Philippians 3:1-11
To read the passage, please click here.
I used to be afraid of the Apostle Paul. I thought, "Wow, I'm so glad I didn't live in the same time as him. I would be completely intimidated by him if we ever met." It's passages like the one we are reading today that formed the foundation for my fear. "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more" (verse 4b). He then goes on to list how perfect and pure he is because of his birth, religious ceremony, law keeping, and zealous actions for God (vs 5). This guy is hard core.... and he knows it. How could anyone compare to his life? to his pursuit of God? Comparison with Paul is irrelevant (as was my fear of him) for Paul found out that all his striving wouldn't get him what he needed and longed for most.
In the Apostle Paul's life and writing, we find the gospel's promise of "the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (vs 11b) breaking into our lives and desroying all hope of earning God's favour or proving that we are good enough to exist, that we are worthy of love. We hear the words and can hardly believe that he is saying them: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...." (vs 7-8a).
Loss...rubbish... he is throwing it all away for the one thing that means the most in life and death: Christ (vs 8). How challenging! It motivates me to ask myself the tough question before God, "What am I relying on to save me?"and to admit any righteous acts or birthright I have that enables me to (falsely) put confidence in the flesh. The Scriptures are clear: salvation is by faith and righteous is a gift from God. Jesus is our Saviour and Lord!
But it wasn't only my tendency to compare myself with Paul that made me a bit scared of him, it was also his strength of personality. He knew what he wanted. I used to find that sort of clarity and determination unsettling. Not anymore. Now I find it inspiring as I hear his heart's cry: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (vs 10-11).
May we all have the courage and single-mindedness to follow Christ like our brother Paul.
I used to be afraid of the Apostle Paul. I thought, "Wow, I'm so glad I didn't live in the same time as him. I would be completely intimidated by him if we ever met." It's passages like the one we are reading today that formed the foundation for my fear. "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more" (verse 4b). He then goes on to list how perfect and pure he is because of his birth, religious ceremony, law keeping, and zealous actions for God (vs 5). This guy is hard core.... and he knows it. How could anyone compare to his life? to his pursuit of God? Comparison with Paul is irrelevant (as was my fear of him) for Paul found out that all his striving wouldn't get him what he needed and longed for most.
In the Apostle Paul's life and writing, we find the gospel's promise of "the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (vs 11b) breaking into our lives and desroying all hope of earning God's favour or proving that we are good enough to exist, that we are worthy of love. We hear the words and can hardly believe that he is saying them: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...." (vs 7-8a).
Loss...rubbish... he is throwing it all away for the one thing that means the most in life and death: Christ (vs 8). How challenging! It motivates me to ask myself the tough question before God, "What am I relying on to save me?"and to admit any righteous acts or birthright I have that enables me to (falsely) put confidence in the flesh. The Scriptures are clear: salvation is by faith and righteous is a gift from God. Jesus is our Saviour and Lord!
But it wasn't only my tendency to compare myself with Paul that made me a bit scared of him, it was also his strength of personality. He knew what he wanted. I used to find that sort of clarity and determination unsettling. Not anymore. Now I find it inspiring as I hear his heart's cry: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (vs 10-11).
May we all have the courage and single-mindedness to follow Christ like our brother Paul.
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