Monthly Archives: August 2026

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…THE GOAL – 13e

Bible Study, ,

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For Paul, the path to the prize was simple…but not easy. He had to navigate a host of obstacles on his way to the podium. Like a competitor in the Olympic Games…the only way to win was to stay in the race and keep his eyes on the medal. If he became distracted by what happened around him, he would lose focus, fall away, and forfeit the prize. 

Paul’s strategy was carefully planned. 

Paul’s resolve…to finish the race, no matter what! “I press on…” he said…through dark and difficult days…over and past obstacles and hindrances…never giving way to temptation, or folding under suffering, fear, loneliness, opposition, persecution…

Paul refused to slow down. “I press on…” he repeated. He didn’t slacken off at the half-way mark…take a break when he was tired…need a holiday from his calling… take a “Sabbatical” to regroup…He pressed on, mile after mile, towards the prize that lay just ahead. 

Paul recognised that, to win the prize, he must finish the race. The prize was his only goal. Everything else must bow to his purpose. The prize was always ahead. He must reach the winning post. He must not stop before the end.  Those who had gone ahead of him awaited his arrival…at the finish line…to applaud his faithfulness. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

There is a prize at the end of the race…but only for those who complete the race. We have the supreme example to follow…Jesus…who ran right through death to gain His prize…all of us who finish the race. His prize is us…and our prize is Him. 

One more thing…

Paul chose never to remember his past. He never looked back. He never allowed his past to influence, hinder, or affect his future. Jesus had obliterated his past. It was blotted out by the  blood of the Lamb. God had chosen to forget every sin and every failure…we call it “selective memory!” Paul had a clean slate. He could run…unhindered by guilt, shame, or fear. 

Paul had taken to heart the one great truth of the gospel…the perfect love of God. 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This truth was his covering…his companion…and his energy. 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our )Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Armed with this reassurance, and strengthened by God’s love, Paul knew that his prize was secure. 

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Are you still running or taking a break? Only those who keep running to the end will gain the crown. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…THE PRIZE- 13d

Bible Study, ,

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Paul was passionate about one thing…eventually to arrive at the same place that God intended for him…and he was clear about the steps he would take to get there. 

When Paul let go of the all his qualifications and achievements, his reward was pain, suffering, and struggles. Unlike some other religions, that urge conquest over their enemies in this life by whatever means possible, including force and violence…and sensual pleasures as the reward… Paul’s battle was not against enemies outside himself, but the enemy within. He discovered that he was his own worst enemy, his selfish old nature demanding to be satisfied at the expense of others….which would end in death. 

As Paul gradually gained the upper hand over himself, so winning the prize at the end of the road became more real and more compelling. What was Paul’s aspiration? What was the promise towards which he strained with all his attention and effort? 

Paul does not identify the prize in this letter but he gives it shape and colour in some of his other communications. However, unlike any earthly prize, that is displayed unwrapped…beckoning the contestants by its value and beauty…he discovered that this prize was wrapped in the strangest of covering…not the promise of conquest and victory in this life… but suffering…not just suffering…but  the way he processed the suffering. 

“…So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…not just the usual consequences of life on a fallen planet. The  way to endure the suffering is the way to win the prize, which is as specific as the prize itself. In his letter to the church in Rome,  Paul wrote…

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For the children of God, suffering has a specific purpose. It is a condition and a preparation for receiving the prize that awaits us in the age to come. The prize follows the purifying process of suffering and qualifies us to receive the prize. 

In broad terms, Paul explains both the process and the prize…

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you get it?

It’s not about the suffering. It’s about the way the suffering is handled and what the suffering produces! The “all things” that life dishes up to us, are not random but specific…controlled and orchestrated by a loving God…

…and the prize? Exact replicas of Jesus! God’s glory…the weight of who God is, reproduced in us…Jesus the blueprint…His image restored!

John explained it like this…

“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

That’s the prize! 

Now, let’s explore the process.  Peter reveals to us that there is one form of suffering that replicates the suffering of Jesus…the one temptation He suffered and overcame that qualified Him to be the atoning sacrifice for sin. 

“For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Suffering injustice without retaliation! That is the worst and most difficult temptation for any human to endure. Rebellion against God, in all its sinful expressions, is essentially the way we react to what we perceive as God’s “unfairness” towards us. It started in the Garden of Eden. 

Jesus showed us the way to win this one!

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus took everything that sinful humanity could throw at Him without reacting in a sinful way. He remained true to who He was…the submissive and obedient Son of God. 

“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth…Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬-‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

That’s the blueprint, the model, the process. Obedience wins the prize!

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…FAITH – 13c

Bible Study, ,

In this post, I want to correct something that Paul said…but is mistranslated and misunderstood…because most people believe what he did not say. Let me explain…

“…I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The words “I want to know Christ”  are not in the text. They are translated to express a desire in verse 10 which the text does not mean… whereas the Greek word “hina”, which follows “faith” at the end of verse 8, and includes verse 10, meaning ”in order that I may know Christ”, expresses the purpose of faith rather than the desire to know Christ.  Again, let me explain. 

“The word hina (ἵνα) does not actually appear in Philippians 3:10; instead, it is found right before it in Philippians 3:8, where it means “so that” or “in order that” to express purpose. 

(Note: If you are looking at verse 10 itself, the Greek text uses a different grammatical form—an articular infinitive, tou gnonai (τοῦ γνῶναι), which also continues that same statement of purpose: “to know him”.) (Google AI)

Paul was not expressing a desire to know Christ. He was stating the purpose of his faith, ie, to know Christ, which followed the righteousness that came by faith. 

Do you get the point? Paul was not saying that he longed to know Jesus…ie., something he was not sure about. He was declaring a fact…that the righteousness he had received by faith had led to his knowing Jesus and participating in His suffering and death as a way to arrive at resurrection from the dead. 

Eugene Peterson, in his rendering of this passage in “The Message” paraphrase, captured this thought in a roundabout way…

“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Now, let’s gather our thoughts from Paul’s testimony. 

Paul had learned, through his dramatic encounter with Jesus, that all his credentials, including his birth, his lineage, his training, and his zeal for keeping the law of Moses, amounted to exactly nothing in God’s sight. He had to abandon everything he had counted on for acceptance with God, and receive the gift of Christ’s righteousness by faith. 

The outcome was a new life…lived in union with and by faith in Jesus. This life was going somewhere…towards the resurrection of his body if he stayed on course. His union with Jesus by faith would include suffering with Jesus, relying on His power to overcome sin, right through to the day when his body would rise again, exactly like the body of Jesus. 

This corrected understanding of what Paul meant gives us hope that, if we focus on what Paul had in mind, and kept in view, we can also anticipate the completion of our salvation…the resurrection of our bodies…just as Paul did. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…CONFIDENCE – 13b

Bible Study, ,

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Something happened to Paul that made him do an about-turn. He was forced to retrace his steps…to make a 180 degree turn in his thinking, believing, and doing. What happened?

In his mad march to Damascus…to do another clean-up job of rounding up the “traitors”…these Jesus freaks…and take them back to Jerusalem for processing, Paul met someone who shocked him right off his horse…onto the ground…with his face in the dirt. That “someone” knew his name…knew where he was going…and knew what he was planning to do. That would be enough to shock anyone!

“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The voice from the light did one simple thing…He took control…and gave one simple instruction…”Do why I tell you!” That was all! But, in those few seconds it took to speak to Paul, Paul’s life changed forever. 

All the hard work Paul has done, from when he could first remember, to score points with God, was gone. It had all collapsed into nothing. It had evaporated like the hot air inside him. He was empty, deflated, and ready for a new assignment. He asked one simple question…

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.”

…and got one simple answer, but with a voice full of knowledge and authority…

“And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT

…and that was all Paul needed to set him on a new course. 

“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now let’s go back to our text. 

Paul’s encounter with Jesus transformed his perspective. 

From thinking that acceptance with God was all up to him, to letting go of every last privilege,  advantage, and effort…and, most of all, killing the pride that drove his self-righteousness…Paul was undone. He lay before Jesus Christ…the one he had scorned as a fake and an imposter…face down…in the dirt…before Him. 

Then Paul stood up, blind, but changed. Not only did he open his hands and let go of everything he had trusted in, he also dumped his own righteousness into the trash can as worthless and an insult to God. 

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Everything he had counted on as his passport to the Father lay in tatters. He could use nothing he had achieved in his entire life to impress God. 

The one who demanded spotless and flawless perfection as the way to reconciliation, now offered him what He demanded…as a gift. 

What Jesus required of…then Saul, now Paul…, perfect righteousness… He  had earned Himself by His perfect life…as a man… and then freely gave it away. All Paul needed to stand before God, whole and perfectly holy, was to believe in the one who offered him the gift…to receive the gift of righteousness, and to relinquish all rights to himself. 

That’s it? That’s it! Not working? Yes! Not working…just resting in the one who did all the work. There would still be work to do…not to impress God…but to work with Him. What would that work look like? It would be real work to stay dead to the self that keeps demanding its own way…and to humbly submit to his new owner…the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paul discovered…and so must we…. That God’s work is to recreate us into His image…the image He gave Adam before Adam sinned. We inherited from Adam his spoiled image which is rebellion and enmity against God. Our “work” is to believe in Him and to work with Him to restore His image by resting in what He has done for us. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…NO CONFIDENCE – 13a

Bible Study, ,

“…I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a self-righteous bigot Paul was… in his own estimation! Yes, from all his external qualifications, he has every right to be confident about his standing before God. After all, didn’t he fulfil every requirement laid down in the Old Covenant?

He was a true Hebrew. According to him, he was not aware of any intrusion into his bloodline. He was of the tribe of Benjamin…Jacob’s second favourite son. He was born right inside the Mosaic covenant, circumcised in strict obedience to the law, and, what’s more, he was a Pharisee by training and persuasion. He could not have been closer to what he considered to be “righteousness” according to his own standard…the one he used to measure himself. 

The cherry on the top, for Paul, was that he did everything “religious”, including persecuting the people who were following this new “way” because they had forsaken Moses for some Galilean peasant. They were sell-outs, traitors, as far as he was concerned…and they had to be stamped out to keep Judaism pure. 

Until that shocking moment outside Damascus, when he saw a light so bright…and heard a voice so terrifying that he fell off his horse…Paul believed that he was “in” and safe inside his religion. 

He was in favour with God, so he thought, but…there was one person he resisted…Jesus…the very Son of God…and that was his greatest downfall. What had he missed? All Paul’s efforts were focused and concentrated on his beliefs and behaviour, but…his heart was full of the one thing that disqualified him…”hot air”, pride…that which God hated and resisted…

The first requirement to enter  God’s kingdom, said Jesus, was to be empty of pride. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Poor” means “paupers”…those who have nothing inside. “Spirit” means air, breath, wind, or spirit…so, Jesus was saying, “Blessed are those people who are not windy, full of air…ie., full of nothing.”

When we truly have nothing inside, no hot air to inflate us, we have space for the Spirit of God to enter and reclaim what belongs to God. 

“As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul refused to bow to the one person who said…

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…and…

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, Paul had put a great deal of effort into trying to be accepted by God and trying to be vindicated by his own behaviour, his own “goodness” according to the law but…there was one thing he missed and one thing he could not do. He could not make his heart clean. 

This is what religion does. Religion cannot produce the life that comes from being reconciled to, and reunited with the only one who is the source of life. Sin, the expression of that disconnect, is an impenetrable barrier between the soul and God. There is only one who can remove that sin barrier…and He did it by sacrificing Himself as a sin offering on the cross. 

What Paul considered to be his greatest asset was actually his greatest liability…his religion! Only when we come clean with God can He make us clean by the blood of the atoning sacrifice. We must relinquish everything we consider an asset before He can do the one thing we can never do…a heart transplant that replaces our defiled heart with a new heart. 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and that promise was fulfilled by the cross of Jesus. 

For Paul. It would take a drastic encounter with the one who saw and knew him perfectly on the inside…to transform him from a hate to a lover of Jesus. 

To be continued