Hello friends!
How is your week? How is the redefined focus and purpose for your life playing our in reality? For me? Bumpy!! It is so easy to forget. I am very grateful for the grace of God to call me back to Himself again and again. Here are some questions to help you dig a little deeper as you study.
Questions for Philippians 3:1-14:
1.Verse 2 is pretty gruesome! “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.” It reminds me of the “weird” verses at the end of Psalm 139 that we always want to skip over. “If only you God would slay the wicked! Away from me you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you and abhor those in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them, my enemies.”
-Each of these passages appears contradictory to our call to love everyone. Instead, we see strong language expressing deep hatred. While it is easy to move quickly past these sticky verses, I think it is important to stop and ask what they mean and why they are there.
-As I was studying Psalm139, I became very convicted that the wicked, the bloodthirsty and the adversaries were representative of all the brokenness in my own life that draws me away from the Lord. They are the insecurities, sinful nature, damaging patterns and destructive behaviors that block me from intimacy with the Lord. In that light, I certainly do feel abhorrence and hatred for them all!
-In Philippians 3:2, I am identifying the dogs, evildoers, and mutilators of the flesh the same way. So, our task is to ask the Lord to reveal to us today, what those are in our lives. What patterns in your life are destructive? What behaviors are damaging? What insecurities are blocking your intimacy with the Lord? Take time to reflect on this. Be brave enough to write it down and ask the Lord to begin battling these enemies in your life. While we are not capable of standing up to these strongholds, the Lord is!
2.This next question follows up on the first (I know, we are digging deep today)! I absolutely love verse 13b, “But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining on toward what is ahead.”
-We have identified that there are strongholds in our lives. We have made mistakes, big ones. We have hurt those whom we love, disappointed those counting on us, missed opportunities and embarrassed ourselves more times than we can count. It is time to let that go!
-Remember Saul…he murdered Christians!! These are his words, his testimony…forget what is behind, strain for what is ahead! If the Lord can redeem the life of Saul, He can redeem your life as well. No mistake, big or small, is enough to derail what God has in store for you. Your mistakes do not surprise God, He is not scrambling because you dropped the ball. He gave you breath this morning and that means he has plans for you today. Do not let yesterday derail that in your life.
-Record an event or events in your life that cause you shame and pain. Write them on a scrap piece of paper. Now, destroy it! Tear it up, burn it… just make sure it is gone and cannot be reconstructed. Now, pray that the Lord will reassure you of His forgiveness and fill you with the promise of His plans for your future.
3.Finally, just sit in the power of this verse:
“I press on toward the prize for which Christ Jesus has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
-Read it out loud.
-Read it again.
-Read it again!
-Believe it!! God has a purpose for you and you are just getting started!!!
Questions for Philippians 3:15-21
1.I love that this study group includes a representation of many different denominations. Often times, we see the body of Christ becoming divided over church traditions instead of standing united on the truth of Christ’s love for us. In verses 5-6, Paul is addressing the damage that the infighting of Christians can have on the world around us.
-Before we move on, ask the Lord to show you any areas where you can “major on minors” within the body of Christ. Where can you fall into a judgmental attitude regarding your brothers and sisters in Christ?
-Now, ask the Lord to remove these lies and distractions from your heart. Now, more than ever, we need to be united in our call to be the embodiment of Christ in this world. Only when we love one another well can we, also, love those who are not yet believers.
-Take time to read the following passage and consider how it relates to these verses in Philippians:
“There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. Suppose the foot says, ‘I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.’ By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, ‘I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.’ By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. The eye can’t say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy. You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it” (Corinthians 12-27).
2.We often hear the phrase, “Earth is not our home.” While this is very true, it is also really challenging to grasp. Our eternal home will be in heaven with Jesus, free from all pain and sin. Hallelujah!! For now, all we know is Earth, our realities and everyday living. In an effort to give us some eternal perspective, look up the following passages and consider how they relate to verse 20 of Philippians, Chapter 3:
-Psalm 17:15
-Matthew 6:19-21
-Luke 12:21, 32-34
-2 Corinthians 4:18
-2 Corinthians 5:1, 8
-Ephesians 2:6, 19
-Colossians 3:1-3
-1 Peter 1:3-4
-How do these eternal truths give you new perspective on life on Earth with an eternal home in heaven?
Thank you for studying with me this week!
I look forward to hearing from anyone who is open to sharing on Friday…just comment!
Hugs!
Kinsee
