Living Large in a Small World: A Look Into Philippians 1Sample

Living in the Big Picture

I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return (Philippians 1:10, NLT).

On their first visit to Philippi, Paul and Silas had been beaten with bone-bruising rods, chained in shackles designed not only to secure captives but also intensify their pain, and left in prison in the dark of night (Acts 16).

Yet they worshiped loudly enough for other prisoners to hear and stuck around even after God had provided a miraculous deliverance. They didn’t resist arrest, threaten the officials with retaliation, or, as far as we know, complain about their predicament. Clearly they were focused on something other than their own unjust treatment.

Most of us live life somewhere within the frame of a small picture. We focus on what matters to us, the details of our lives, and how we can improve our situation. We may even do so for the sake of God’s Kingdom—but perhaps not always with an awareness of how we fit into the grand scheme of things.

Meanwhile, the grand scheme of things is going on all around us. We live in a much larger picture. Paul and Silas were able to worship and recognize an opportunity because they had a bigger vision: what God was doing to advance their mission, how their mistreatment created a platform for something greater, how God had set his heart on a jailer’s salvation, and more. They knew better than to see their situation as a setback.

So when Paul wrote to the Philippians years later, he wanted them to “understand what really matters” (NLT) or “approve what is excellent” (ESV)—in this case, the love beneath their faith and relationships. As long as they were bickering or promoting themselves, they were living in the small picture. Submitting personal agendas to the grand vista of divine love restores the right perspective. God is always up to something greater than our immediate circumstances seem to suggest.

Re-Envision What Matters

If the story of God’s Kingdom were a play, where would you fit on the stage? You might initially minimize your role—after all, it’s an epic, history-shaping play—but avoid that temptation. Your role is one of many, but it is vital. The playwright is crafting a narrative that foregrounds his glory and redemptive plan, and the part you play can only be interpreted in light of the whole.

It’s easy in the day-to-day grind to lose sight of the whole, but it’s there. When you look back over your years, you won’t remember your to-do lists or even all you accomplished. You will, however, remember your relationships and the love that went into them.

So major on what really matters. Beyond your immediate circumstances, see the Author at work. Live with the understanding—and expectation—that he is doing great things for you, in you, and through you every day.