Joy RulesSample

To emphasize his point that we should not boast about or rely on our own spiritual status or achievements, Paul starts listing all the ways he could easily do that, if that were the goal.

As much as Paul’s important heritage and years of religious practice could be impressive, he rejects them with very strong language – calling them garbage. Why do you think he says this so strongly?

Do you ever find yourself thinking about your spiritual resume or performance like a report card? The Message paraphrase says: “I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him.” Can you release the things that do not matter so that you have room to be closer to Jesus?

Practice: Think about how you would summarize your own story of faith in Jesus in 3 to 4 sentences. Write out how you used to view things versus how you see them now (trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Savior).