Good Morning Girls Resources (Philippians Week 3)
Welcome back to Week 3 in the Book of Philippians!
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If you missed week 1’s wrap up – it is here and if you missed week 2’s wrap up – it is here.
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This Week’s Bible Reading Plan:
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This week’s Reflection & Discussion Questions
(Leaders: Copy and paste these into your groups. If you do not have a group, use these for a personal time of reflection.)
Philippians 3:1-3
Paul begins this chapter by warning the church of those who try to pervert the gospel with additional works for salvation. He called them “dogs”. This was a derogatory term the Jews would use for the Gentiles and Paul is now turning it against them. This was a group of Messianic Jews, called Legalists, who taught that in order for a Gentile to be saved, he must first become a Jew and be circumcised. Paul warns that this is a perversion of the gospel, because there is nothing we can do on our part to earn salvation. He goes on to say, “We are the circumcision.” God has circumcised our hearts by removing our sin, the heart of flesh, so that we have a heart that is passionate for him.
Paul then lists three attributes of a circumcised heart: One who worships God in the Spirit, one who rejoices with Christ, and one who has no confidence in the flesh. The last one reiterates the fact that circumcision in the flesh has no value to their salvation. There is nothing we can do in the flesh to earn salvation. It is a free gift from God, based on his own mercy and grace.
Do you find yourself trying to be good enough for God? Do you sometimes look at other Christians and feel like you do not measure up? We will never be good enough on our own. There is nothing we can do that will help us to measure up. This is why we need the blood of Christ to wash away our sins so that we can meet God’s standard of perfection. Any effort on our own will fall miserably short. Now look at the list of attributes in verse 3. How are you displaying those in your life? If you’ve been trying to be good enough for God, and have felt like you’ve been failing, ask God to reveal to you what his free gift of grace really means and let him remove the burden of condemnation from your heart.
Philippians 3:4-7
Paul continues his argument against the requirement of circumcision as a precursor to salvation by bringing up his own heritage. Paul says, “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more.” Truly he did. Paul came from blue blood. He had fulfilled each point of the law, and more so, Jesus said in Matthew 5, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Paul was a Pharisee, and had done more than most Pharisees had done by persecuting Jesus’ followers. Yet, it was not enough.
He goes on to make a shocking statement. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” The word loss in the Greek means damage or detriment. Paul tells us the things others consider an asset in their life he considers a detriment to him because they would tempt him to have more confidence in himself than in Christ and his saving grace.
This is why God credits nothing we do toward our salvation and entrance to heaven. If he did, all unity and love in the body of Christ would dissipate into competition and judgmentalism. It would be a race for who is best. Is there an area of worldy success or gains that you tend to take pride in? How can you be more humble in this area of your life? Is there something in your life you need to let go of for Christ’s sake? Take some time today to meditate on the fact that God wants you to stop trying to earn the love and acceptance you already have and let your good works be your expression of love and honor back to him.
Philippians 3:8-11
In the previous verse, Paul says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss”. It is easy to make radical decisions when we’re saved. The euphoria of having our sins forgiven and our life changed makes it easy for us to make big life-altering decisions. What is hard is sticking to those decisions the longer we walk with Christ. But Paul didn’t waver. It has been 40 years since Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. And yet, in verse 8 he still counts everything as loss. As a result, he has lost everything for the cause of Christ, and yet he knows that Christ is worth every earthly loss because it means heavenly gain.
With each loss, Paul fellowshipped all the more closely with Christ’s suffering. He knew that walking with Christ did not exempt him from suffering. Instead, it opened the way for him to know the power of Christ’s resurrection more intimately. Are you still as passionate about your walk with Christ today as you were when you were saved? Or have you allowed the cares of this life to crowd out that passion? Have you picked up along the way things you had once counted as loss? When our hands are full of earthly things, we become weighed down and burdened by their weight; and the passion we once felt dissipates as we shoulder the burden we were not meant to carry. If you are feeling distant and detached from Christ, pray and ask God to reveal to you if you have picked up something you had once counted as loss. Ask him to reignite your heart again for him and his kingdom.
Philippians 3:12-16
Because Paul has already chosen to consider his achievements and pedigree a detriment, and not an asset, to his walk with Christ, he is able to leave those things behind him and focus on the goal. He understood that if a runner is to run swiftly and unhindered, he must keep his eyes forward at all times and his attention focused solely on the goal of the race. He cannot afford to look behind him or he will lose concentration, speed, and perhaps even his balance.
There are two very important words in this passage: behind and forward. As Paul is leaving behind and letting go of those things in the past that would slow him down in this race of life, he is simultaneously straining forward. In order to successfully grab hold of those things that lie ahead, he has to let go of those things that are behind because they will hold him back from the prize he hopes to receive.
What is holding you back today? Is it past trauma, hurt, rejection, or disappointment? Perhaps like Paul, it’s past achievements or pedigree that you take particular pride in. If we want to reach forward and grab hold of those magnificent things God has for us, we have to be willing to leave behind both our past sorrows and glories; realizing that living in the past will only hold us back from the new things God has for us on our spiritual journey. Write down one thing you need to let go of today.
Philippians 3:17-21
Paul ends this chapter by urging the church to follow the example of those who live as Paul lives, because there are many who are not focused on the goal and the prize but are distracted by earthly things. Their worldly example is deceptive and leads believers to assume they can follow Christ and still live in the flesh, hanging on to their worldly pleasures. But Paul calls these “enemies of the cross of Christ” and says that their end is destruction because their example leaves others with the belief that God tolerates sin. The cross clearly illustrates that God cannot tolerate sin. If he could tolerate sin, there would be no need for the cross. He then gives us the key that unlocks the door from living with a secular worldview to living with a biblical worldview: “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
When we comprehend that we are not citizens of this world, but citizens of heaven with a new name and a new identity, our attachments to this world and its materialistic trappings and vices along with its definition of success and achievement, fall away. Our eyes become fixated on Christ and heaven as the finish line for this race. Where have your eyes been fixated? Do you identify more with your earthly or heavenly citizenship? As we fellowship with Jesus more and more, our focus on Christ becomes greater and we are less distracted by the things of this world. Fragments of the secular worldview we once identified with become dislodged and replaced with the truth of God’s Word. If this is what you have been longing for, take some extra time this weekend to read, study, and meditate on Philippians 3 and allow God to replace those earthly distractions with a greater focus on Christ.
To print the 20 Reflection and Discussion Questions for Philippians –> Click Here
This Week’s Verses of the Day:
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Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Here’s the Printable Bible Bookmark for Philippians.
Here’s another explanation of the SOAK Bible Study Method and Bible Coloring Chart if you need more guidance:
Here is the SOAK method I refer to in the video:
And the Bible Coloring Bookmark:
Click HERE to Print the full page Coloring Chart
or Click HERE for the Bookmark Coloring Chart
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Remember to leave at least 20 minutes for your reading each day. I am in prayer for you all and asking God to help us understand his word clearly.
Have a wonderful week in God’s Word – I’ll see you back here on the blog this Friday as we go deeper into God’s Word together! (Don’t forget to visit me Monday through Friday over on Facebook and Instagram. )
Keep walking with the King,
COURTNEY
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The Philippians Journal
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