Good Reminders

Scripture:
"To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you." Philippians 3:1

Observations:
There is a natural reaction to repeated lessons which causes to me to initially get frustrated. I hate to tell my kids the same things over and over again. I feel like a failure when I have to repeatedly go over the same things with people at work. I feel like I am being talked down to when someone goes back over the same ground with me. While that is truly my natural reaction; it is not very intelligent. To change behavior requires repetition. In this passage, Paul gently reminds his readers that he is there to be their coach, and that he is there to go back over some of the same lessons with them. So as I sit here this morning reading this passage, I also am reminded of some things that I already know but need to re-visit.

Application:
First, I need to know what has been given to me. There is so much about God, Jesus, salvation, life, and life after death that I do not understand. It is easy to lose sight of what has been given to me. I can remember several times getting gifts as a kid that were complicated to figure out. Video games, a boomerang, and a remote controlled airplane all come to mind at the moment. Each of these gifts required time and the learning of a skill before I would be able to fully enjoy the gift. I did not have the patience for that so they all ended up thrown into the closet and I never fully enjoyed them. If I am not careful, the same thing can happen with my faith. The frustration of the unknown can steal the beauty of what has been given to me. In verse 8 Paul says that he has lost everything yet considers that loss the same as losing rubbish for the joy of knowing Christ. Do I know Christ that way? Is my relationship with God such that the joy of walking with Him would enable me to lose everything I have and love Him more at the same time? Do I spend time truly learning to enjoy what I have in Christ or have I thrown my faith in the closet out of frustration?

Second, there is no work associated with the receiving of my faith. This one requires a daily reminder for me. I still feel like a failure most of the time. I constantly war against feeling like there is so much I need to do better. That is not a bad thing in and of itself but it becomes problematic when I allow my failures to affect my relationship with God. Righteousness does not come to me by works. In verse 9 Paul reminds me that it comes only by faith in Jesus. A true salvation experience creates inside of a person a uncontainable compulsion to do good works, but the works themselves have nothing to do with my righteousness. They are the fruit, not the tree. Have I accepted this? Am I still trying to earn my righteousness with God?

Third, I will never be complete as long as I am in this body and reside on this side of heaven. I am a "check it off the list" kind of guy. I target a goal and go after it. Nothing short of accomplishment satisfies me. This has brought success to my life, but it also creates a lot of frustration in my walk with God. In verse 12 Paul reminds me of this by saying that he was still incomplete, yet he pressed on. His sights were not set on where he was. He was focused on where he was headed. My blessings in Christ must compel me to do the same thing. How well do I handle adversity and failure? Am I still pressing on or am I ready to quit in some areas? Do I get caught up in my weak spots or am I focused where God is taking me?

Fourth, I must leave the past in the past. In verse 13 Paul says that he forgets what lies behind him. I must forget my past failures and I also must not dwell on past successes. My past is very real to me. People often comment on how well I remember stories from my past. Some of those stories are good, but many of them are bad. Either way, I should never look to them for joy nor should I allow the memory of them to bring me sorrow or shame. Once a failure is confessed, it is done. There is nothing more to be said about the matter. Regardless of just how vile the mistakes of my past are, they are covered by God's grace. In the same fashion, once a good deed is done, it is done. My value is not determined by the good things that I did in the time that has already passed by; it is determined by the good things that I have the potential to do today. Do I live in the present or am I still a slave to my past?

Prayer:
I need to know you better. I lack the depth of understanding that I need to break free from the desires of this world. There are many things in my life that I would not consider rubbish if You took them from me in order to bring me closer to You. Those things are idols to me and I confess that sin to You today. I pray for revelation knowledge that will move me into a level of closeness to You that I have never known.

I also am still a slave to the law. I live by rights and wrongs and do's and don'ts. It makes me miserable, but I do not know how to stop trying to earn Your acceptance. Help me accept the fact that my righteousness is not tied to my works. You can't remind me of that enough. At the same time, I pray that You fan inside of me the flame of good works that was ignited the day I accepted Christ. I desire for that flame to explode inside of me and consume my every desire.

I need a better grasp of Your rewards. To be honest with you the tangible things available to me on earth are easier to recognize and the immediate gratification they bring interfere with me setting my sights on the things that You are storing up for me. I am spoiled in this regard. Actually, I am sinful in this area. I pray that you forgive me of making idols out of success, money, relationships and hobbies.

Failure really knocks me down. I am so hard on myself about the things that are in my past. I confess them, yet I still carry their guilt. I also have a tendency to want to quit after I have do something good. I pray that you set my sights on what lies ahead. Let me leave the past in the past. I only want to revisit it to draw from it lessons that will prepare me for what I face today or will tackle tomorrow.