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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, March 9, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Loss and Gain Bible Verse :Philippians 3:3-7 "Loss and Gain F or we . . . who worship by the Spirit of God . . . put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." Message:
Paul here gives a second line of argument about the futility of Judaism. In verses 1-3, he simply says that Judaism—the belief that the promises of Abraham would be realized under the Law of Moses—is ended; and he had previously made the logical argument at enormous length, in Galatians. Here, he gives a second kind of argument, one familiar to Christians, that of personal testimony.
When he was known as “Saul,” Paul was a brilliant young Pharisee, a “comer,” the cream of the crop. He gives his credentials under the three cornerstones of Judaic authority. He was a true Jew by birth, circumcised as required, from the highly-reputed Tribe of Benjamin. He was a Pharisee (the sect that became today’s Orthodox Jews), a scholar of the law. His young life was spent in service of the Temple, and he was one of the premier enforcers against such heresies as the Christ-worshippers; and he followed the Law painstakingly. If a Jew could be saved by the Law, it was Paul.
ancient Icon of Jesus
And yet, he tells his listeners that, if he gained anything by his devotion to the Law, it became loss by the sacrifice of Christ. The Law became topsy-turvy, as if a million dollars in cash transformed into a million dollars in debt.
We no longer blame “the Pharisees” for the murder of Christ, as did many Christian leaders in earlier days. We recognize that our own sin is absolute; it is we, as much as they, who are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. But Paul, who had been a leader in persecuting Christians, might well have felt his responsibility for Christ's murder more keenly than we, because of his direct connection to those who had physically carried out the terrible deed.
As a pre-eminent Jew, Paul’s ostensible high holiness transformed into the utter horror of murdering the Son of God. And the depth of his feeling of guilt resulted in a flood of gratitude. How keenly he welcomed the consummate and infinite forgiveness of Christ! We might put ourselves in his shoes. Would Jesus be allowed to live today? Not a chance! It is God’s will to demonstrate to us our fundamental depravity; in Paul, he makes us understand that, through our sin, we are participants in the killing of His Son, not to make us feel bad, but just the opposite: that we might grasp the joy of His love and power, in giving us the assurance of our salvation.
Do we love Jesus Christ? Yes! Do we continue to sin? I’m afraid we do. But we have faith in the love of God, and the power of the cross, and the name of Jesus: God’s grace and mercy are infinitely powerful, and His love awaits anyone who will ask for it in faith. When we put our sin before Him, it melts like wax in the full sun. Rejoice! For our salvation by Christ’s sacrifice is truly a miracle.
Meditation : Prayer : May the Almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear me, pardon and deliver me from all my sins, confirm and strengthen me in all goodness, and bring me to everlasting life; through my Savior, Jesus Christ.........Amen |
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