Today’s Scripture: Philippians 3:9, KJB- “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
Who are you? There are many mile post events and spiritual wake up calls that reveal who we truly are. We can trust the process. I began today’s writing in Philippians 3:15, the New Living Translation where Paul states that “I believe God will make it plain to you.”
My affirmation drawn from that scripture is “God will make it plain to me.” Starting back at Philippians 1 for context I was filled with awe at how far we can travel through our own lives in just these three chapters of this one snapshot of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
As Paul wrote from prison in Philippians 1:14, “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” I was reminded to be thankful for the chains in my life that have brought me to this keyboard this morning.
Because of Paul’s chains and my own, I have found a confidence in the Lord to proclaim the gospel without fear. We all have experienced forms of chains and enslavement in life. We can be confident that these seasons are shaping who we are. Our false identities and lives of pride are getting stripped away.
Just last night in our Celebrate Recovery group meeting I shared how I have lived the most part of my life enslaved by the opinions of others. I am still learning to break those chains. Here this morning Paul is speaking to me and reminding me that I am not found in the opinions of others but in Christ Himself.
As a recovering people pleaser, I promise that in Christ and the entirety of the Bible we find who we are. As we read and reflect on who Jesus Christ is we find ourselves in Him. God is making this plain to us. Do we always enjoy it? No. However as Paul shares with us in Philippians 1:18 “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,” (NIV)
No matter what we have experienced in our lives or what we will experience today, God is simply making it plain to us who we are in Him. He is giving us our message and our purpose all built on our life experiences and yes, even our chains. One day at a time, even one moment at a time, we can do as Paul instructs us to do in Philippians 3:16 “But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” (NLT)
Hang in there. We have progressed this far, and God will continue to guide us and make our next step plain to us. We must keep our minds set on things of Christ over earthly things. Let us be driven by Paul’s promise to us in Philippians 3:20-21 that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
We are being transformed into who we are in Christ. Rejoice my brothers and sisters in who you are in Christ.
Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ and the chains of Paul. Thank You for my chains, Father God, which brought me to You. Please LORD make it plain to me what I am to do for You and who I am in Christ Jesus. Use our chains LORD to glorify You and to encourage all others that we have been enslaved for Christ so we may proclaim Your gospel without fear. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ I do pray and proclaim Your gospel. Amen.
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