Monday, August 22, 2011

Day Six: Saul Strangulation


Before You Begin:  Read Philippians 3:2-11
No Confidence in the Flesh
Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 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 – though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 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; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Stop and Consider: “… a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”
Questions Asked of Me: If you could summarize your life in a few short lines and thoughts, what are some of the words you would use?
I was ungrateful for the things given and taught to me by my parents. I was sidetracked by pleasing only me and being appeased to by others. I was self-indulgent and felt entitled to all I was given. But then I was humbled by breast cancer and DUIs. I was forgiven by Jesus despite the person I had become. I was made a new creation and I am shown more of my purpose He created me for, each day.
Assuming that some of your answers reveal a few mistakes and regrets, how do you wish your life could be summarized? What is missing that you’d like to see added to the list?
I wish that I could be like others in the bible that got it from the beginning BUT I am grateful for so many others to emulate with that show me He uses ALL people and circumstance for His glory. I wish I knew the ending; skipping ahead a few chapters to see what I am truly capable of for Him. I wish that I was able to say that I was forgiven sooner but I didn’t ask for it; from my parents, my children, or Jesus. I wish that I was able to say I figured it out sooner so that my children could benefit from some of the good examples I set instead of what NOT to do by my bad examples I set.
As we prepare for Paul’s emergence on the biblical stage, take an extended moment to search your heart for any holdouts of man-made-law-abiding. Measure its size and weight, the heavy toll of bondage it hangs over your head each day. Commit with God’s help to throw off its suffocating shackles, choosing instead to both give and receive His grace.
Detour: Summarizing my past is not something I am proud of but I am thankful for the reminders He puts before me. Being ungrateful for what I was given growing up is truly an understatement. My parents gave me all the tools, resources, and opportunities and I did the bare minimum. I graduated high school early, went to college, joined the Army, and ran….to the beginning of my sidetracks. I only cared about myself and how things would affect me; never looking back (or forward for that matter). I was the original of the “mean girls”, pleasing only myself and having a sense of entitlement at the expense of others but then something happened. I got breast cancer and while it did not humble me in the beginning it was something I learned would be used for His glory. It was a turning point; a milestone that set Jesus working over-time even though I wasn’t seeking him. My partying was taken up a notch and two DUIs in three years followed. It was THERE that I was humbled enough, FINALLY, that I sought the forgiveness of my parents, my children, and Jesus….and actually got it despite my not feeling deserving of it from ANY of the above. I was made a new creation and nearly two years later, realize that it was the best gift I could ever be given. I am shown more and more of my purpose each day and feel that blogging in His name, as the cheerleader and spokesperson He CREATED me to be is just me finally coming into my own.
I wish that I could have been saved sooner but I didn’t think I had anything to be “saved” from. I would have loved my summary to be full of good examples for my children to follow instead of bad ones to stay away from BUT…. they see a change in me through this blog and through the reconnection we have established because of these changes and THAT is something I NEVER thought could happen.
Praying God’s Word Today: I pray today with Paul, “Everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but on that is through faith in Christ – the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11

Dear Jesus:
Thank you for people like Paul. Thank you for not making me feel “a lost cause” for not being like some of those who just “got it” from the beginning. I love that you let me know that my history is full of people that have started out less than what you wanted for us but you give us parables on how they turned it around; in different contents. I love that Paul considered everything to be a loss but you consider NOTHING to be a loss.
You giving me hope has helped me learn that I need to try and give others hope; either by writing, speaking, or cheering them along. I now know that you had me go through what I did so that I could help them like Paul helped me.
Thank you Jesus for making it easier for me, and people like me, to find you. Thank you for showing me how much faith I really have at the beginning of this study and for allowing me to answer some tough questions via this blog. I hope that others are able to reach inside themselves and know that, just like Paul….and me, it is never too late to turn from the flesh and turn to You Word for answers; even if they aren’t the answers we think we are looking to get.

Love,
Me

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