Wednesday
Read Philippians 3:4-14
4I could, of course, put my trust in such things. If anyone
thinks they can trust in external ceremonies, I have even more reason to feel
that way. 5I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an
Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as
keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee, 6and I was so
zealous that I persecuted the church. As far as a person can be righteous by
obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault. 7But all those
things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ’s sake. 8Not
only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is
so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I
have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere refuse, so that I may
gain Christ 9and be completely united with him. I no longer have a
righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have
the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that
comes from God and is based on faith. 10All I want is to know Christ
and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and
become like him in his death, 11in the hope that I myself will be
raised from death to life.
12 I do not claim that I have
already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the
prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. 13Of
course, my brothers and sisters, I really do note think that I have
already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and
do my best to reach what is ahead. 14So I run straight towards the
goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the
life above.
Think
Paul celebrates the power of Christ to give him righteousness - realizing
that nothing he can do will make him righteous; only Jesus love and grace.
Admitting his failures - acknowledging his inadequacies he presses forward
- trusting Christ to call him to the life above.
Pray
Can you pray verse 10-11:
"All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his
resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in
the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life."
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