Philippians 3
(1) Find Happiness in Jesus
Find happiness in the Ruler, my brothers. I don’t mind writing the same things to you again—plus, it helps protect you.
(2) Religious Customs Don’t Make You Right with God
Watch out for the people who are like dogs. Watch out for the people who work to bring about bad things. Watch out for the false belief that the religious custom of circumcision is what defines God’s people. You and I have received the true circumcision, since we work for God. His Spirit fills us as we work for Him. We take pride in the Chosen One (Jesus) and put no confidence in our flesh. …And I even have good reasons to put confidence in my flesh! If anyone thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have far more:
I was circumcised when I was 8 days old
I’m a Jew by heritage
I descended from the tribe of Benjamin
I’m a Hebrew of Hebrews
I’ve followed God’s instructions as strictly as a church leader (Pharisee)
I was so passionate, that I attacked the people who left Jewish tradition to follow Jesus
And you know how following God’s instructions leads to moral perfection? Well, I was found to be flawless.
(7) Jesus Makes You Right with God
But everything I gained from that, I now consider as a loss, thanks to the Chosen One. And on top of that, I consider EVERYTHING to be a loss because of how much more valuable it is to know the Chosen One, Jesus, my Ruler. I lost everything for His sake, and I consider all of it to be garbage. Now I can acquire the Chosen One and be found in Him. The reason why I’m aligned with God isn’t because of anything I’ve done (such as following God's instructions). The reason why I’m aligned with God is because my confidence is in the Chosen One. Now all of my moral goodness comes from God as a result of that trust. That moral goodness lets me know Jesus, know the power of His resurrection, and join Him in His sufferings (which conforms me to His death). As a result, I’ll end up resurrecting from the dead.
(12) Strive for Perfection
I haven’t resurrected yet or become perfect, but I press forward so I can grab onto the same thing that Jesus grabbed onto for me. I don’t view myself as someone who has already reached it. I just forget about the past and reach forward toward what lies ahead. I push forward toward the target so I can receive the prize of God’s upward invitation in Jesus. We who are mature should adopt this mindset, and if you have a different mindset, God will open your eyes to that. Let’s stay in line with that standard we attained.
(17) We’re Citizens of Heaven
Spiritual family, become fellow imitators with me, and study people who follow our example. I told you this before (and now say it again with tears in my eyes), but lots of people live their lives hating the Chosen One’s cross. Those people will sadly end up experiencing destruction. Their own appetite is their god, and they value things that are shameful. But we are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Rescuer to come from heaven. He will transform our meager body to conform to His splendid body, showing the power He has to bring everything under His authority.