Philippians 3:1 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today is a verse than I can really identify with!
3 For the rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord and continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety.
The first part of this verse is a great encouragement and exhortation because the promise, from Psalm 37:4, is that IF we do this, HE will give us the desires of our heart! More specifically, He will then be able to put desires in our heart that are in line with His will for us, so that He can fulfill them! HALLELUJAH! As a minister, the rest of this verse is especially encouraging to me because it shows me that it is needful to keep preaching and teaching the same things! No one "gets it" the first time they hear a Truth, because Joshua 1:8 (AMP) tells us that it takes meditation of the Word for the Word to become real enough to us that we can really see and know how to put it into practice! SO, I will continue to repeat myself on this blog, too! Beginning with also sharing, again, my very favorite verse! Philippians 3:10:
10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection
Now remember that this is Paul speaking! To understand this, you have to read the verses that go before! He explains his "bragging rights" for being knowledgeable, but then he shares this in verses 7-9:
7 But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake. 8 Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One), 9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.
Remember, also, that Paul was taught of the Lord Jesus Himself (Galatians 1:12)! So, knowing that, verse 10 becomes even more of an exhortation for every one of us to desire to know Jesus more every day! AND to follow through on that desire with ACTION! AMEN! I pray that you will desire to know HIM more and more every day! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "So Will I":
Shalom in Him!
