Discover the Greatest Life You’ll Ever Live: A Journey Through Philippians
Author: Stan Guthrie
August 12, 2026
We’ve all heard a lot of grand promises about the Christian life, but, if we’re honest, the reality too often comes up short. New Testament scholar William Barclay remarked in his commentary on Luke, “Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”
Is that our experience as believers? We love the Lord, look forward to being with him in heaven, and are grateful for our churches, but a certain spark often seems to be missing. We look to the promised mountaintop but remain firmly rooted in the valley.
In the movie City Slickers, Mitch, who is having a midlife crisis, and Curly, the tough and leathery cowboy trail boss, are riding together. Curly, played by Jack Palance, asks Mitch, played by Billy Crystal, “Do you know what the secret of life is?” Mitch shrugs. Curly holds up one finger and says, “This.”
The dialogue continues:
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean _____.
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the “one thing”?
Curly: [smiles] That’s what you’ve got to figure out.
Thank God, we Christians don’t need to figure out what the “one thing” is. That work’s already been done for us. Paul spelled it out in Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Perhaps what we need is right in front of us for the taking, if only we will reach out. But do we really want it? Too often I find myself settling for the safe and secure. I want a little of the Christian life—but not too much—after all, I’ve got a lot going on.
I suspect I’m not alone.
As C.S. Lewis said in his essay “The Weight of Glory,” “…it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
I believe there is more to the Christian life—much more—and I want it. This doesn’t mean that my walk with Christ should be all sunshine and unicorns. Persecution, disappointment, boredom, and grief are the lot of the children of men—Christians included. But is there something more? Is the awesome God we profess really real and worthy of our trust? Do we believe?
Annie Dillard once said, “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? …. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.”
Does being a Christian make any difference at all? I think it does. If you do too, then leave your mud pies and straw hats at home and join us for our Adult Sunday School starting on September 13th. We’ll be taking a thrilling, nine-week dive into Acts 16 and the Book of Philippians. Our theme will be “Discover the Greatest Life You’ll Ever Live: A Journey Through Philippians.”
I don’t think this is hyperbole. Giving this wonderful Epistle of Joy our close and prayerful attention has the potential to be transformative.
But let’s not call this time together a class. Yes, there will be teaching and learning, and, to get the most out of it, you’ll probably need to do your own reading, praying, and meditating on God’s Word.
However, I’m hoping that this gathering is not just another knowledge transfer that we can safely file away before moving on to the next thing. After all, in Philippians itself, the Apostle Paul prays that our “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (1:9). Love—an informed and wise love—is the engine. Discovering the greatest life we’ll ever live is a matter of heart and head. And it’s completely possible.
So please pray with me for all our hearts, and join us.
Next week: Philippi: The Divine Detour.
Stan Guthrie is Director of Outreach and Mobilization for New Covenant Church in Naperville, Illinois.
BACK