Philippians 3:1-11
Trust no one but yourself. I can do it all. Pull yourself up by the bootstraps. These are all common messages in the world today and they promote and push the idea that it's all about us and we can and should have confidence in our intelligence, our physical appearance, our talents, our money. Paul warns us about falling victim to this way of thinking in Philippians 3. "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh..." (verse 3).
So what can we do to reinforce and maintain an attitude of glorying in Christ and putting no confidence in the flesh? And if we find that our thinking has slipped back to confidence in us, how do we take care of the issue? Tami W.
For me, the best remedy for avoiding the "self-confidence" issue is to start my day seeking the Lord and recognizing my own helplessness and inability, coming to Him as a beggar so to speak, and drawing from Him all the "resources" I'll need to meet the day's challenges.
I think that a good way to reinforce a good God-glorifying attitude is to position yourself with positive, spiritual people who can help to hold you accountable. My best friend and I are constantly reminding each other to keep Christ in the forefront of everything, even when what we are saying or doing is not quite right. Honesty is the key.
I am blessed to have a wife that constantly reminds me in a loving and respectful way that there are aspects that I can improve on. Having a spouse who sees the challenges and strengths that I have and loves and forgives me helps. At the times that I think I am doing things "perfectly" I'll be reminded of something from scripture that she points out. The truth is that we all need to focus on Christ and how he humbled himself to serve us we should humble ourselves everyday to be like Christ Jesus. God Bless you all.
Wow the Lord had humbled me last week. Last Monday I was going to do a simple 3 meal fast day without snacks....and as soon as I hit the office a huge cake was waiting for me ;-) in the break room. I ate 3 pieces of cake in the lunch room in NO time flat and as the third hit my lips..."I had no breakfast" mind you I was thinking ...'I deserved it' ...the Holy Spirit said 'Like Peter you deny me 3 times'...OUCH! The Holy Spirit was repremanding me...saying 'don't go it alone! You need me!' ...DO I EVER!!
wow this rocks my world how i believe God is in control and I find myself I can do what needs to be done . My actions speak louder than words. I have no credentials no right to a throne to a kingdom, or a large sum of money. I am reminded I can do nothing without Christ so I will slow down pray ask for guidance and wait for help . Never start a day without making Jesus Lord of all.
if my thinking slips it's probably a pride issue . being humble before the Lord always will keep that from happening . if paul counted it all loss , his crudentials and pedigree which is far more impressive than mine, well i guess i should count it all loss for the surpassing worth of knowing JESUS CHRIST my Lord...
I live in the country in Texas and on a large ranch. Some days are spent by myself. I rely on His Word, listen to sermons (via iTunes and iPad or iPhone) only one christian radio station that I am not always able to hear. Read christian books and devotional daily. My sister, who lives on the ranch also, and I share Jesus all the time. We do go to different churches, but share the sermon messages and I go to her bible study on tuesday nights. If you look for ways to stay connected with Him, He will always bless you, wherever you might find yourself in life. I have many christian friends that share with me, even tho they may live 30 or 40 miles away, we do see each other and stay in touch via e-mail. Thank you for poweredby4, just another blessing to stay in touch with God fearing believers. I've listen to BTTB for many years and have always been blessed by Woodrow Kroll's teachings.
Good day and thanks to you all for those inspiring comments. If we seek God first thing in the morning we will find that He leads us through the day if we ask Him to. With so much happening we truly need Him because we cannot take the journey by ourselves. We must be humble as Jesus was when He lived on earth. He did not have to be humble(because He owned and still owns everything (heaven, earth and everything between and below) but because of His unconditional love for us, He chose a humble life so that we may learn from Him and try to do all the good things He has taught us.
If we find we are becoming too confident in ourselves we need to step back and call on Him for help. What a wonderful Saviour we have. Amen.
While driving to my daughters house on the east side I saw a building of a small church. It has a huge sign on top that says, "To God be all the Glory!" Whenever someone gives me a compliment I remember the building! I have a difficult time accepting compliments but when I remember WHO is making it happen and actually doing the job through me I know I can have a joyful heart! Thank you Jesus..
All good comments tonight. I think by putting Christ first in all things we can put our self worth in the place it ought to be, nothing. Our worth comes from Christ alone. And HE is an awesome GOD!