“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I have read it hundreds of times. But I never saw this before. That’s one of the most amazing things about the Bible: Every time I read it, there is more, every time, I learn.

Today, I would like for us to focus on the last clause: “for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

When Jesus died on the cross, he wasn’t thinking about ya’ll. He was thinking about YOU!!!

Christ died thinking about YOU!!! Christ Jesus took hold of you, and it was you that Jesus had in mind when he suffered the penalty of Calvary.

Jesus didn’t die for you just for any reason. He died for you for a very particular reason. God created you with your exact personality, your particular traits, your gifts and talents. Christ died for you and this gospel took hold of you through the Holy Spirit because God knew our world would need a church with someone just like you so that God can establish his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

You are uniquely loved by God. God’s love for you is like no other.

Don’t you know? You are amazing! There is a service and a ministry you were not only born for, but saved for.

If you are already serving Christ in some capacity through his church, “Thank you! Thank you for doing what you were created and saved for.”

If you are not serving Christ in some capacity through his church, let’s talk. I would love to have a conversation with you about your gifts, talents, and passions to see how God can put you to good use for his Kingdom and glory. I mean it. Give me a call. Send me an email. In fact you can call or email Pastor Brad, Bill, or me. We would love to have this conversation with you.

You are amazing. You were who Jesus had in mind when he suffered on the cross. He took a hold of you and he will never let you go. You are never alone for Christ is with you.

“Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.” (Psalm 26:1).

Wow! Just, wow!

I am not sure how any human being could ever say such a thing. A blameless life?

The ascription for Psalm 26 says informs us that this is a Psalm of David. A Psalm of David.

Come on now! We all know about David’s story of how he seduced and raped Bathsheba, and then planned and carried out the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to cover up his adultery.

“I have led a blameless life…I have not faltered…vindicate me…”

Puh-lease!!!

How are we supposed to understand such passages? Could we utter such a statement ourselves? What is going on in passages like this?

Justification.

Derek Thomas says, “That’s what justification means: I am as spotless in Christ as Christ himself is.”

Justification.

Hebrews 5:8-9 tells us, “Son, though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

• Through the obedience and the suffering of Jesus, he became the perfect sacrifice for the atonement and forgiveness of sins.
• Jesus, on the cross, took on his body all of God’s wrath so that in Christ’s resurrection we might share in all of Christ’s righteousness.
• Through the obedience and the suffering, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

What the psalmist has in mind in Psalm 26 is the time of judgment. Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior will be able to stand in the judgment of God and be able to boldly declare, “Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.”

We dare declare such an incredible statement because Christ has led a blameless life on our behalf, and Christ has never faltered once. That is our faith and trust. And because of Jesus, our status has forever changed from sinner to an heir of God’s kingdom.

Justification!

Wow! Thank you God! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Holy Spirit!

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Hmmm.

So, let me get this straight. Jesus is saying we are going to have enough trouble every day? And this is supposed to be encouraging?

Hmmm. What am I missing?

Let’s unpack this.

Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. You see, Jesus knows something worriers don’t know: what we worry about rarely happens.

Research has shown that when we worry, our brains automatically go to worst case scenarios. That’s our default mode. Unless we learn how to train our minds to think rationally, think in a way that honors God, our thoughts will betray us.

• When a teen misses their curfew, we think, “Oh, no! They must have gotten into an accident!”
• When our girlfriend/boyfriend doesn’t immediately return our phone call or text, our brains think of the worst case scenario.

What we worry about rarely happens. Thank God for that!!!

So, Jesus tells us. Chill out. Don’t worry about worst case scenarios for tomorrow. You are wasting your time and energy on something that’s not going to happen.

What a waste of time and effort. Stop.

Deal with what’s right before you. Deal with today.

The decisions you make today will impact what your tomorrow will look like. So, choose wisely today. Deal with today.

Stop wasting your time and energy on what rarely happens. Focus on what you need to do right now, on this day, so that you can have the future that you desire.

That’s good news. Choose wisely today.