Trinity Bible Church - Whitehouse

"Their end is their destruction," Paul writes. What a stark phrase, yet he writes it with tears in his eyes. Paul wants to warn the church he loves that there is indeed a way that leads to destruction, but it is not their way. 

What does it look like to think like a mature Christian? That is a question many have surely asked, but I think for some, the answer Paul gives is a bit surprising. It has little to do with what you have done or what you know but more to do with where you are going. 

What does the perfect spiritual resume look like in your mind? Whatever it is, the apostle Paul's was better. Yet, we find in this passage that Paul "counts it all as loss." Clinging not to what he does right or what he does wrong but to Christ alone.

What joy is there in working? in Obedience? Most of us will spend our lives trying to get to a place where we can work less and do whatever we'd like to do. Paul has a very different take on the Christ-centered life, more than that, he knows that joy is not found in those things. 

What brings you joy? The apostle Paul finds himself in chains as he writes this letter to the Philippine church he loves, but that does not shake the joy He has both in Christ and in proclaiming him.