Reading your Bible for today March 13

March 13: Philippians 3:2-6

Key Verse: Philippians 3:3

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

 

Devotion:

What are your true motives for going to church on a Sunday? Why do you go to the particular church you go to and do you attend every week as well? These words in this passage show how the writer was trying to separate themselves from the “judaizing” teachers who were promoting the lifestyle of ceremonies and strict law instead of following Christ from their hearts!

Just as many animals will eat all manner of things rather than the right food, so to do people go after all sorts of things in their lives rather than the truth from God. We are called to do things differently from the normal; words echoed in Isaiah 43:18-19 tell us we are called to do things in a new way. This way should be a way in which Christ is glorified and not the man or the method. But it is far too easy for us to continue on in our habits and follow what we have always done rather than picking up on anything new.

We are still going to be surrounded by good and bad people, but the task of identifying the good from the bad will get harder when we branch out into something new. We may like the idea of something so much we go off and do it without considering whether it is actually glorifying Christ. We need God and His word as our guide. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit as He talks to us and tries to guide us through our life choices.

Just because we have been on a course to learn how to do something does not mean we know it all and can do it all now. God is still our guide and we still need to listen to Him. Being aware of our choices and allowing God to guide us does take some getting used to as well; we are probably far too used to basing our choices on what everyone else is doing rather than what we should be doing. God is the one who does know what is best for us, every place, every where and every time. Trust Him!

Points to Ponder:

What do you base your life choices on?

How often do you stop and wait on God?