Philippians 3 -- THE SPIRITUAL MIND or THINGS ROB JOY
Philippians 3:13-15 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,m and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you."
Paul did not consider himself to have arrived at spiritual perfection. He had his battles with the flesh and his memories of his past to remind him that he was not yet glorified. BUT . . . he did not let these things control his intentions. He had to make the choice to turn off the past and center himself in the mission he knew God had given him for the present keeping the future reward ever in his view. When he said "I press toward the mark . . ." he obviously was not just sitting around waiting for Heaven to come. He was diligently working, doing what the Lord had instructed him to do.
Paul had to make the effort to shift his focus away from the past and concentrate his energy in a new and opposite direction. We all have things in our past that can feel like sinking sand or entangling vines holding us back and keeping us stuck. Regrets. Guilt. Hurt. Fear. If I start thinking about the failures in my past, I can become quite discouraged quite quickly. Looking back with this mindset is like falling down the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole. It takes me to a whole different world where nothing is as it seems and I can get lost wandering around in circles feeling so confused. I have to make a serious effort to stop that kind of thinking as soon as I recognize it is happening! Sometimes it takes great effort over and over to really get my mind back on track with the things it should be thinking about.
I have a goal just like Paul. I intentionally want to live working to be worthy of the high calling of God. We all have this calling. I was a child of Satan and now I have been redeemed by the King of Kings and am His princess daughter! I do not want to live with any of the old characteristics. I do not want to be entangled and held back by the past.
Paul then states that all of us that are perfect should have this lifestyle. Unsaved people are not going to be interested in pleasing King Jesus. Brand new Christians may not have a complete understanding of God's freeing power. Young people are not always able to look down the road very far or understand what they can accomplish for God. But those of us that are "perfect" or mature need to be "thus minded." We need to all have this goal in common, the goal of leaving the past behind us and pressing forward.
The Christian life is not a passive existence. We are not supposed to just float along on the river of life and see what happens and react to each new circumstance as it comes along. We are to be very PROactive! It takes work to shift our focus away from the past. It involves effort to "press" toward the prize. It takes intention to realize where we are supposed to be headed and actually head there. The Christian life is a life of action!
Take, for example, spreading the gospel. Little children don't quite have the language skills to engage an adult in a conversation to share the gospel with them. But even a little six year-old boy can hand out tracts to people he sees in the grocery store. The child may not be mature in his mental growth or physical growth, but he is mature enough in his spiritual mind to take action at a level appropriate for his physical age. A person without work or transportation may not get out of the house much, but they can pray for the visitation and 365 Club programs. An invalid may not encounter anyone but the people who care for them, but they can be an encouragement with their words and show the joy of the Lord despite illness. Every. Single. One. of us can have a vital part in the ministry of spreading the gospel.
Keep your mind on the spiritual perspective of every little thing that comes to you today. When you encounter the grumpy sales clerk, choose words that let her know YOU have joy in your heart no matter what is happening. When you get stuck in traffic, take the time to say a prayer for those in the church that you know are hurting.
And if you don't have your mind working this way, ask God to change you and show you what you can do. That's what verse 15 is saying. Ask God to help you shift your mind to the spiritual focus and the "things of this earth will grow strangely dim." If you are looking at Christ and are focused on Him you will no longer see the things around you that discourage and hold you back! You will have the joy of the Lord as your strength!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Forget about it . . .
PHILIPPIANS 3 -- THE SPIRITUAL MIND or THINGS CAN ROB JOY
Philippians 3:12-14
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul makes it very clear in verse 12 that he does not consider himself to have "arrived." He had not conquered all of his weaknesses or shortcomings. He still had struggles and came up short of what he wanted to do for Christ. The "great and mighty" Paul knew in his heart that he was nothing special in his own right.
The word perfect means mature. We look at a piece of fruit and call it "perfect" to eat. Of course it still has flaws but we mean that it is ripe and ready to be eaten. We can be perfect in Christ even with our faults and failures. Paul was converted as an adult who had studied the Law and was very well educated. He had the book knowledge already down pat. Once he understood his need of salvation and accepted Christ as his personal Savior, he had a huge head start. God took him aside and worked in his heart based on the knowledge he already had in his head. I was saved at age four. I had to grow mentally and emotionally before I could appreciate some of the truths of Scripture. I had to learn to read! Paul already had passages memorized.
But Paul had his focus on a goal. He "followed after" meaning he pursued something. He was working on his spiritual development. He was trying to become just as much like Christ as he possibly could so that he could be as much like Christ as possible. It's a bit of circular reasoning trying to be more like Christ because Christ is wanting to change you. There is a goal, but we will never reach it.
The Apostle Paul had so much going his way, but he also had a memory. He had witnessed and participated in some very awful things in his persecution of the church. The memories of what we have done before salvation are not wiped away. Emotions and intentions are not easily forgotten. Our memory can see or smell or hear something completely innocent but make a connection to something from our past and pull up all kinds of memories that we thought we gone forever. Paul, like us, had no control over what his memory did to him. I imagine that he relived certain scenes in his mind over and over again. Smell is the strongest memory trigger of our senses. You cannot control what you smell and you cannot control what memories those smells pull out of the dark corners of your mind.
Paul could be paralyzed by guilt. The people who recognized him and became afraid of him probably had heard some things about him. He remembered so many more things that he had done. The Christians had probably heard embellished accounts of his reputation. Paul knew every detail of what he had done and said and thought. These memories could shackle him and hold him back in so many different ways. But he had to put them aside. It is not easy to brush away the memory of something we regret. It takes great discipline and a deep rooted conviction that things are not as they used to be.
God had taken Paul out to the wilderness after his conversion. I imagine that it took a while for Paul's human heart to accept the whole realm of forgiveness that Christ offered him. It probably took some very intense conversations with God when Paul would start to be overtaken by remorse. The things that I regret in the deep corners of my heart have a much greater impact on my actions than the things that others know about and keep bringing up to me. God had to equip Paul with the tools and the skills to forgive the past in himself so that he could have a testimony going forward.
Paul's past had been shaped around the Law. He had to shift his thinking away from that and focus on his relationship with Christ. He had to forget the things he had done. He had to forget the things he had been committed to. He had to give up his loyalties. He had to allow Christ to forgive him and he had to forgive himself. He had to shift his focus to the spiritual things of God in order to lose the influence of his past. Having a spiritual mind allowed him to have power over the things (memories, emotions, etc.) of the past that could hold him back from full service.
He did not look back. We can't get to the end of the book if we keep re-reading the chapters we've already been through. No doubt people flaunted his reputation at him to weaken him. No doubt he had flaws that others took great pleasure in pointing out to him. But he kept pressing toward his goal. His motivation was to be worthy of what Christ had done for him. Would he ever be worthy? No, of course not. But the pursuit of it was the exercise of faith that conquered his past.
There is a high calling for each of us in God through Christ Jesus. We must daily evaluate if we are pressing forward or slipping backward. It is a high goal to be "like Christ" but the important part is the true pursuit. Don't let your memory of what is past dictate how much you will be like Christ today!
Philippians 3:12-14
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul makes it very clear in verse 12 that he does not consider himself to have "arrived." He had not conquered all of his weaknesses or shortcomings. He still had struggles and came up short of what he wanted to do for Christ. The "great and mighty" Paul knew in his heart that he was nothing special in his own right.
The word perfect means mature. We look at a piece of fruit and call it "perfect" to eat. Of course it still has flaws but we mean that it is ripe and ready to be eaten. We can be perfect in Christ even with our faults and failures. Paul was converted as an adult who had studied the Law and was very well educated. He had the book knowledge already down pat. Once he understood his need of salvation and accepted Christ as his personal Savior, he had a huge head start. God took him aside and worked in his heart based on the knowledge he already had in his head. I was saved at age four. I had to grow mentally and emotionally before I could appreciate some of the truths of Scripture. I had to learn to read! Paul already had passages memorized.
But Paul had his focus on a goal. He "followed after" meaning he pursued something. He was working on his spiritual development. He was trying to become just as much like Christ as he possibly could so that he could be as much like Christ as possible. It's a bit of circular reasoning trying to be more like Christ because Christ is wanting to change you. There is a goal, but we will never reach it.
The Apostle Paul had so much going his way, but he also had a memory. He had witnessed and participated in some very awful things in his persecution of the church. The memories of what we have done before salvation are not wiped away. Emotions and intentions are not easily forgotten. Our memory can see or smell or hear something completely innocent but make a connection to something from our past and pull up all kinds of memories that we thought we gone forever. Paul, like us, had no control over what his memory did to him. I imagine that he relived certain scenes in his mind over and over again. Smell is the strongest memory trigger of our senses. You cannot control what you smell and you cannot control what memories those smells pull out of the dark corners of your mind.
Paul could be paralyzed by guilt. The people who recognized him and became afraid of him probably had heard some things about him. He remembered so many more things that he had done. The Christians had probably heard embellished accounts of his reputation. Paul knew every detail of what he had done and said and thought. These memories could shackle him and hold him back in so many different ways. But he had to put them aside. It is not easy to brush away the memory of something we regret. It takes great discipline and a deep rooted conviction that things are not as they used to be.
God had taken Paul out to the wilderness after his conversion. I imagine that it took a while for Paul's human heart to accept the whole realm of forgiveness that Christ offered him. It probably took some very intense conversations with God when Paul would start to be overtaken by remorse. The things that I regret in the deep corners of my heart have a much greater impact on my actions than the things that others know about and keep bringing up to me. God had to equip Paul with the tools and the skills to forgive the past in himself so that he could have a testimony going forward.
Paul's past had been shaped around the Law. He had to shift his thinking away from that and focus on his relationship with Christ. He had to forget the things he had done. He had to forget the things he had been committed to. He had to give up his loyalties. He had to allow Christ to forgive him and he had to forgive himself. He had to shift his focus to the spiritual things of God in order to lose the influence of his past. Having a spiritual mind allowed him to have power over the things (memories, emotions, etc.) of the past that could hold him back from full service.
He did not look back. We can't get to the end of the book if we keep re-reading the chapters we've already been through. No doubt people flaunted his reputation at him to weaken him. No doubt he had flaws that others took great pleasure in pointing out to him. But he kept pressing toward his goal. His motivation was to be worthy of what Christ had done for him. Would he ever be worthy? No, of course not. But the pursuit of it was the exercise of faith that conquered his past.
There is a high calling for each of us in God through Christ Jesus. We must daily evaluate if we are pressing forward or slipping backward. It is a high goal to be "like Christ" but the important part is the true pursuit. Don't let your memory of what is past dictate how much you will be like Christ today!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Whatever It Takes
Philippians 3 -- THE SPIRITUAL MIND or THINGS ROB YOUR JOY
Philippians 3:8-11 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
Sometimes it is hard to relate to the people of the Bible because we don't know much about their day to day lives. We spent some time in the last lesson pondering some of the things that Paul may have lost for the sake of Christ. We don't know what kind of house or bank account he had . . . but it is safe to presume he lost whatever he had. We don't know many details about his parents or if he had a wife . . . but we talked about some relationships he might have lost. We can relate to these issues in our lives. The bottom line is that Paul really did lose everything. But . . . Christ did not leave him empty!
In verse 8 Paul says "Yea doubtless" which could be restated in our language as "Yes, but don't get the wrong idea!" He did not pine for those things he had lost. He had given them up willingly. He knew there was something far more precious to be won.
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent." As Christ was facing the cross He talked with His Father and acknowledged that the cross was necessary for us to know the only true God. And He was willing to submit to that horrible death because He knew the real purpose of it was to show the world the only true God. Paul did not value the things he had lost when he compared them to the "excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus (his) Lord." As worthless as he knew his possessions and relationships were (and remember he called them dung), he valued the knowledge of Christ as excellent. We have all had losses or trials in our lives that seemed meaningless. But we have also had losses and trials that had some sort of outcome that we felt made the situation "worth it."
Paul describes the lifestyle he had led before as the righteousness which is of the law and called it "his." It was dependent on what he did or did not do. He determined how righteous his life was. Now he wanted the righteousness that came from faith in Christ. No more religion but the ultimate relationship.
"That I may know Him and the POWER of His resurrection . . ." Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity. He did not have to rely on God the Father to raise Him from the dead. He actually had that power within Himself. His God-ness had unlimited power when His man-ness was dead. Talk about some super power!
And Paul wanted to know the "fellowship" of His sufferings. Fellowship is having things in common. What Christ suffered physically is beyond our comprehension. The movie "The Passion" was one man's attempt to portray some of what that crucifixion was like. While I know that Hollywood could never capture the full scope of Christ's physical suffering, that movie gave me a mental picture that was much clearer than my imagination would allow me to create on my own. I've heard pastors and evangelists try to describe the sheer agony of that day. I have a very vivid imagination. But I had nothing in my life to compare it to, so my mental picture was always very bland. Paul knew what crucifixion was. He had undoubtedly witnessed a few of them. And he wanted to have the relationship with Christ that comes from having that suffering in common. He wanted to be "conformable unto His death." Whether Paul was saying he was willing to suffer everything that Christ did or if he was saying he wanted to have a heart that was willing to love and care for sinners enough to die for them, he wanted to be conformed to Christ's death. Conformed has the idea of changing something from what it is into a copy of something else.
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to be able to pass through death into new life. Whatever it takes.
The challenge from these verses can be found in the song "Whatever It Takes" by Lanny Wolfe.
Whatever It Takes
There's a voice calling me, from an old rugged tree
And He whispers draw closer to me
Leave this world far behind,
There are new heights to climb
And a new place in Me you will find
And whatever it takes, to draw closer to You Lord
That's what I'd be wiling to do
And whatever it takes, to be more like you
That's what I'd be willing to do
Take my houses and lands,
Take my dreams and my plans.
I place my who life in Your hands.
And if you call me someday,
To a land far away,
Lord, I'll go and Your will obey.
And whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord,
That's what I'll be willing to do.
And whatever it takes for my will to break,
That's what I'll be willing to do.
Take the dearest things to me, if that's how it must be
To draw closer to Thee
Let the disappointments come, lonely days without the sun
If through sorrow more like You I'll become.
I'll trade sunshine for rain, comfort for pain,
That's what I'd be willing to do.
For whatever it takes to be more like you,
That's what I'd be willing to do.
Is there ANYTHING that you will not give up to be more like Christ?
Philippians 3:8-11 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
Sometimes it is hard to relate to the people of the Bible because we don't know much about their day to day lives. We spent some time in the last lesson pondering some of the things that Paul may have lost for the sake of Christ. We don't know what kind of house or bank account he had . . . but it is safe to presume he lost whatever he had. We don't know many details about his parents or if he had a wife . . . but we talked about some relationships he might have lost. We can relate to these issues in our lives. The bottom line is that Paul really did lose everything. But . . . Christ did not leave him empty!
In verse 8 Paul says "Yea doubtless" which could be restated in our language as "Yes, but don't get the wrong idea!" He did not pine for those things he had lost. He had given them up willingly. He knew there was something far more precious to be won.
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent." As Christ was facing the cross He talked with His Father and acknowledged that the cross was necessary for us to know the only true God. And He was willing to submit to that horrible death because He knew the real purpose of it was to show the world the only true God. Paul did not value the things he had lost when he compared them to the "excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus (his) Lord." As worthless as he knew his possessions and relationships were (and remember he called them dung), he valued the knowledge of Christ as excellent. We have all had losses or trials in our lives that seemed meaningless. But we have also had losses and trials that had some sort of outcome that we felt made the situation "worth it."
Paul describes the lifestyle he had led before as the righteousness which is of the law and called it "his." It was dependent on what he did or did not do. He determined how righteous his life was. Now he wanted the righteousness that came from faith in Christ. No more religion but the ultimate relationship.
"That I may know Him and the POWER of His resurrection . . ." Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity. He did not have to rely on God the Father to raise Him from the dead. He actually had that power within Himself. His God-ness had unlimited power when His man-ness was dead. Talk about some super power!
And Paul wanted to know the "fellowship" of His sufferings. Fellowship is having things in common. What Christ suffered physically is beyond our comprehension. The movie "The Passion" was one man's attempt to portray some of what that crucifixion was like. While I know that Hollywood could never capture the full scope of Christ's physical suffering, that movie gave me a mental picture that was much clearer than my imagination would allow me to create on my own. I've heard pastors and evangelists try to describe the sheer agony of that day. I have a very vivid imagination. But I had nothing in my life to compare it to, so my mental picture was always very bland. Paul knew what crucifixion was. He had undoubtedly witnessed a few of them. And he wanted to have the relationship with Christ that comes from having that suffering in common. He wanted to be "conformable unto His death." Whether Paul was saying he was willing to suffer everything that Christ did or if he was saying he wanted to have a heart that was willing to love and care for sinners enough to die for them, he wanted to be conformed to Christ's death. Conformed has the idea of changing something from what it is into a copy of something else.
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to be able to pass through death into new life. Whatever it takes.
The challenge from these verses can be found in the song "Whatever It Takes" by Lanny Wolfe.
Whatever It Takes
There's a voice calling me, from an old rugged tree
And He whispers draw closer to me
Leave this world far behind,
There are new heights to climb
And a new place in Me you will find
And whatever it takes, to draw closer to You Lord
That's what I'd be wiling to do
And whatever it takes, to be more like you
That's what I'd be willing to do
Take my houses and lands,
Take my dreams and my plans.
I place my who life in Your hands.
And if you call me someday,
To a land far away,
Lord, I'll go and Your will obey.
And whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord,
That's what I'll be willing to do.
And whatever it takes for my will to break,
That's what I'll be willing to do.
Take the dearest things to me, if that's how it must be
To draw closer to Thee
Let the disappointments come, lonely days without the sun
If through sorrow more like You I'll become.
I'll trade sunshine for rain, comfort for pain,
That's what I'd be willing to do.
For whatever it takes to be more like you,
That's what I'd be willing to do.
Is there ANYTHING that you will not give up to be more like Christ?
Friday, October 18, 2013
What have you got to lose?
Philippians 3 - THE SPIRITUAL MIND or THINGS CAN ROB JOY
Philippians 3:8-11 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
The Old English of the KJV sounds very formal to us. Paul is beginning these verses (which are actually one long sentence) by making a contrast to the verses above. We have looked at the descriptions of the human things that Paul had accomplished and could brag about. In our casual English these verses set a tone of "Oh, yeah? Well if you think you're somebody special, let me just tell you who I AM!" The contrast words that begin today's section could be interpreted "Yeah, well, whatever." All of those great accomplishments really meant nothing to Paul.
Paul had listed all of the things he could glory in as a way of getting their attention. It was sort of like him listing off a resume that validated his right to speak on this subject. Here he gently turns their attention away from the razzle dazzle of his accomplishments and says "I count all of that as dung."
So, what is dung? In the walls surrounding Jerusalem, there are gates that all have names based on what they were used for. The Sheep Gate was near the section of town where the shepherds brought sheep into the city for sale or sacrifice. The Eastern Gate faced the east and the rising sun. It was all part of a system of organization. The Dung Gate had its purpose too. Outside of this gate was the landfill. Imagine a city with no trash pickup, no garbage disposals in the sink, and no sewer. If we had to collect all of our household's trash, garbage, and sewage for just one day think how that would stink! There were no Pampers or Kotex products. There was no refrigeration to keep food from spoiling if it was kept overnight and no garbage disposal to get rid of it before bedtime. Most of the people who do not like camping would be shocked and overwhelmed if they were transported back to this time!
Not a single one of us would keep a dirty baby diaper around any longer than we had to. There is no good use for it. There is no value to it. There is nothing enjoyable about it. Especially a cloth diaper that the poo has been mashed into the fabric. We're so proper in this day and age that even a conversation about such things makes us squeamish and uncomfortable. That is how Paul felt about his "great" accomplishments before his salvation. Talking about them made him squeamish and uncomfortable. He had no use for them and saw no value in them.
Paul counted all of his accomplishments as useless and vile compared to his new goal of knowing Christ. He did not have the idea of just getting familiar with Christ in a casual friendship way. He meant that he wanted to understand Christ and be a part of His glory.
Many people have speculated about Paul's marital situation. Just as it is today, society expects people to be married and consider it a part of their success. I do not claim to know the facts for sure, but if we consider for a moment that his Jewish heritage would value marriage and his Roman heritage would expect marriage, it seems logical that he was indeed married. His wife would have been very respected in the social circles. When we know of a man who has power and fame, we automatically wonder about his wife and she has "movie star" status. But Paul never talks about a wife. One thought on this topic is that Paul was indeed married, but when he became a Christian and embraced this new system of faith in Christ, that his wife left him. Imagine her shame. Imagine her anger. She would have lost all of her social status as soon as word spread that he had converted. There may have been pressures and threats for her to figure out what had happened to him. There may have been accusations of guilt by association that she had converted also. In my mind, I am afraid that if he were married that she would have felt betrayed and would have wasted no time whatsoever in getting as far away from Paul as possible.
And remember that he had military status. He would have been at the top of his pay grade. He maybe got bonuses for his brutality. He was probably quite wealthy. I suppose that the Roman government "froze his assets" when they heard he had converted. He probably had an impressive home and collections of weapons or memorabilia. What I understand of the Roman government, they probably went into his home and took back as many of this trophies of his conquests as they could because he was no longer worthy to keep them. His citizenship in Rome gave him certain alienable rights, but I can't imagine anyone talking to him in public any more. He was completely against the Christians one minute and completely against the government the next. His friends wouldn't have wanted to be associated with even his name now. The soldiers he had trained to persecute the Christians probably wanted to show him just how much they hated him for what they considered traitorous behavior.
Basically, everything that Paul had ever dreamed of and that he had worked so hard for all of his life, and everyone that he had chosen to have around him and worked to gain the respect and dedication of, had all been flushed down the toilet . . . where it belonged.
What things are precious to you? What positions in life or statuses do you value? What are the associations or titles that you use to identify yourself? What if it were all stripped away in a day? What if it were all stripped away in the name of Christ? Would that make it any easier to bear?
If you lost all of these things, would you lose your joy? Job said "Though He slay me, yet will I serve Him." The spiritual mind is focused on the right things.
Song: "There Is Joy In Serving Jesus"
Philippians 3:8-11 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
The Old English of the KJV sounds very formal to us. Paul is beginning these verses (which are actually one long sentence) by making a contrast to the verses above. We have looked at the descriptions of the human things that Paul had accomplished and could brag about. In our casual English these verses set a tone of "Oh, yeah? Well if you think you're somebody special, let me just tell you who I AM!" The contrast words that begin today's section could be interpreted "Yeah, well, whatever." All of those great accomplishments really meant nothing to Paul.
Paul had listed all of the things he could glory in as a way of getting their attention. It was sort of like him listing off a resume that validated his right to speak on this subject. Here he gently turns their attention away from the razzle dazzle of his accomplishments and says "I count all of that as dung."
So, what is dung? In the walls surrounding Jerusalem, there are gates that all have names based on what they were used for. The Sheep Gate was near the section of town where the shepherds brought sheep into the city for sale or sacrifice. The Eastern Gate faced the east and the rising sun. It was all part of a system of organization. The Dung Gate had its purpose too. Outside of this gate was the landfill. Imagine a city with no trash pickup, no garbage disposals in the sink, and no sewer. If we had to collect all of our household's trash, garbage, and sewage for just one day think how that would stink! There were no Pampers or Kotex products. There was no refrigeration to keep food from spoiling if it was kept overnight and no garbage disposal to get rid of it before bedtime. Most of the people who do not like camping would be shocked and overwhelmed if they were transported back to this time!
Not a single one of us would keep a dirty baby diaper around any longer than we had to. There is no good use for it. There is no value to it. There is nothing enjoyable about it. Especially a cloth diaper that the poo has been mashed into the fabric. We're so proper in this day and age that even a conversation about such things makes us squeamish and uncomfortable. That is how Paul felt about his "great" accomplishments before his salvation. Talking about them made him squeamish and uncomfortable. He had no use for them and saw no value in them.
Paul counted all of his accomplishments as useless and vile compared to his new goal of knowing Christ. He did not have the idea of just getting familiar with Christ in a casual friendship way. He meant that he wanted to understand Christ and be a part of His glory.
Many people have speculated about Paul's marital situation. Just as it is today, society expects people to be married and consider it a part of their success. I do not claim to know the facts for sure, but if we consider for a moment that his Jewish heritage would value marriage and his Roman heritage would expect marriage, it seems logical that he was indeed married. His wife would have been very respected in the social circles. When we know of a man who has power and fame, we automatically wonder about his wife and she has "movie star" status. But Paul never talks about a wife. One thought on this topic is that Paul was indeed married, but when he became a Christian and embraced this new system of faith in Christ, that his wife left him. Imagine her shame. Imagine her anger. She would have lost all of her social status as soon as word spread that he had converted. There may have been pressures and threats for her to figure out what had happened to him. There may have been accusations of guilt by association that she had converted also. In my mind, I am afraid that if he were married that she would have felt betrayed and would have wasted no time whatsoever in getting as far away from Paul as possible.
And remember that he had military status. He would have been at the top of his pay grade. He maybe got bonuses for his brutality. He was probably quite wealthy. I suppose that the Roman government "froze his assets" when they heard he had converted. He probably had an impressive home and collections of weapons or memorabilia. What I understand of the Roman government, they probably went into his home and took back as many of this trophies of his conquests as they could because he was no longer worthy to keep them. His citizenship in Rome gave him certain alienable rights, but I can't imagine anyone talking to him in public any more. He was completely against the Christians one minute and completely against the government the next. His friends wouldn't have wanted to be associated with even his name now. The soldiers he had trained to persecute the Christians probably wanted to show him just how much they hated him for what they considered traitorous behavior.
Basically, everything that Paul had ever dreamed of and that he had worked so hard for all of his life, and everyone that he had chosen to have around him and worked to gain the respect and dedication of, had all been flushed down the toilet . . . where it belonged.
What things are precious to you? What positions in life or statuses do you value? What are the associations or titles that you use to identify yourself? What if it were all stripped away in a day? What if it were all stripped away in the name of Christ? Would that make it any easier to bear?
If you lost all of these things, would you lose your joy? Job said "Though He slay me, yet will I serve Him." The spiritual mind is focused on the right things.
Song: "There Is Joy In Serving Jesus"
Friday, October 11, 2013
Who do you think you are?
PHILIPPIANS 3 - - THE SPIRITUAL MIND - or - THINGS ROB JOY
Philippians 3:3-7 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."
Paul just warned us about the Judaisers who were making faith something of works. They were weakening the value of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection by claiming it was not enough and needed to include certain works. Verse 3 lists three things that Paul specified were the "new" marks of dedication to God. Circumcision had been an outward evidence of an inward spiritual change. The changes in worship that needed to come about (no more sacrificing, no more following the Law, living by grace) were the New Testament equivalent of circumcision. Paul continues to teach and reassure these Christians that the ceremonies they had been observing were no longer required to demonstrate their faith.
"We are the circumcision which . . . " 1. worship God in the spirit (no more rituals or ceremonies but faith in the heart) 2. rejoice in Christ Jesus recognize Christ as the Messiah and give Him the rightful honor that is due Him) 3. have no confidence in the flesh (do not depend on the Law to validate our faith). There are movements today such as Messianic Judaism that still hold to many of the detailed rituals and laws of the Old Testament as part of their worship. This verse clearly states that these practices are no longer essential and actually have been replaced.
The Dispensation of the Law was a time period where the people followed the letter of the Law as a demonstration of their faith in the coming Messiah and His work on Calvary. Their actions and habits set them apart from the rest of the world and clearly marked them as peculiar. Today our actions and habits set us apart from the rest of the world and clearly mark us as peculiar.
Paul goes on to remind them of just exactly who he is to be making such claims. He states that if ANYONE has any right to claim confidence in the flesh, he does and here are his supporting statements:
Circumcised the eighth day His parents had followed tradition ever since his birth
Of the stock of Israel He establishes his Jewish heritage not just culture
Of the tribe of Benjamin It is essential to Jews that they be able to prove their
lineage and identify which tribe they descend from
An Hebrew of the Hebrews A Jew that could speak Hebrew AND Aramaic
Touching the Law A Pharisee (pious sect that prided themselves on holding
every single part of the Law)
Concerning zeal Persecuting the church (traditional Jews did not want to
accept the "new" form of worship and were judged for how
they stood up against it)
Touching the righteousness
which is in the Law Blameless (He knew the Law so well He didn't make mistakes against it)
Of all people in the world at his time, Paul was someone who could brag on his accomplishments and his "Jewish-ness." His whole life, from the time he was born, was focused on the Law, he knew the in's and out's of it, and he kept it. BUT . . .
All of these credentials, which he had worked his entire life to earn, and that set him apart as a Jew to be revered and honored, he counted as empty and lost. His past life as Saul where he persecuted the church was valued by how zealously he had worked to squash this "new" religion. He went overboard to prove his dedication. He was the equivalent of "working his way up the ladder" and was an over-achiever. He didn't just do things rightly, he did things perfectly! And all of that training and work and passion got him nowhere in the eyes of God.
I am a pastor's wife. I have been saved 42 years. I can go on and on, but just this much starts to make me sick and uncomfortable. Who do I think I am? I am nobody! The only One Who makes me worthy to be in God's presence is Jesus Christ my Savior. And we need to get a better grasp on that fact and be humbled by it. "There is none righteous, no not one!" Except through Christ. Keeping the Law so perfectly and with such vigor did nothing to help Paul be accepted in the eyes of God. It doesn't matter how many Bible verses I can quote, how perfectly my skirts are lengthened, how many casseroles I have made, how many specials I have sung, or diapers I have changed in the church nursery! I have nothing to brag about . . . except what Christ did on Calvary.
Are you like Jews of Paul's day judging your spiritual worth by the number of things you do? Or are you trusting in Christ and salvation through faith?
Philippians 3:3-7 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."
Paul just warned us about the Judaisers who were making faith something of works. They were weakening the value of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection by claiming it was not enough and needed to include certain works. Verse 3 lists three things that Paul specified were the "new" marks of dedication to God. Circumcision had been an outward evidence of an inward spiritual change. The changes in worship that needed to come about (no more sacrificing, no more following the Law, living by grace) were the New Testament equivalent of circumcision. Paul continues to teach and reassure these Christians that the ceremonies they had been observing were no longer required to demonstrate their faith.
"We are the circumcision which . . . " 1. worship God in the spirit (no more rituals or ceremonies but faith in the heart) 2. rejoice in Christ Jesus recognize Christ as the Messiah and give Him the rightful honor that is due Him) 3. have no confidence in the flesh (do not depend on the Law to validate our faith). There are movements today such as Messianic Judaism that still hold to many of the detailed rituals and laws of the Old Testament as part of their worship. This verse clearly states that these practices are no longer essential and actually have been replaced.
The Dispensation of the Law was a time period where the people followed the letter of the Law as a demonstration of their faith in the coming Messiah and His work on Calvary. Their actions and habits set them apart from the rest of the world and clearly marked them as peculiar. Today our actions and habits set us apart from the rest of the world and clearly mark us as peculiar.
Paul goes on to remind them of just exactly who he is to be making such claims. He states that if ANYONE has any right to claim confidence in the flesh, he does and here are his supporting statements:
Circumcised the eighth day His parents had followed tradition ever since his birth
Of the stock of Israel He establishes his Jewish heritage not just culture
Of the tribe of Benjamin It is essential to Jews that they be able to prove their
lineage and identify which tribe they descend from
An Hebrew of the Hebrews A Jew that could speak Hebrew AND Aramaic
Touching the Law A Pharisee (pious sect that prided themselves on holding
every single part of the Law)
Concerning zeal Persecuting the church (traditional Jews did not want to
accept the "new" form of worship and were judged for how
they stood up against it)
Touching the righteousness
which is in the Law Blameless (He knew the Law so well He didn't make mistakes against it)
Of all people in the world at his time, Paul was someone who could brag on his accomplishments and his "Jewish-ness." His whole life, from the time he was born, was focused on the Law, he knew the in's and out's of it, and he kept it. BUT . . .
All of these credentials, which he had worked his entire life to earn, and that set him apart as a Jew to be revered and honored, he counted as empty and lost. His past life as Saul where he persecuted the church was valued by how zealously he had worked to squash this "new" religion. He went overboard to prove his dedication. He was the equivalent of "working his way up the ladder" and was an over-achiever. He didn't just do things rightly, he did things perfectly! And all of that training and work and passion got him nowhere in the eyes of God.
I am a pastor's wife. I have been saved 42 years. I can go on and on, but just this much starts to make me sick and uncomfortable. Who do I think I am? I am nobody! The only One Who makes me worthy to be in God's presence is Jesus Christ my Savior. And we need to get a better grasp on that fact and be humbled by it. "There is none righteous, no not one!" Except through Christ. Keeping the Law so perfectly and with such vigor did nothing to help Paul be accepted in the eyes of God. It doesn't matter how many Bible verses I can quote, how perfectly my skirts are lengthened, how many casseroles I have made, how many specials I have sung, or diapers I have changed in the church nursery! I have nothing to brag about . . . except what Christ did on Calvary.
Are you like Jews of Paul's day judging your spiritual worth by the number of things you do? Or are you trusting in Christ and salvation through faith?
Friday, October 4, 2013
The Law is not Faith
Philippians 3 - - The Spiritual Mind or Things Can Rob Joy
Phil 3:2-7 "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
In these verses, Paul's warnings to the Philippian church are about some very interesting things that can rob joy and he uses some interesting words. Paul, who was a Jew, warns these Christians to beware of dogs. The Jews of his day referred to Gentiles as dogs in the most derogatory way. Think of Hitler referring to the Jews as dogs also. Paul has MY attention, but who exactly is Paul warning about here?
Judaizers taught that it was essential to be circumcised as a part of salvation. They were clinging to the ritualism of Judaism instead of making the shift to salvation and grace. Salvation plus anything is not pure salvation any more. If you have a glass of milk and you pour in some water, you no longer have milk or water! Paul was very serious about his warnings. He did not want the Philippian church to be swayed into diluting salvation by re-adding parts of the Old Testament Law to the finished work of atonement by Christ on the cross. He called these fellow Jews "dogs" because they were causing division and changing salvation. When he calls these Judaizers part of the "concision" he is actually calling them "mutilators." What they were teaching no longer has any bearing on our faith. They were giving people false confidence in their works.
We must remember who Paul was as we examine this teaching of leaving the Law and following grace. Do not forget that he was a living legend in his time. He was educated to the highest level available in Jewish Law. He had devoted his life to enforcing the traditions of Judaism. He was an amazing authority on what the Law said and how it was lived and he was an enforcer of that Law.
When Christ died on the cross and rose again the "church" was established and God's instructions were to stop the sacrifices and rituals that had been put in place for the Children of Israel. Christ had taught the apostles how they would live by a new perspective of faith. The saints of the Old Testament had been watching for Messiah to come, which is forward-facing. The Children of Israel had been given the Law to follow when they left Egypt and needed structure and rules to govern themselves. The Law brings a curse. The believer is delivered from that curse through Christ, Who was made a curse for us. The crucifixion brought Him under the curse of the Law as explained in Deuteronomy 21:23 "He that is hanged (on a tree) is accursed of God." When Christ paid the highest penalty possible in His death, He became the complete sacrifice. A lamb or bullock offered in sacrifice was a symbol of the person who had committed sin. When an actual, sinless human died in our place for our sin there is no higher fulfillment of the Law! His resurrection proved His power over death and testified to His deity.
Once the Law had been fulfilled like that, it no longer had any power or authority. Galatians 3:22-29 explains "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. but before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
It is impossible for any of us to keep every single part of the Law. Galatians 3:10-11 says "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident for, The just shall live by faith."
It was hard for the Jews to accept this new backward-facing faith of trusting in the crucifixion and resurrection which were events of the past now. And Paul understood the appeal of hanging onto the traditions and rules that allowed these early Christians to measure their obedience. But of anyone, he was the one and only person whose resume, shall we say, qualified him to explain the restraints of the Law and the liberty of faith and grace.
His warning is relevant to today. We often find a measure of satisfaction in checking off our mental list of "Christian" things to do. We consider ourselves right with God if we are doing this and this and this. There are commandments that we are to follow but what makes us right with God is our relationship with Him. I am not happily married to my husband because I live in the same house and have children together or because I claim his name. I am a happily married wife because I love my husband and I make choices to honor and please him. We do things together that we both enjoy and we have the same purpose of serving our Lord. It's not a list of things I do, but a relationship that I choose and nurture. My faith is a choice that I make. I chose long ago to forsake trying to behave according to the Law, and to instead live a life that is in Christ and trusting His sacrificial death to pay for my sins. Trying to live my life by a physical standard will rob me of the joy of a real relationship with God.
Song:
Phil 3:2-7 "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
In these verses, Paul's warnings to the Philippian church are about some very interesting things that can rob joy and he uses some interesting words. Paul, who was a Jew, warns these Christians to beware of dogs. The Jews of his day referred to Gentiles as dogs in the most derogatory way. Think of Hitler referring to the Jews as dogs also. Paul has MY attention, but who exactly is Paul warning about here?
Judaizers taught that it was essential to be circumcised as a part of salvation. They were clinging to the ritualism of Judaism instead of making the shift to salvation and grace. Salvation plus anything is not pure salvation any more. If you have a glass of milk and you pour in some water, you no longer have milk or water! Paul was very serious about his warnings. He did not want the Philippian church to be swayed into diluting salvation by re-adding parts of the Old Testament Law to the finished work of atonement by Christ on the cross. He called these fellow Jews "dogs" because they were causing division and changing salvation. When he calls these Judaizers part of the "concision" he is actually calling them "mutilators." What they were teaching no longer has any bearing on our faith. They were giving people false confidence in their works.
We must remember who Paul was as we examine this teaching of leaving the Law and following grace. Do not forget that he was a living legend in his time. He was educated to the highest level available in Jewish Law. He had devoted his life to enforcing the traditions of Judaism. He was an amazing authority on what the Law said and how it was lived and he was an enforcer of that Law.
When Christ died on the cross and rose again the "church" was established and God's instructions were to stop the sacrifices and rituals that had been put in place for the Children of Israel. Christ had taught the apostles how they would live by a new perspective of faith. The saints of the Old Testament had been watching for Messiah to come, which is forward-facing. The Children of Israel had been given the Law to follow when they left Egypt and needed structure and rules to govern themselves. The Law brings a curse. The believer is delivered from that curse through Christ, Who was made a curse for us. The crucifixion brought Him under the curse of the Law as explained in Deuteronomy 21:23 "He that is hanged (on a tree) is accursed of God." When Christ paid the highest penalty possible in His death, He became the complete sacrifice. A lamb or bullock offered in sacrifice was a symbol of the person who had committed sin. When an actual, sinless human died in our place for our sin there is no higher fulfillment of the Law! His resurrection proved His power over death and testified to His deity.
Once the Law had been fulfilled like that, it no longer had any power or authority. Galatians 3:22-29 explains "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. but before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
It is impossible for any of us to keep every single part of the Law. Galatians 3:10-11 says "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident for, The just shall live by faith."
It was hard for the Jews to accept this new backward-facing faith of trusting in the crucifixion and resurrection which were events of the past now. And Paul understood the appeal of hanging onto the traditions and rules that allowed these early Christians to measure their obedience. But of anyone, he was the one and only person whose resume, shall we say, qualified him to explain the restraints of the Law and the liberty of faith and grace.
His warning is relevant to today. We often find a measure of satisfaction in checking off our mental list of "Christian" things to do. We consider ourselves right with God if we are doing this and this and this. There are commandments that we are to follow but what makes us right with God is our relationship with Him. I am not happily married to my husband because I live in the same house and have children together or because I claim his name. I am a happily married wife because I love my husband and I make choices to honor and please him. We do things together that we both enjoy and we have the same purpose of serving our Lord. It's not a list of things I do, but a relationship that I choose and nurture. My faith is a choice that I make. I chose long ago to forsake trying to behave according to the Law, and to instead live a life that is in Christ and trusting His sacrificial death to pay for my sins. Trying to live my life by a physical standard will rob me of the joy of a real relationship with God.
Song:
Friday, September 13, 2013
I will tell you again . . . and again . . . and again
Philippians Chapter 3 - - THE SPIRITUAL MIND or THINGS ROB OUR JOY
"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe."
As we move into chapter 3 of Paul's letter, he gives them some basic reminders. We all need basic reminders from time to time. The first reminder Paul gives his fellow Christians is to "rejoice in the Lord." This world we live in is not so very different from the world Paul lived in when we are referring to the basics of life. People are just people . . . no matter when or where they live. Strip away the technology of today, set aside the modern conveniences and just compare apples to apples. People are the same. We all have the natural tendency to focus on ourselves. We look at every situation from the perspective of "how does this affect ME?" We are the center of our own little universe. Remember Lucifer the Angel of Light? He was all about his own agenda. When you sit back and really think about it, the people you know who are the most self-centered or self-focused are NOT the happiest people you know. They are always offended, always suspicious of the intentions of others, and most often just not happy.
Now think about the people you know who are the happiest or the most content. They are the people who are dedicated to serving others! The mom who is working to train her children is much happier than the mom who is always reacting to the bad behavior of her children. The volunteer who serves others but receives no paycheck is far happier than the person who is paid a very high wage but hates their job. When our focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are doing things with His kingdom in mind, we will always be much more at peace and have much more genuine joy.
Because Paul's focus was on helping these Christians grow in the Lord, he did not even mind going over the same lessons again and again if that is what they needed. I remember when my kids were little and I was working and tired and stressed out with their natural behavior. I would become so frustrated and so impatient when I had to keep telling one of them to do the same thing again and again. "Sit down in the shopping cart. I said, 'Sit down.' I'm not telling you again. Sit down in the shopping cart. You better listen to me!" Yes, there was the concern for their safety, but when they didn't listen and obey me I became focused on the reactions of others around me. Were they judging me? Did they think I was a bad parent? Later on when I learned some better behaviors about training my children, I didn't lose my patience with them or my temper nearly so often. When I changed my focus to training their hearts I didn't mind telling them the same thing over and over until they mastered it. Paul is doing the same thing here. He is reminding them of some things he knows they know, but he is patient about it.
Rejoice in the Lord. Look at things from a new perspective! That person who cut me off in traffic . . . didn't just inconvenience me because I had to touch the brakes a little. Perhaps they are having a really rough day and just weren't paying attention. That person at the store who is pitching a blustery fit . . . just maybe they are scared and hurting and their behavior is their attempt to control at least one little situation in their day. When I stop filtering everything through the filter of "how does this affect me" and turn my thoughts around to "what does Christ think of this situation" MY reactions will be utterly and completely the opposite of what they were before!
There was a science focused TV show that our son loved to watch. One of the hosts of the show often said, "I reject your reality and substitute my own." Try that today in your own life. Take a deep breath and stop reacting to how people treat you. Look at them and their actions through the filter of "Jesus loves that person." It's pretty hard to be aggravated with someone when you realize their behavior is caused by self focused sin. It is far easier to be patient with someone when you remind yourself that Christ died on the cross for that crouchy bugger. Did you get a flat tire? Rejoice! Perhaps God wants you to cross paths with a certain person at the garage. Did someone give you a dirty look? Rejoice! You have an opportunity to witness to them through your reactions! Is your spouse or your child jumping on your very last nerve? Rejoice! God is trusting you to respond in a manner that points them back to God.
Paul didn't mind going back to the simple lessons and teaching them again, because his focus wasn't "Why can't they just learn what I've taught them a thousand times?" But his focus was "They are trying and I have another opportunity to guide them."
When I am looking at everything through a spiritual filter instead of a selfish filter, I can rejoice in anything. "Great peace have they that love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them" Psalm 119:165
"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe."
As we move into chapter 3 of Paul's letter, he gives them some basic reminders. We all need basic reminders from time to time. The first reminder Paul gives his fellow Christians is to "rejoice in the Lord." This world we live in is not so very different from the world Paul lived in when we are referring to the basics of life. People are just people . . . no matter when or where they live. Strip away the technology of today, set aside the modern conveniences and just compare apples to apples. People are the same. We all have the natural tendency to focus on ourselves. We look at every situation from the perspective of "how does this affect ME?" We are the center of our own little universe. Remember Lucifer the Angel of Light? He was all about his own agenda. When you sit back and really think about it, the people you know who are the most self-centered or self-focused are NOT the happiest people you know. They are always offended, always suspicious of the intentions of others, and most often just not happy.
Now think about the people you know who are the happiest or the most content. They are the people who are dedicated to serving others! The mom who is working to train her children is much happier than the mom who is always reacting to the bad behavior of her children. The volunteer who serves others but receives no paycheck is far happier than the person who is paid a very high wage but hates their job. When our focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are doing things with His kingdom in mind, we will always be much more at peace and have much more genuine joy.
Because Paul's focus was on helping these Christians grow in the Lord, he did not even mind going over the same lessons again and again if that is what they needed. I remember when my kids were little and I was working and tired and stressed out with their natural behavior. I would become so frustrated and so impatient when I had to keep telling one of them to do the same thing again and again. "Sit down in the shopping cart. I said, 'Sit down.' I'm not telling you again. Sit down in the shopping cart. You better listen to me!" Yes, there was the concern for their safety, but when they didn't listen and obey me I became focused on the reactions of others around me. Were they judging me? Did they think I was a bad parent? Later on when I learned some better behaviors about training my children, I didn't lose my patience with them or my temper nearly so often. When I changed my focus to training their hearts I didn't mind telling them the same thing over and over until they mastered it. Paul is doing the same thing here. He is reminding them of some things he knows they know, but he is patient about it.
Rejoice in the Lord. Look at things from a new perspective! That person who cut me off in traffic . . . didn't just inconvenience me because I had to touch the brakes a little. Perhaps they are having a really rough day and just weren't paying attention. That person at the store who is pitching a blustery fit . . . just maybe they are scared and hurting and their behavior is their attempt to control at least one little situation in their day. When I stop filtering everything through the filter of "how does this affect me" and turn my thoughts around to "what does Christ think of this situation" MY reactions will be utterly and completely the opposite of what they were before!
There was a science focused TV show that our son loved to watch. One of the hosts of the show often said, "I reject your reality and substitute my own." Try that today in your own life. Take a deep breath and stop reacting to how people treat you. Look at them and their actions through the filter of "Jesus loves that person." It's pretty hard to be aggravated with someone when you realize their behavior is caused by self focused sin. It is far easier to be patient with someone when you remind yourself that Christ died on the cross for that crouchy bugger. Did you get a flat tire? Rejoice! Perhaps God wants you to cross paths with a certain person at the garage. Did someone give you a dirty look? Rejoice! You have an opportunity to witness to them through your reactions! Is your spouse or your child jumping on your very last nerve? Rejoice! God is trusting you to respond in a manner that points them back to God.
Paul didn't mind going back to the simple lessons and teaching them again, because his focus wasn't "Why can't they just learn what I've taught them a thousand times?" But his focus was "They are trying and I have another opportunity to guide them."
When I am looking at everything through a spiritual filter instead of a selfish filter, I can rejoice in anything. "Great peace have they that love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them" Psalm 119:165
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