Philippians 3:13

Instant Christianity tends to make the faith act terminal and so smothers the desire for spiritual advance. It fails to understand the true nature of the Christian life, which is not static but dynamic and expanding. It overlooks the fact that a new Christian is a living organism as certainly as a new baby is, and must have nourishment and exercise to assure normal growth. It does not consider that the act of faith in Christ sets up a personal relationship between two intelligent moral...

The true Christian, though he is in revolt against the world's efforts to brainwash him, is no mere rebel for rebellion's sake. He dissents from the world because he knows that it cannot make good on its promises. He has tasted the pleasures of society and he knows that they leave a bitter taste; and he has found that blessing of the Lord of which the wise man speaks, which maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it.

And the Christian is not left without a "norm" to which he seeks...

For Reading and Meditation:     Philippians 3:1-14

We spend one more day setting the stage before lifting the curtains on this most important subject of the nature and character of God. It must not be assumed from what has been said over the past couple of days that the study of Scripture and contemplation of the principles which God has built into His Word are...

For Reading and Meditation:     Philippians 3:7-21

Today we ask: What happens to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? The answer is clear: they will be filled. Make righteousness your goal and you will be eternally satisfied. If, once again, I might venture upon a paraphrase of my own, I would put it like this: "Congratulations to those who ardently...

For Reading and Meditation:     Galatians 6:1-18

Whenever I hear a person saying that all religions are the same, my mind runs immediately to the cross. If what is found here is true (and I believe it is), and represents the meaning of life, then clearly all religions are not the same. No authentic note of divine self-sacrifice comes from other faiths. The cross...

Just as Abraham's servant had a sense of urgency in connection with his mission, so should we. This does not mean we must race around in all directions at once. It does not mean that we must do everything in nervous haste. But it does mean that we should give ourselves to the task before us as a matter of top priority.

We should adopt the attitude expressed in Robert Frost's lines:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before...

The Apostle Paul did not think that he had arrived, and neither should we. We are all in need of change. Liu Shao-chi said, "Men should regard themselves as being in need of and capable of being changed. They should not look upon themselves as something unchanging, perfect, holy, and beyond reform… Otherwise men cannot make progress."

The trouble is that most of us resist change in ourselves. We are desperately anxious to see others change. Their personality quirks annoy us and we wish...

Ordinarily when we read these words, we tend to think that Paul was speaking about his past sins. He knew that these sins had been forgiven, that God had put them behind His back, and that He would never remember them again. So Paul was determined to forget them too and to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I still think that is a valid application of the verse. But Paul is not thinking about his sins in this passage. Rather he is thinking...

Father, I desire that they … whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me. § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the...