“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:18-21 -> me: There is some good conversation on who the ‘many’ are that Paul is talking about here in verse 18. One idea is that these are Jewish Christians who are still leaning on the law as way to attain righteousness and justification. The other is that these are a group of teachers who are saying that the body was an irrelevance once the mind had been illumined and the soul redeemed. Therefore moral constraints could be ignored and no carnal sin could stain the pure soul – in some cases using grace as a ground of license (a false teaching Paul addresses in Romans 6:1 and following). I tend to think he is talking about the latter group. BUT! Unlike these, our citizenship is in heaven! I love this! I am still drawn to Paul’s ‘tell you with tears’. As much as these people were the enemies of the cross, Paul’s heart still ached for them. I have to ask myself – do I have a deep sorrow for the people I see false teaching, no -> I find myself angry at them…even bitter toward them. I need a heart more like Paul’s.
QTVOTD: Reach past your grasp…
“[Paul] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it (perfection) my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 -> me: I am not perfect but I need to live in confidence of my ultimate salvation. I do this by ‘forgetting what lies behind’. The opposite of the Hebrew word used for ‘forget’ is a word that means “recalling from the past into the present of an action which lies buried in history”. This is a fresh take on leaving behind the ‘old man’ and embracing the ‘new man’. I listened to Henty’s (Student Ministry Pastor at Canyon Hills) message this morning and am encouraged to see the alignment with Hebrews 12:1-2. We are to ‘run, with perseverance, the course set before us -> fixing our eyes on Jesus’. ‘Straining forward’ and ‘press on toward’ are more of an aspect of reaching past our grasp; stretching forth toward something that is not attainable without God’s help….and what is the prize? Its an ‘upward call of God IN Jesus Christ’; a call into His presence for eternity. A call into that Joy that was set before Jesus as He endured the cross. All the struggles here on earth seem so little when looked at from the vantage point of this mindset.
QTVOTD: Attained nothing; Given everything…
“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:8-9 -> me: Today is (and will continue to be) a day of reflection and meditation on God’s Word. I have about 10 – 12 passages memorized and after a time of prayer in the prayer closet this morning I realize my deep need for this. I am reminded in my quiet time today that all that matters is ‘being found in Him’…that’s it…’being FOUND IN Him’. When I am found in Him, there is nothing about me that matters because it is His righteousness I wear. The more that I live in this place of fellowship IN HIM, I will find myself only doing things that reflect HIM. When I live this life I am called to, it is in recognition that I have ATTAINED nothing…I have been GIVEN everything. As far as committed memory verses, I am working on growing my list of memorized passages but here (in the comments) is what I have committed so far.
QTVOTD: Who am I???
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” Philippians 2:14-15 -> me: Another very impactful passage for me today during my quiet time. ‘Do ALL things without grumbling or disputing’ strikes right at the heart of my struggles this week. This, is in fact, exactly what I have been doing lately in regards to some answers to prayer I have been petitioning God about. How am I supposed to be blameless and innocent of hypocrisy if I am not trusting and in active application of my faith? What is crazy is that God has come through in spite of my grumbling. Why is He so good to me when I am such rambunctious child of His? I need to stay focused on what it means to be a shining light in light in the darkness for my Lord and Savior. I have been rescued from this ‘crooked and twisted generation’, I need to act like it. Lord God forgive me of my grumbling and discontentment. Help me to stay strong in the peace and comfort you provide. Help me to understand with wisdom the right decisions to make when faced with a direction to choose. You Oh Lord are a Faithful and Resolute God; full of mercy and grace. Who am I to question you?