Thoughts From Philippians
Phil. 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.
Rejoice? Give thanks. Let your body catch up with what your heart knows to be the truth. I love watching NFL games and the way people go crazy when their team scores. Jumping up and down, hugging one another, screaming at the top of their lungs. They are responding to what is happening before them. The thing about what the apostle Paul has written is that our rejoicing is not because God "scored" or "knocked one out of the park," our rejoicing comes no matter what situation or circumstance we face. That when confronted with the worst of the worst, our hearts turn to God and his faithfulness that has been played out in our lives over and over. He is worthy of my rejoicing in him. Only God can give me the peace that by passes all understanding and gets down in side of my heart. My brain is screaming, "Hey! Excuse me! This doesn't make sense!" I should be upset or worried but I have a divine peace that only God can provide that brings me to a stable place emotionally and spiritually. That is the peace I crave to live in daily.
Phil. 3: 8 - 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.
Phil. 3: 8 - 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.
Paul states that he considers everything in his life (his position in the Temple, his status in society, his education, what money he had acquired, his reputation) a loss. All these things that the world looks on and rates as being valuable and worthy, Paul says that in his spiritual ledger of assets and liabilities, they are all negative. They are liabilities. Paul goes on to say that he has written them off. That nothing in this world, of this world and from this world compares to the surpassing greatness of knowing (not head knowledge or information but one-on-one relationship) Christ Jesus (Paul refers to Jesus as HIS LORD). In my own life, how could I ever make such a statement unless I had weighed or considered my lot in life? That I see clearly the true nature of what the world has to offer me in light of what Jesus is offering me. Paul goes on to say that all the "world" stuff is dung...........manure.............crap.............worthless. Those are hard words. Not very pretty words. I don't think you'll hear many preachers ascending their pulpits this Sunday and declare that the things we think are of importance is nothing more than fecal matter. Maybe sometimes we need to say what needs to be said. Not with street language or gutter mouths but with truth. I need this kind of truth in my life. What about you?
God on you...........
mb
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