May 9 – Philippians 3:15-16
“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Though Paul has acknowledged the fact that he has yet to attain perfection in Christ, he does expect that he and the Philippians along with him, to have gained some spiritual maturity. Paul has spent much time with different churches, teaching them to move beyond spiritual infancy to maturity.
Paul and I probably wouldn’t have gotten along too well … I’m fairly certain that if we were in the same room and given enough time, we would have butted heads pretty hard. In the next part of this verse, Paul lets us know that if you disagree with him on any of these matters, God will clear you up! That just made me laugh!
I know that there have been people that, when in matters of disagreement, will announce they are praying for the opposition … in essence, garnering God’s power on their side … obviously they are in the right and God will support them.
Paul was absolutely certain of this fact and while I am also assured that he only spoke (and wrote) what God told him to speak (or write), it still makes me laugh a lot to read his words telling the opposition that one day God will take them down a notch or two … he’s just going to pray for them.
Then, he speaks again to the Philippians, “Let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Every day we make choices; we either live according to the life God calls us and to which we have already responded or we don’t. We live a life that is filled with all of the possibilities that God offers us or we live lives that close doors and remove options for our futures. We have already attained everything by having faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Paul calls us to live each day as if we remember that!
“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Though Paul has acknowledged the fact that he has yet to attain perfection in Christ, he does expect that he and the Philippians along with him, to have gained some spiritual maturity. Paul has spent much time with different churches, teaching them to move beyond spiritual infancy to maturity.
Paul and I probably wouldn’t have gotten along too well … I’m fairly certain that if we were in the same room and given enough time, we would have butted heads pretty hard. In the next part of this verse, Paul lets us know that if you disagree with him on any of these matters, God will clear you up! That just made me laugh!
I know that there have been people that, when in matters of disagreement, will announce they are praying for the opposition … in essence, garnering God’s power on their side … obviously they are in the right and God will support them.
Paul was absolutely certain of this fact and while I am also assured that he only spoke (and wrote) what God told him to speak (or write), it still makes me laugh a lot to read his words telling the opposition that one day God will take them down a notch or two … he’s just going to pray for them.
Then, he speaks again to the Philippians, “Let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Every day we make choices; we either live according to the life God calls us and to which we have already responded or we don’t. We live a life that is filled with all of the possibilities that God offers us or we live lives that close doors and remove options for our futures. We have already attained everything by having faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Paul calls us to live each day as if we remember that!
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