Thoughts for another day

June 4, 2008

Today's verse: Philip. 3:3. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

In the early time before Christ, there was a lot of importance given to outward signs as a mark of obedience to God’s command and hence, circumcision which was given to Abraham and to his descendents was central to be belonging to God. But with the coming of Jesus, all these outward signs were abolished by God, so to say. It is not to say that they were useless but that they were the edifices on which stood all the promises that God made to His children Israel, leading to the birth of His son Jesus on the earth, who spoke to them as a man does with man.

In the verse above, Paul’s intent is not to criticize the act but to proffer clarity that any action on the flesh, i.e. the body does not give one any extra right in the Kingdom of God. It is necessary we understand the spirit of this text because in our reverence to God, many times we offer material things, which become so legal that we feel if we do not do it, then our sacrifice will not be acceptable to God.

My friend, sufficient it is to understand that worshipping God in the Spirit is enough to draw all His blessings upon our lives. If our acts toward God rest upon the outward signs that we perform, like the Pharisee in Lk. 18:10, then the favor of God withdraws from our lives and Jesus says that the Publican who probably does none of the things that the Pharisee has been doing all his life, goes home justified before God because his spirit, sought the Spirit of God in humility and it is the Spirit who directs us to the favor of God. Human pride many times allows us not to do that which is right before God. For e.g. even if God were to ask us to forgive our irritating neighbor, we don’t do it because our pride will not allow us to do it and our response to God is, ‘Lord, tell me anything else but not this…’ My friend God already told you an easy thing and you can’t do it, how will you do the difficult?

Therefore, I’d say it is time for us to determine in what our confidence lies: in ourselves which then brings about a coating of pride in self, or God, which makes us humble and content in His will for our lives.