Philippians 3:1-14

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

learn

This text is such an important reminder of God’s grace in our weakness. Even in the first two lines we see Paul acknowledging how quick the Philippians (and all of us) are to forget, and how patient the Lord is in providing for us an abundance of ways to understand the truth of the gospel. It is a good thing he does this because this section of scripture is full of important concepts Paul is trying to address to Christians.

Here are 6 powerful statements Paul is making to the Philippians through the text.

Be wary of legalism.
Don’t underestimate God and overestimate your own abilities.
Believe in the sufficiency of the cross and the new covenant.
Our blamelessness is not enough to save us, but God’s grace in Christ alone is.
It is through Jesus that we can be assured of our resurrection that is to come, and until we are, he has given us the Holy Spirit to resist temptation on earth.
Press on in service to Christ until that final day.

So why are these statements significant for us to acknowledge as Christians living on earth?

Understanding these statements not only allows us to have freedom through Christ, it also gives us hope to move throughout life even when we might be experiencing more downs than ups. The beauty of Christ’s resurrection allows for us to no longer be bound by the law of the old testament. We no longer see the law as a way to work for our salvation, which is good news as we would all fall short. It is through Christ that we are given the freedom to be cleansed and strive for holiness not to make up for our sins, but to thank God for his grace to us because there is nothing we can add or need to add to our faith to make us acceptable to God. All we have to do is turn from sin and rest in Christ as our only hope in life and in death.

If we can actually believe that God is sufficient in our weakness, we can look to him in the midst of pain and where we fall short and continue on. We are shown that Jesus has already won the race for us when he conquered death to repay our sins. We are able to run the race with perseverance knowing Jesus has come before us and promises us victory in the end. As we are still running the race, there will be times where we catch a second wind and other times where we fall and get the wind knocked out of us and become discouraged- but we can have hope in knowing our perseverance will allow us to see the victory when we do finish the race He has marked out for us.

know

Picture yourself actually running this race and envision Jesus at the end rooting you on. Set this as a daily picture engraved in your mind when you are struggling, or losing sight of the goal, and also as a way to be grateful for the support and love you have as you run the race. The more we can focus on Jesus, the less hopeless, frustrated, and anxious we will be.

In prayer, ask the Lord to sustain your commitment to Him and strengthen you for the daily race ahead.

do

As we run the race, we need sufficient fuel to continue the journey. Here is my favorite quick, healthy and easy Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe.

Chicken Pineapple Cauliflower Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots (I used baby carrots to save time)

1 cup chopped celery

5 broiled chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts, chopped

2 cups chopped pineapple

I bag cauliflower fried rice (Trader Joes frozen riced cauliflower is best)

1½ tablespoon soy sauce (or alternative)

2 tbsp pineapple juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs (omit if desired)

Instructions

Heat up a frying pan or wok on medium high heat (about 5 minutes).
Add olive oil, minced garlic and chopped onion, saute until fragrant (1 minute).
Add chopped carrots, chicken, and pineapple, saute until the carrots are softened (5 minutes).
Add the cauliflower rice, add more oil if needed to get a more fried consistency.
Add soy sauce and pineapple juice to stir fry until everything is heated through (3 minutes).
Crack 1 - 2 eggs in center of wok, stir egg, and then mix to incorporate after cooked. (1min)
Adjust seasoning to taste and serve immediately.

*Tip: Cut the pineapple in half long ways, gut out pineapple inside and serve the food in the pineapple as the bowls.
(3-4 servings)