Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Read Philippians 3:10–14
Could we revisit those words Paul wrote?
“I have not achieved it...forgetting the past...looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Paul's openness is best described with one word: vulnerability.
"I have not achieved/reached it" is a concept Paul mentions no less than three times in Philippians 3:10–14. Read these words again; see if you can find each of the three:
Read Philippians 3:13–14
Those who refuse to get bogged down in and anchored to the past are those who pursue the objectives of the future. People who do this are never petty. They are too involved in getting a job done to be preoccupied with yesterday’s hurts and today’s disappointments. Do you need some fresh encouragement to press on today? Read Paul’s testimony:
Read Psalm 103:1–5
Truth be told, it’s God’s forgiveness of us that makes it possible for us to forgive others.
Read Romans 2:4
Late one spring Aaron, a seminary student, was asking God for a position at a church or at a Christian organization. When nothing happened, Aaron took a job driving a bus in a dangerous section of Chicago. Soon Aaron realized just how dangerous.
A group of tough kids began to take advantage of the young driver. Several mornings, they got on the bus without paying, ignored his warnings, and rode as far as they wanted to. He decided it had to stop.
Read 2 Corinthians 8:10–11
A full year before the apostle Paul wrote to people who comprised the Corinthian church, they had begun a project. No doubt they got started with a burst of enthusiasm, the thrill of a fresh beginning. But with the passing of time, the newness had worn off. The edge of their spontaneous motivation had gotten dull. It became a monotonous marathon that dragged slowly on and on. So, Paul prodded them to stick with their commitment:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:7–8
I’ll never forget something I heard on the radio several years ago. A woman in West Palm Beach, Florida, died alone at the age of seventy-one. The coroner’s report was tragic. “Cause of death: malnutrition.”
The dear lady wasted away to fifty pounds. Investigators who found her said the place where she lived was a veritable pigpen. One seasoned inspector declared he’d never seen a residence in greater disarray.
Read Luke 9:23
Do you recall Jesus' radical philosophy of servanthood? It’s found tucked away in His now immortal words:
He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Following Christ as His disciple is a costly, unselfish decision. It calls for a radical examination of our self-centred life. Whew! That’s one of those easy things to say but awfully tough to carry out.
Read Mark 10:43–45
Quite a while ago, a young man expressed an interest in living in our home and being discipled in the context of our family. He assured me time and again, “I really want to help any way you or your wife may need me. My only reason for doing this is to serve. I just want to be a servant, Chuck.”
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1–3
The Christians in the Macedonian churches were servants who gave without any concern about receiving the credit for their generosity. But Paul reveals something else remarkable about the nature of their gift:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1–3
When the Apostle Paul his way through Europe, specifically the region of ancient Macedonia, he shared with those believers the financial need of the Jerusalem church. Macedonia was already an economically depressed area. Macedonia was to Paul what Bangladesh would be to the US. It would be like encouraging the poorest people of Appalachia to respond to those who are hurting in the ghetto of Harlem. “You people under this bridge...give to those people on welfare!” would be a strange appeal today.
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