December 29
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INFINITE VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST AS SAVIOR
A poem by ILMA
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord
I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith
We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us and not in human effort
Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own labors, I have even more!
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
These religious group demands the strictest obedience to the Jewish law
I harshly persecuted the church and as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless
Because of what Christ has done for us, everything else is worthless
Nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as trash.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law
Instead, I become righteous through faith in Christ and knowing him
I want to experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead
I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that I can be resurrected.
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MEMORY VERSE
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. – Philippians 3:7-8
Read: Philippians 3:1-11
Before I was born again in Christ, I engaged in doing so much effort on my own flesh. I was misled by religion to think that I can contribute good works to add to my salvation. I didn’t live in grace and in knowing that the work is finished on the cross when Christ died.
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REFLECTION
• Why do some believers think that they can add to the finished work of the cross?