No Value in Earthly Achievements

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ

Philippians 3:1-6

The Message

To Know Him Personally

3 And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God!

I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.
^2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

For Reflection

Paul, using the example of his own life, shows us that adhering the culture of a religion satisfies only those who also follow superficially.  As invested as he was in his Jewish tradition, God had shown him that  in paying attention to the trees he missed the meaning of the forest.  To know God personally is to follow His path even if it is in conflict with a religion as commonly practiced.  Acts of faith, practiced in love and seeking justice and mercy in response to God's grace is authentic worship and worthy of a citizen in the Kingdom of God.

Pray

that you will follow God's call for your life.  Pray that all who have heard the good news will respond in ways that will please God.  Pray that a focus on a God-centered life will dominate your thoughts and action each day.

The True Value in Following Jesus

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ

Luke 9:23-27

The Message

^23-27 Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God.”

For Reflection

Faith is full of paradoxes.  In the sixties many abandoned convention to "find themselves" only to lose themselves in a morass of chaos.  One finds him or herself only in losing him or herself in something that they realize is more important than themselves.  Lose your self in service to God.  Find your true self by abandoning the search.

Pray

that you will lose your reliance on self for reliance on God.  Pray that you will lose your self in service to to the One who promises that your sacrifice of self is rewarded in joy unattainable by any other means.

The Value of the Kingdom

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ

Matthew 13:44-57

The Message

⁴⁴ “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.
^45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.
^47-50 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”
⁵¹ Jesus asked, “Are you starting to get a handle on all this?”
They answered, “Yes.”
⁵² He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”
^53-57 When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?” They got their noses all out of joint.

For Reflection

I suppose that's the way it is.  When one embraces the Kingdom of God and then realizes what sacrifices need to be make as one rejects the Kingdom of Human Kind the risk becomes too great. Then, rather than work on adaptation many abandon the new practice in favor of the old.  They then bolster their choice by demonizing the messenger.

Pray

that you will hold fast to your place in the Kingdom of God.  Pray that you will not be intimidated by the risk of practicing your faith.  Pray for those who reject the Kingdom's promise because of the pressure to conform to the kingdoms of human device.

The Value of the Spiritual

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ

Romans 2:17-29

The Message

Religion Can’t Save You

^17-24 If you’re brought up Jewish, don’t assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you’re an insider to God’s revelation, a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God’s revealed Word inside and out, feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God. While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I’m quite serious. While preaching “Don’t steal!” are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law. The line from Scripture, “It’s because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God,” shows it’s an old problem that isn’t going to go away.

^25-29 Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.

For Reflection

Are you Christian?  Are you Muslim?  Are you Catholic? Are you protestant?  To what extent are you comforted by the fact that you are a member of an organized religion?  

The declaration of your religion, and yes,  even the practice of that religion is not enough.  Paul tells us it is the mark of God on your heart.  It is your devotion to living a God-centered life no matter what your declared faith that makes the difference.  Only God can offer and grant salvation -- the transformation which reconciles you to God.

Pray

that you will grow in the image of the transformed self God wants you to be.  Pray that you will grow beyond the boundaries of organized religion into a life guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Value of Each One

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ

Matthew 18:10-14

The Message (MSG)

¹⁰ “Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?

Work It Out Between You

^12-14 “Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.

For Reflection

Get back to the basics.  As one transformed in the image of Christ, remember your child like beginnings in the faith.  You didn't know it all then and, quite frankly, no matter your age or length of your tenure of living out your transformation, you still have a lot to learn.

A work of art is just as valuable to one who exclaims "I like it!" without really knowing why as it is to one who knows about line, composition, color and all of those other things which make up a sophisticated understanding.  Likewise, one whose faith is simply understood is just as life changing as one whose studies build a complex understanding of the gospel. 

Each receives the same measure of God's love and protection. Those with a complex understanding  serve those whose simple understandings sometimes fail them.  Those with simple understandings serve those whose complex understandings sometimes fail them.  Each shepherds the other, equal in the sight of God.

Pray

that you will see each of God's children as equal participants in the Kingdom of God.  Pray that you will council each other as is befitting your understanding and tempered with grace, love and humility.

Look to the Interest of Others

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Jesus' Humility and Exaltation

He Took on the Status of a Slave

2 ^1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

For Reflection

Lots of people focus on the afterlife portion of salvation.  They sometimes forget that salvation is not only for the afterlife.  Your transformation into a God-centered life saves you from slavery to culture-centered pressures. Our cultures often times drive us away from agape love.  They seem to favor self-reliance rather than reliance on God.  They drive conformity to the collective morality, and acceptable ways of living.  Christianity is a counter-culture movement. Christians are saved from enslavement to the ordinary.  The Christ event offers the extraordinary.  To be saved is to live a life extraordinary in God-centeredness.

Pray

That you will practice love.  Pray that all people will find courage to reject the cultural pressures that drive them to self-centeredness.  Pray that all those in need will find God-centered friends in their lives. Pray that you will sacrifice your self-centerdness for servitude.

Become a Servant and a Slave

Jesus Is Lord
Exalting Christ
Jesus' Humility and Exaltation

Mark 10:35-45

The Message

The Highest Places of Honor

³⁵ James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”

³⁶ “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”
³⁷ “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”
³⁸ Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”
^39-40 “Sure,” they said. “Why not?”
Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”
^41-45 When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

For Reflection

What moved the others to lose their tempers with James and John?  What caused them to argue?  In what ways were the ten acting out the question that was raised by James and John?  What special position did they think they held what would give them privilege and authority to be so judgmental?

Sometimes our need to occupy a special position expresses itself in disguise. What is a God-centered alternative to outrage and accusation? How did Jesus handle it?

Pray

that you will approach your life in Christian humility.  Pray that you will practice Christian hospitality.  Pray that you will exchange your self-centered life to help those who are held hostage in a cultured-centered life style.