2
Back to the BibleApr 30, 2022 12:00 am GMT

The Lord Is Near

 

April 30


Read Philippians 4:5 (ESV)

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.

 

Reflect

Does knowing that the Holy Spirit is always present in your life change the way you want to behave?

 

Have you heard the old adage “When the cat's away, the mice will play?” Maybe you’ve even seen this play out in your life. When the parents are gone, the kids break house rules. When the boss is gone, productivity drops. When the teacher steps out of the room, chaos ensues. If the cops are out of sight, the speed limit is…optional.

 

It is true that the presence or lack of an authority figure can directly impact human behavior. Yes, oftentimes fear of getting caught and avoidance of consequences are the motivations for this. But have you ever been around someone whose presence just made you want to do better? Maybe it was a teacher that you deeply admired and respected so their presence in your life inspired you to be like them. You didn’t follow their lead or obey their rules just because they were in a position of authority. You obeyed them because you wanted to please them. You wanted to make them proud.

 

I’ve had a few people like this in my life. I discovered that, even when they weren’t around, I wanted to do the right thing because I didn’t want to let them down if they ever found out. In that way, it is like their presence was always with me. Like all of those times you hear your mom’s voice in your head telling you what to do and what not to do!

 

In today’s verse, Paul was in the midst of encouraging the Philippian church to be unified, be joyful always, and to refrain from worrying but to pray instead. In the middle of this exhortation, Paul urged them to “let your reasonableness be known to everyone”. The NASB translates this as “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.” Other translations use synonyms such as “considerate” or “gentle forbearance.” But the idea here is that Paul said the church should be known for treating everyone with patience, fairness, gentleness, and consideration. Basically, we should bestow the same grace and mercy on others that God has bestowed on us.

 

The part of this verse that is sometimes debated is what does it mean that “the Lord is at hand” or as the NLT version says “the Lord is coming soon”? Other translations like the NIV and the NASB translate it as “the Lord is near.” Was Paul talking about Jesus being physically near us all the time or was he referring to the imminent return of the Lord? Theologian Dr. Gordon Fee, summarized the question of Paul’s intended meaning like this: “Does he intend, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; and let your gentle forbearance be known by all, for the (coming of) the Lord is near’? Or ‘Because the Lord is (always) near, do not be anxious about anything…’”

 

Given the context, it seems to make the most sense that Paul intended to communicate the omnipresence of the Lord. In that sense, it would be like Paul is saying to treat everyone with fairness and gentleness because the Lord is always with us. He is always watching, and His continual presence should motivate us to live godly lives. If we fear and respect the Lord, we want to please Him with faithful obedience and right living all the time.

 

But it could also be interpreted that the time of the Lord's return is near. If this is the case, it is like Paul is saying, the Lord can come back at any minute! How do you want to be caught treating people when He returns?

 

But regardless of which interpretation Paul intended, we know both are true. God is never “away” therefore His people should never “play.” Remembering His continual presence should encourage us to live godly lives because we love Him. We want to make Him proud and we want to be like Him. But we also know that His return is imminent. Jesus Himself told parables about how we should always be ready because we do not know the day or hour of His return (Matthew 24:36-44). Bottom line? The Lord’s continual presence and his anticipated return should inspire us to show grace to everyone because grace has been given to us. The Lord is near in every sense of the word.

 

Pray

Lord, I know that You are always with me and I also know that Your return is very soon. I want the way I treat others to honor and please You. Help me to live and love others the way You lived and love me. Amen.

 

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

 

 

If you found value in this post, please share your comments, questions, and prayers with us!

Discipleship Tip: Sharing is discipleship. Invite a friend to join you each day for a morning coffee and conversation about God. Click the sharing button below to get the conversation started.

likeShare
  • Follow & Post
  • Post as Guest
  • Login
S
socratesoliver8
a year ago
amen
likeReply
D
David
a year ago
Lord Jesus, by Your sacrifice on the cross, and having shed Your precious blood, I am delivered from the death that I deserve. Thank You Lord for being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
likeReply
D
David
a year ago
Lord Jesus, You are the Lord God of my salvation. Through You, I live my life and whether I fail or succeed, I thank You for every opportunity to act. Help me to turn to You when I am up against a challenge that's bigger than I. Thank You for Your presence.
likeReply
D
David
a year ago
Lord Jesus, I know that Your eyes are constantly watching over me because You love me. Help me to act honourably and with integrity so that I do not bring shame and disgrace to Your holy name.
likeReply
D
David
a year ago
Lord Jesus, You have set the standard of behaviour for us and I ask You to remind me of the way You dealt with the less fortunate in the society. You were always compassionate and understanding, never critical or overpowering. Help me to remember Your example and follow likewise.
likeReply
Load more comments
  • 1,978,894