Tag: Philippians 3

How are you getting, where you’re going?

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 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.  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Philippians 3:12-16

It’s so easy to get caught up in who we were in our past, last week or even an hour ago. But you can’t change the past. But we can learn from it.

Our focus should be on the present and the future; looking towards who Jesus made us to be and what he has called us to.

Dwelling on the past only makes you look backwards; it’s really hard to go forwards when you are always looking backwards.

Surrender your past year, day, hour and even the last minute to Jesus and move forward. Allow his grace and sacrifice to cleanse you of your past and focus on who he is turning you into.

He’s not concerned with what you’ve done, he already paid the price for it. His focus is on who he has made you to be and what he has planned for you.

Find Freedom

2Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.–Phillippians 3:2-9 (MSG)

We don’t earn God’s love. All he asks is our faith, our belief in the sacrifice he made for us.

The apostle Paul before he met Jesus followed all the rules and regulations to try to earn his salvation. But once he me Jesus he realized it was all in vain.

God gives salvaion freely, it can’t be eaned by good deeds and following the rules, because we have all done something wrong in our life and we can’t make up for that to a holy and perfect God, but he can. Jesus being both God and man lived a sinless life and paid the price for us so that we could find righteousness through him. He did what we can’t, because he loves us.

Stop striving to earn salvation and accept what he freely gives.


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What is dying to self?

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3;10-11

You may have heard some preachers or myself say to die to self. But what does that mean.

Dying to self, is just that dying to self. It’s putting to death your selfish desires, wants and even needs and putting others before yourself.

Sound crazy right, but that is what Jesus did in his life and death. He came to serve not be severed. He paid the price of his own life so that we could have his life in exchange for ours.

Trusting Jesus and following the leading of the Holy Spirit takes care of all our needs and even our desires. When we surrender our lives to Jesus and become who he made us to be he provides for all our needs and fulfills many of our desires beyond our wildest dreams.

You may think, I still need to live, to eat, to breathe, to sleep. So don’t I have to be selfish at someone point.

I have never regretted putting someone before myself, but I have regretted not putting someone else first.

Marriage is a example of how our relationship with Jesus is supposed to be. We are supposed to put our spouses needs before ourselves. They are supposed to do the same, which brings balance. I can’t tell you how many times I have been doing something for my husband and he surprises me by taking care of the other things I needed to do after I took care of him.

It’s the same with Jesus. When he asks us to do something for someone else he already has something in the works to take care of us.

So dying to self is simple putting God first and trusting him to take care of all that he has promised us.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

People are Priceless

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Philippians 4:1

Jesus saw people as valuable. We all are the joy set before him that he endured the cross. He gave everything to bring us into relationship with Him, Father God and Holy Spirit.

We should be encouraging others to find Jesus so that He can show them their true potential through relationship with Him.

He changed our lives. Why wouldn’t we want Jesus to do the same for others.

Bringing others into the family should be our joy and be the crown that we lay at Jesus feet.

We can’t take money or possessions to heaven with us, but we can take people.

See people as the true value that they are. The value that Jesus placed on humanity is priceless. You are priceless. All of us are priceless in God’s sight. Treat people the way Jesus did; as valuable beyond measure.


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Speak Out

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Philippians 3:1

You might have noticed a lot of my posts repeat some of the same messages. That’s because my passion is for you to have a deep intimate relationship with God and for him to use you to share the same work he has done in you and me, with others.

Paul the author of Philippians was repetitive in his teachings because he was passionate about what he taught, as am I.

What God has done for me in my life I could never repay and he still continues to shower me with his love everyday. As I know he wants to do the same for you too.

Don’t worry about sounding like a broken record when you are sharing his love with others. Simply share what the Holy Spirit leads you to, and let the burden he has placed in your heart speak out through your words and actions as you share.

Don’t limit your perspective

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.Their mind is set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven.And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:17-21

Limiting you perspective to what you know and not being willing to believe or even conceive of something out side your current knowledge, limits your ability to grow.


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If we only dealt with what was around us and never looked for a solution outside our current knowledge we would never improve.

By seeking the knowledge and perspective of our creator we allow him to change things that we may have seen as impossible before.

Just because we can’t see the solution doesn’t men one doesn’t exists.

Trust that God has an eternal view and that his solution is beyond what we could think or imagine.