"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God." - Philippians 1:11
Paul says that through our relationship with Christ, we are transformed. The righteousness we receive in relationship with him is not only seen by God, as He sees His son in us, but our righteousness is seen by others through our character.
Our character is the "fruit of your salvation." On Monday at Man Group, I mentioned holding Christians to a higher standard than the world; here is why. For if you are in Christ, you are given character that directly correlates in the salvation you are freely given. For if you are truly in Christ--in His word, seeking His heart--He will spill out of you through your actions and demeanor.
Literally, you should be able to see something different about someone who is in Christ.
Certainly this is a challenge for me. Though I am not a jerk to everyone all the time, I can see my selfish tendencies running rampant sometimes.
That is precisely the reason why I need Jesus so much. To save me from myself and refine me through His grace.
He is so good, and Oh how he loves us.
Remember, if you aren't feeling humble
"Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal's death on a cross." - Philippians 2:8
God himself, was humble.
Walker
Great stuff! I like verse 21 along with verse 11, where Paul says for to me to live is Christ. What Paul lived out was not his own righteousness (3:8), but a living person.Christ was not only His life inwardly, but also His living outwardly. He lived Christ because Christ lived in Him (Gal. 2:20). We often get caught in this trap, to try in ourselves to live out some virtue like patience, humility, or righteousness. The only way to have such a living is to live Christ. He's our righteousness, our patience, and the humble One (2:8). If we are contacting Him and enjoying Him daily, these things will spontaneously be manifested in our living without any conscious effort. Christ will live in our living! Philippians is awesome!
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