Meditation

Hi there,

Rejoice in the Lord! Once more Paul reminds his friends to be joyful as he shares “the same things” (the gospel message) once again. All of these reminders of the true gospel of Jesus Christ—"the same things” that we’ve been copying out in our notebooks—help keep believers safe from false teachers, even today.

Paul’s next section here is an interesting one. He wants the church in Philippi to “put no confidence in the flesh,” and instead put their confidence in Jesus. To make his point, he pretends to “boast” about the things in his own past that used to make him feel worthy of God’s approval.

Things like following the Hebrew religious laws, being from one of the “right” tribes, learning and saying all the “right” things, being faultless in his righteousness, and more.

But now, Paul doesn’t glory in any of these things. After his conversion (see​ Acts 9:1-19​ for that amazing story), he willingly counts it all as loss for the sake of Christ.

Are there fleshly or worldly things that you’re tempted to put your confidence in? It might be your family, or your history, your virtues, your talents, your job … can you say with Paul that you can count them all as loss for the sake of Christ?

Today’s text is Philippians 3:1-7

No Confidence in the Flesh

3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Encouragement

²³ This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, ²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:23–24

Rebekah

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