Tag: Philippians

Group of hikers walking on a trail toward the rising sun in a valley.

Morning Musing: Philippians 3:17

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“Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Who is your model? Who is the person whose life yours is most lived in imitation of? A parent? A grandparent? A friend? Some celebrity? Here’s a better question: are your efforts at imitation intentional or unconscious? Everybody has somebody whose life is the pattern they are seeking to match whether they realize it or not. If you don’t know who your person is, that means you are doing it unconsciously which means it may be a person you don’t want to be modeling. Here’s one more question: who is using your life as a model? Paul offers us an example here that is worth considering. Let’s do that.

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Morning Musing: Philippians 3:15-16

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“Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The hardest chemistry class I took in college was Physical Chemistry. The professor was great, but the concepts were difficult. Making things even more challenging was the fact that on every exam he included one question that we hadn’t covered in class. It was a chance for us to apply the concepts we had learned so far to something entirely new. I don’t think anyone ever did well on that question. The whole purpose of a test—a fair test anyway—is to hold you accountable for what you have learned to make sure you have really learned it. God operates in much the same way with truth. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Philippians 3:12-14

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“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We like for things to be simple and direct. Okay, that’s not entirely true. We often complicate things endlessly, but still, when things can be either this or that, black or white, we’re happier. That’s especially true when it comes to the Scriptures and key theological concepts. We are drawn to the idea, for instance that salvation is all God from start to finish. Or, we are drawn to the idea that we play a role. What we actually find, though, is something a bit messier than that. While there are definitely places where Paul emphasizes the entirely divine nature of salvation, there are also passages like this one. Let’s check it out.

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 3:10-11

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“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What is it that matters most in the end? We can offer up all sorts of different answers to that question. Various folks have pointed to money or possessions in one way or another. Most people, though, generally have a sense that isn’t the right answer. We could also point to things like relationships, good works, or renown. Here, as Paul is talking about what matters most to him, he points to something we don’t think about—even as followers of Jesus—but which should fall a whole lot more centrally on our radar. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 3:7-9

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“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What are you most proud of in this life? What is the thing you point to that you think gives your life meaning and value? How did you come by that thing? Was it given to you? Did you labor hard to achieve it? Did it come by a path of suffering? What would your life look like if you didn’t have it anymore? In the last section, Paul laid out his resume for the Philippian believers and it was a pretty impressive resume indeed. In these next few verses, starting with these two, he reflects on it all and points to what matters most to him. Let’s check it out.

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