Every tongue confess

Verse: Philippians 2:9-11
Context: Philippians 2:1-11

We are reminded in this passage that every knee will bow to Christ and every tongue confess that he is Lord to the glory of God. Certainly, many will not confess Christ is Lord while they are alive, but this promise reminds us that they too will ultimately realize that he is king over heaven and earth after their days on earth.

This passage is an encouragement to believers as we walk in this world. It can be discouraging to see people living proud lives disregarding others and disregarding God yet living comfortable lives and meanwhile seeing believers struggling, especially for the name of Christ. Our sense of fairness is appalled, but we can be confident that our faith during this life will not go unrewarded.

The passage also is a motivator for us to glorify God's name that those around us will not be able to question why we never spoke to them about Christ. God must move in people's lives to believe, and for better or worse, I take that truth and expect people to ask questions from me. May this verse motivate me to be prepared to give an account of what God has done in my own life when the situations arise.

Foreign missionary
While in Russia I was surprised to learn that a pastor I met there had an engineering degree from Estonia. I think everyone else at our table tuned us out during our conversation about Fortran and punch cards. He sacrificed a great deal by returning to Russia and ministering to the next generation of orphans, but he did not regret it. He spoke about how he could make more of an impact despite the greater challenge of working with people's lives versus programming. His life decisions are centered around knowing that everyone will recognize that Christ is Lord one day.