Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
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Compare All Versions: Philippians 3:2-11
3 Days
Get a glimpse into the rich truths in Bishop Courtney McBath’s book, Living at the Next Level. We weren’t meant to simply survive, or take hold of salvation merely to go to heaven. Instead, God desires us to take hold of the abundant, joyful, rewarding life that comes as a direct result of communion and relationship with Him!
Infinitum is a way of life centered on following Jesus by loving God and loving others, by emphasizing the habits and disciplines of surrender, generosity, and mission. We aim to see the Bible and the world through these Jesus-colored lenses.
4 Days
There seems to be a gap between God’s promises for Christ-followers and what we actually experience in our day-to-day lives. God wants to help you close that gap, but self-help will never get you there. This four-day plan confronts the lie of self-help with God’s power to truly change us.
Known as “the epistle of joy,” Philippians is full of encouragement and hope. Although imprisoned in Rome, Paul rejoices at the gospel’s advancement. Philippians reminds us that joy is not dependent upon circumstances. Instead, joy is rooted in the reality that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
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