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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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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. Sunday, March 15, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Keep Trying Bible Verse :Philippians 3:12-16 "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." Message:
Making precise sense of this passage is impossible. So please understand, this commentary is my best opinion of what Paul meant.
Paul tells us that he has not yet reached the goal of righteousness, which is a state of perfect harmony with God’s will. He has not become perfect. Therefore, he “presses on.” But he does not mean he is going to strive to obtain righteousness by his efforts; he has just finished telling us that this is impossible. He want to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of him.
Saint Paul by El Greco
St. Paul, by El Greco
He certainly expects to succeed. So we must conclude that the difficult language describes a condition that is, well, difficult to describe. It is the exact condition all of us (or surely most of us) experience: we are striving to become more righteous, knowing that our striving is destined for failure in terms of our own efforts, but at the same time, knowing that our success is guaranteed by the faith and blood of Jesus Christ.
If we cannot become righteous by our own efforts, should we then stop trying? Should we throw up our hands, saying, “this is impossible for me, I'm going to stop trying and rely on Christ”? No. We have to press forward toward the goal. We are supposed to try.
The second paragraph of the passage is no easier. “Let us who are perfect” contradicts what he just said, “Not that I have already become perfect. . . .” Perhaps he means to say that some people may have reached righteousness, but not he himself; perhaps he means to address those who consider that they have obtained righteousness, or disagree with his implied opinion that righteousness cannot be had while we live. He clearly tells us the attitude we should have, but yet, he tells us that some might have a different attitude that God will reveal to them!
The attitude by which Paul addresses his life is to “live by the standard we have attained.” Here, finally, we get a firm clue to Paul’s meaning. He is talking about Jewish morality. Those who comply with the Law should continue to comply with the Law, unless God instructs them otherwise.
So, here is my simplification of this nearly impossible passage: Lead a moral life. We must not allow our faith in Christ to undermine to undermine the morality of the Old Testament. We can rely on Christ to make up the difference, in effect; to bring us to “perfection.”
Meditation : Prayer : Oh Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you”; I pray that I and your whole church, the body of all faithful people, will know your peace, and live in harmony and unity, one with another, in accordance with your wishes. This I pray to you, who lives and reigns forever............Amen |
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