Bishop Alexis A. Thomas continued his series entitled, "Keep Your Mind Right!" He used Philippians 3 verses 8, 14, and 20 for today's sermon.
Bishop reminded us that in order to have true joy we must know who God is and believe what he has said about our lives. There are "joy thieves" out in the world attempting to steal our joy. Today Bishop talked about "Things". Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having things! God just doesn't want the "Things" to have or possess us. Matthew 6:21 says, "Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." (Message)
The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians to "rejoice in Christ", "obtain Christ", "gain Christ", "be found in Christ", and "glorify Christ". In verse 8, he wrote,"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ," (Living Bible) He was an intelligent, well educated man. He had lived a strict life according to the Jewish Law and Tradition, but he considered all those accomplishments worthless.
What can we get from Paul's example? So glad you asked.
Count - Paul said, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (King James Version) Count is an accounting term. Paul reconciled his personal books, and determined that knowing Christ is more valuable than the pursuit of things. Jesus gave us similar instructions in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too." (Voice) We never have to chase things! Chase God and the things will chase you! Deuteronomy 28: 2 says, "All of the following blessings will be yours—in fact, they’ll chase after you—if you’ll listen to what He tells you." (Voice)
Press - Verse 14 says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (King James Version) Bishop said, "Nothing is more dangerous than a satisfied Christian!" We must not be stagnant, lazy, or complacent! 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (New King James Version) Each day we must "press" toward the mark for the prize! The Message Translation says, "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back."
Look - Verse 20 says, "We, however, are citizens of heaven. We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior." (God's Word Translation) Have you ever waited for anything? Sure you have! We are waiting right now! The most important thing we are waiting for is the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus is coming again! Matthew 24:44 says, "Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.” (God's Word Translation）
Let's Count, Press, and Look this week!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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