Insights For My Black Journal

These insight have to go with my black journal entry for the 9th of October 2021.

3:2-3 The world is full of deceivers. We must be especially alert for those who offer recovery plans that exclude God. The false teachers Paul mentioned demanded that Gentile Christians obey the Jewish law of circumcision in order to be saved. The apostle stood against this claim, reminding the Philippians that only God through Jesus Christ could bring them deliverance. This message is for us, too. If people claim we don't need God for a successful recovery, we should walk the other way. Programs that depend on our actions will never succeed for long. Until we admit that we are powerless to help ourselves, we won't succeed in our recovery.

 3:4-11 Paul made a detailed inventory of his past behaviors-including his religious activities and found nothing worth hanging on to. He threw out his past life and replaced it with his new life in Christ. We should engage in an honest inventory of our own heritage and accomplishments as Paul did.

 As we compare the value of our past accomplishments to the power offered by Christ, we will find the new life God offers is the obvious choice. Our personal inventory helps us discover that the things of this world can't satisfy our eternal needs-only God can. 

3:17-21 On the human level, we need to pattern our lives after those who, despite difficulties, have successfully lived for Christ. Those who fail to examine themselves end up spending all their efforts living only for themselves, enslaved by destructive habits and dependencies. Full recovery, however, can be experienced by trusting Jesus Christ and following in his steps. Some of us may wonder if we will ever get beyond the pain we experience on a daily basis. But even if the pain remains throughout our lives, we will be changed completely when Jesus Christ returns.

4:1-3 Since we know with certainty what our ultimate destiny is, we can confidently face the hard ships of life. Paul set a good example for how to grow spiritually and encourage others in their growth. To encourage these two Christian women to reestablish a harmonious relationship, he com plimented them on their previous service to God. He was assuming that they were humble enough to take criticism and change for the better. When we keep a close watch on our own life, as Paul did his, we will be better able to hold others accountable to their recovery commitment.

12-STEP DEVOTIONAL

STEP 6 : Attitudes and Actions

BIBLE READING: Philippians 3:12-14 

We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 

Getting "entirely ready" to have God remove "all" our defects of character sounds impossible. In reality we know that such perfection is out of human reach. This is another way of saying that we are going to do our best to work toward a lifelong goal that no one ever reaches until eternity.

The apostle Paul expressed a similar thought: "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfec tion for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.... Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" (Philippians 3:12-14).

This combination of a positive attitude and energetic effort is part of the mystery of our cooperation with God. Paul said: "Work hard to show the results of your sal vation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:12-13).

We will need to practice these steps the rest of our lives. We don't have to demand perfection of ourselves; it is enough to keep moving ahead as best we can. We can look forward to our rewards with the hope of becoming all that God intends us to be. God will strengthen and encour age us as we do so. Turn to page 915, Isaiah 57.