NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
When ever I write to you my dear ones it feels as though everything I have written has been said over and over again. I feel much the same way as Paul must have felt as he wrote in Philippians 3:1-4. In this letter he wrote that he could have no confidence at all in the flesh...meaning that everything that he had ever had in this earthly world had failed him except for the promises of Christ.
Paul was now in a position in life where he was no longer constrained by the world around him. He could no longer be intimidated by the threats of death to his body because he had effectively given up his physical life to the will of God's Spirit within him. Paul was probably more aware of the cuningness of men and their deception in trying to trap and kill any movement of Christ in this world than ever before. This entire world had become more like a prison to him than anything else and he was longing to be with Christ and absent from the body. Today we if we read this whole passage we find that we are also living in a time when this world has become more like a prison to us than is is a free breathe of fresh air. In verse 2-3 Paul writes "Watch out for those dogs; those men who do evil those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Jesus Christ, and who put no confidence in the flesh."
I am prone to believe that it is these teaching rather that today we need to take heed of in bringing us back to a faith based belief in the basic word of God. Paul had all of the credentials he needed to have every confidence in the flesh because he had grown up under the careful and watchful eye of the Synagogue and the teachers of God's word to the Jews. He knew every legal in and out of their faith in the laws of Moses. The things that Paul could no longer relate to in this world was the sense of competition with one another to be the very best...and for what reason? He had already been the very best at what he did in the Synagogues , and he still could not compete against God's own Son.
In my own life things are quickly turning out much the same way...even though I have not been first or best in anything in this life I have rapidly realized over the last few months just how futile that quest is. I too have found that this world plays a game with us of holding something out in front of us we think we want and need in life only to rip it away at the last second leaving us broken and despondent. Each of us needs something much more to cling to than empty promises of this physical place...we need to hold closely and dearly to the truth that has never once been found to be disappointing to us.
In the year ends process of study of "NOT A FAN" we are finding some very important questions are coming up about our faith. It is no longer a matter of trying to join our faith with someone else whom we may feel has stronger faith than we do and then take a ride on their coattails...that kind of thing has proven not to work for us, and it has been proven over and over again in the recital of creeds , doctrines and traditions of churches throughout this country. It is time that we had our own relationship with Christ, and that we dared to think about scriptures for ourselves. This week is already coming to a close and we have the chance to once again draw near to the Father and to one another. Let's make the very best of it. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
When ever I write to you my dear ones it feels as though everything I have written has been said over and over again. I feel much the same way as Paul must have felt as he wrote in Philippians 3:1-4. In this letter he wrote that he could have no confidence at all in the flesh...meaning that everything that he had ever had in this earthly world had failed him except for the promises of Christ.
Paul was now in a position in life where he was no longer constrained by the world around him. He could no longer be intimidated by the threats of death to his body because he had effectively given up his physical life to the will of God's Spirit within him. Paul was probably more aware of the cuningness of men and their deception in trying to trap and kill any movement of Christ in this world than ever before. This entire world had become more like a prison to him than anything else and he was longing to be with Christ and absent from the body. Today we if we read this whole passage we find that we are also living in a time when this world has become more like a prison to us than is is a free breathe of fresh air. In verse 2-3 Paul writes "Watch out for those dogs; those men who do evil those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Jesus Christ, and who put no confidence in the flesh."
I am prone to believe that it is these teaching rather that today we need to take heed of in bringing us back to a faith based belief in the basic word of God. Paul had all of the credentials he needed to have every confidence in the flesh because he had grown up under the careful and watchful eye of the Synagogue and the teachers of God's word to the Jews. He knew every legal in and out of their faith in the laws of Moses. The things that Paul could no longer relate to in this world was the sense of competition with one another to be the very best...and for what reason? He had already been the very best at what he did in the Synagogues , and he still could not compete against God's own Son.
In my own life things are quickly turning out much the same way...even though I have not been first or best in anything in this life I have rapidly realized over the last few months just how futile that quest is. I too have found that this world plays a game with us of holding something out in front of us we think we want and need in life only to rip it away at the last second leaving us broken and despondent. Each of us needs something much more to cling to than empty promises of this physical place...we need to hold closely and dearly to the truth that has never once been found to be disappointing to us.
In the year ends process of study of "NOT A FAN" we are finding some very important questions are coming up about our faith. It is no longer a matter of trying to join our faith with someone else whom we may feel has stronger faith than we do and then take a ride on their coattails...that kind of thing has proven not to work for us, and it has been proven over and over again in the recital of creeds , doctrines and traditions of churches throughout this country. It is time that we had our own relationship with Christ, and that we dared to think about scriptures for ourselves. This week is already coming to a close and we have the chance to once again draw near to the Father and to one another. Let's make the very best of it. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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