Real Life Matters

From Philippians 3:10-16: Here, Paul has been a follower of Christ for 30 years. If there was ever a person we could look at and say, ‘Now that guy has made it” it would be Paul. But Paul basically says, No, I’ve not made it. The lesson here is simple: There must never be a stalemate or spiritual plateau. So we have to ask ourselves, what are those things that stale us out?

Recently, Lisa and I looked around the house and determined that clutter was freezing us up. If it’s true that upwards of 80% of stress is caused by disorganization, then it’s got to go. I’m just not willing to “let myself go” in any area of life-not spiritually, not physically, not educationally, not even aesthetically. Clutter is an indicator for us–a metaphor.

Then Paul talks about “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” You can’t have resurrection without death. Let’s be clear about this. Paul isn’t some twisted sadomasochist. No, he sees identifying with Christ’s sufferings as the inevitable path to life.

Like camping on the deck the other night. It was my stupid idea, but then I found myself trying to talk the kids out of it because just wanted to sleep in my comfortable bed. Then I thought: I’m a father. It’s not about me; be a man, be the man, set up the tents. The Result: the experience with my kids was way better than a comfortable night’s sleep. Hopefully it will inspire my kids to one day endure uncomfortable things for the sake of fun with their kids and on and on. We need to die to ourselves even in the small things of life to experience the really good things of life.

So how do we “press on”? Well, we don’t look back: “forgetting what is behind” (v 13). Ever been fighting with your spouse and all you’re saying back and forth is, “You remember that time when you…” “Oh and let’s not forget that time when…” That kind of talk is about as useful as decaf coffee or non-alcoholic beer. What’s the point? Forgetting is a choice. We don’t have to literally forget something to move on and be productive. Focus on the productive things; not just all the cheesy “positive” things, but the productive things.

Read Philippians 3:1-9. Paul makes his stand against a first-century group called the Judaizers. It was a legalistic group that majored in checking all the boxes, insisting that you had to be circumcised in order to be accepted by God. But in v 2, Paul calls them “men who do evil” because they had false confidence in an outward religious rite.

Scripture speaks of a “circumcision of the heart” (Rom 2:25-29; Col 2:11). That’s the point of it all. And this was not some new innovation from Paul. The OT spoke of it frequently (Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:7). The point is: don’t let outward symbols replace inward spiritual devotion.

Paul goes on to make the case that if religious works were the point, then certainly he had it made (vv 4-5). Paul was once a Pharisee — a member of the strictest side of Judaism. But ultimately, Paul rejects all his former religious works with disgust. He calls it “rubbish” when compared to something immeasurably greater: “The surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.” “Knowing” is all about relationship.

The problem sometimes is that people can’t see Christ because they’re too busy looking at Christians. If we could just get people to get their eyes off of people and their “to-do” lists, and instead fix their eyes on a person — Jesus Christ — they would be wooed by “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.” So I like to tell people, just read the NT, and just study that person Jesus.

This new “confidence” Paul speaks of (used 3 times) changes everything, all the way down to your identity. When you begin to know your identity in Christ, you no longer rely on people to define you. Christ defines you, not your critical co-worker; not even a critical spouse. In 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, this same Paul says: “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” Don’t let people’s opinions of you define you. Let Christ define you. And if the Scriptures say that “you are more than a conqueror” and that “you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you” and that God is “completing what He started in you” then believe that, not someone’s subjective analysis of you. Don’t even believe your own self-analysis. Believe God’s word!

But this kind of confidence takes time to grow. If we’ve allowed other people to define us our entire lives growing up, it won’t be easy to shake it. But if your life is truly centered on Christ, then your confidence and spiritual self-esteem will grow as you realize what is already yours in Christ. And the church should be a refuge and a greenhouse where this kind of growth flourishes.

What will you do when life inevitably hands you tough times? Some people throw up their hands and throw in the towel. But there are a few who take their hard times and change the world. In this edition of Real Life Matters, Mark Scott takes a look at a few people who chose to see opportunity instead of adversity. Maybe you’re next?

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