Liberating Gospels
The Nature of Christian Freedom
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
Philippians 3:9-14 The Voice9 When it counts, I want to be found belonging to Him, not clinging to my own righteousness based on law, but actively relying on the faithfulness of the Anointed One. This is true righteousness, supplied by God, acquired by faith. 10 I want to know Him inside and out. I want to experience the power of His resurrection and join in His suffering, shaped by His death, 11 so that I may arrive safely at the resurrection from the dead. [The crucified and risen Jesus is the model that Paul desires to embody by walking deep in His pathway of death and life—suffering and resurrection.] 12 I’m not there yet, nor have I become perfect; but I am charging on to gain anything and everything the Anointed One, Jesus, has in store for me—and nothing will stand in my way because He has grabbed me and won’t let me go. 13 Brothers and sisters, as I said, I know I have not arrived; but there’s one thing I am doing: I’m leaving my old life behind, putting everything on the line for this mission. 14 I am sprinting toward the only goal that counts: to cross the line, to win the prize, and to hear God’s call to resurrection life found exclusively in Jesus the Anointed. For ReflectionHow many of us can say, "I want to join in his [Jesus] suffering? Christians don't get freedom from hardship. They get to share in his suffering. It involves both the sharing in his joy and in his sufferings. Jesus suffered when he encountered injustice, a person's separation from God, and one's inability to escape his everyday defeats.
Jesus suffers when we suffer. If we are in Christ, then when we confront another's suffering, we should share in their suffering. Taking on the suffering of others is the first step in helping another heal. PrayPray, and let the Holy Spirit guide your life. Pray so that you can take on the suffering of others and help them heal.
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