Of
Wills and Ways, Part 2
Today's
Three-minute Bible Study
Print,
Study and Apply
Title:
Of Wills and Ways, Part 2
--------------------------
Date: 8/9/2002
Keywords:
"confidence" "flesh" "gain" "loss"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand
strong in the face of sexual temptation.
Passage:
Philippians
3:4-8*
4. although I myself might
have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has
a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far
more:
5. circumcised the eighth day,
of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a
Pharisee;
6. as to zeal, a persecutor of
the church; as to the righteousness which is in the
Law, found blameless.
7. But whatever things were gain
to me, those things I have counted as loss for the
sake of Christ.
8. More than that, I count all
things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in
order that I may gain Christ,
Questions
1. How confident are you
in your own ability to succeed at things?
2. How often have you failed
yourself? What does that do to your
self-confidence?
Practical
help
Today we'll add verse 8 to
the mix (click
here, for yesterday's
study).
Paul adds more fuel to the fire
with which he burns up his self-reliance (or
confidence in the flesh). Not only does he count as
loss those things of pedigree and achievement, but
anything gained and by any way. It's a radical
declaration (seemingly) yet it springs from a
spiritually rational conclusion. What is more valuable
to me as source and inspiration for success —
what I have accomplished or what Jesus has
accomplished?
When Paul took an honest
inventory of personal gains and personal failures, the
personal gains didn't seem like much to be proud of
— in light of the failures.
Let's put this into a porn
struggler's perspective.
"I'm proud! I just went six
months without surfing to a porn site. I've got it
licked." After boasting, the next day you let your
guard down and click, pop, welcome to porn-u-copia.
That's not the worst. You didn't just stay for a few
minutes, you stayed for hours. If your six month
self-reliant success was your confidence, how
confident will you be tomorrow?
See how the story changes, when
the Lord of you life changes — "I'm blessed to be
following Jesus! I followed His lead for the last six
months and it's been amazing. Oh, I took my eyes off
of Him for a while yesterday, and that was really
stupid (He thought so, too), but He said let's pick up
right where you glanced off." I said "Really?" He said
"Really!"
Really!
eXXit
homepage
Index
of three-minute studies
Copyright
2002 by eXXit
*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation
1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995. Used by permission."
---