Phillipians 3

Paul is, hands down, one of my favorite NT writers. He is so real. He doesn't seem to every get "preachy", even though that's exactly what he's doing. Never goes into a speaking engagement or blog post with a "holier than you" perspective. He knows full well he was just like us and that is still part of who he is and who we are; no matter how hard we try to fight it.

v. 3-7 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh  though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,  blameless.  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ

Paul does not shy away from who he was. He was the best of the best and is admitting "That's still not enough.  It's not enough just to be a good person. Paul was! If that's what it took he would've been ahead of all of us and even still! They was no one that was greater at following the law than he was!


This part of scripture is always a smack in the face to me no matter when I read it. I feel like I spend so much time trying to "be good" and do the "right thing" and reading this Paul is saying "Dude, I did the right thing! I was the best at doing the right thing, but that just doesn't matter!" Doing good cannot be our goal!

v. 13-14 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it 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.

This is where our hope comes from. When we forget what is behind and move forward to what is ahead! So many times we spend our time looking back and apologizing for the life that we've lived. Apologizing for the mistakes we've made. The times we've failed. Instead, Christ wants us to live in victory. He wants us to live in the knowledge that he has overcome all of our baggage and we must move forward with him. (Wow, that sounded a little too "Joel Osteen-ish)

I love the Lord so much and I pray that I will live out His love for me as I strive to love others. I pray that I will not simply "do good things", but that I will strive towards the goal of Christ Jesus. Always remembering that He will be glorified all the more when I die to self.