Wednesday, May 29, 2019

big stuff in Philippians

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, & Colossians are 4 short epistles by Paul - just a few chapters.

They are short letters written to the followers of Jesus in each of those cities.

They are short but are jam packed with important stuff.

I think that's why I'm so fond of them. They pack such a punch in very few words.

Here's what Paul had to say in Philippians 3, after recounting his life as a Pharisee...



Philippians 3
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

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