In Philippians 3, Paul tells us the story of his journey. It is good to tell our stories of what Jesus has done in our lives. What is your account, and how can God use your story to help others become followers of Jesus?
Paul tells us that he once trusted in all his religious rules and rituals. He was religious from birth, a citizen of Israel, a real Hebrew, and a member of the Pharisees, who demanded the strictest obedience to Jewish law. He was so committed that he harshly persecuted Christians and the Church. He was a fanatic about obeying religious rules and laws.
Beginning in Philippians 3:7-9, “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 to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.”
Paul has a wonderful story of God’s saving grace. Religious people tend to rely on what they are doing for God to save them instead of having simple faith and trust in Jesus to save them from all of their sins.
Paul was a highly religious man, even fanatical, and thought he was doing God’s will. But one day, he encountered Jesus, which changed his destiny.
Salvation is not in what we do but in what Jesus Christ has done already when He died on the Cross to forgive us of our sins. What a gift of salvation that God has provided that I need to put my faith in Christ and not in what I do!
God’s Word tells us that Jesus came to give us life and to have it more abundantly.
Tell others your story about how Jesus saved you and changed the direction and destiny of your life!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Church (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
