IBS PHILIPPIANS 3:11

that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

At all costs. No matter what. Paul understands the power that Jesus has. I wonder if Paul knew about Jesus before Damascus. He definitely heard about Him, the world did, but did he see him? How much more powerful, crying out for a man to be crucified, only to see Him glorified by the father. I wonder if when Paul was blind if the only thing He could still “see” was the last thing that graced His view, the face of Jesus. Paul understood the power of God. He was persecuted in the Lords name, in his power. But Damascus’s was different. He gained new sight and saw with new eyes. Jesus tore into His life and Paul was never the same. He knew there Jesus had true power, power over death, the power to restore. From Saul to Paul. Mercy, Grace, Love, redemption. The power to restore the dead and redeem them with true life. Paul knew he had to listen to the command, go. To lay down everything for the one who set him free. I know I am loved by Him and that he gave me everything, but I’ve never been blinded by the Lord. I’ve known since I was a kid and never truly experienced this. I don’t know God’s plans but He is perfect and His ways are flawless, and He will do what he wants with this vessel. 

Application

Today I will write on my bible bookmark Restored Altered Transformed to remind me I have been set apart, and I need to live like a man who has truly seen the light. 

IBS PHILIPPIANS 3:10

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death

To know is to live. To practice a lifestyle every day. And we learn how to live a certain way by watching someone else. We don’t need to “learn” how to live a sinful lifestyle because we see our friends and family and let them influence our lives. But to know Christ is to live with Him. He was the rebel, He lived in this world engulfed by sin and yet live for God, and died to the flesh. To be exalted to our best potential everything we know must be unlearned. Our new lifestyle is no longer living but dying. We have been set apart from the world, so why do we want to be like it. It’s the easy way, the way we have been brainwashed into living the lie. But Jesus is the only way. Dying is the new living. Every day, for what he did. His power can only fill us if we are void. An empty vessel prepared for anything that’s thrown at it. Will we know His sufferings, yes? But He was glorified and made whole. To know Him takes sacrifice, but our sacrifice is pitiful compared to eternity in Him. 

Application

Today I will pray and ask God to show me the things in my life I need to put to death, write them down and during my quiet time pray that His holy fire may rain down and consume this sacrifice. 

IBS PHILIPPIANS 3:9

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith

My own righteousness is worthless. No matter how good of a person I could ever try to be, if I live a life outside of the grace of Christ and by the law, I’m lead to death. My own works are futile, they only show me how far away I am from the lord. But God and His Unsearchable ways loves me enough to sacrifice everything, His beloved son, for a wretched like me. My worth to him is something I could never understand. And further more he wants a relationship with me. The Father and son. The potter and the clay. In His word he shapes me. In His word I grow closer to the righteous one, and through His word I grow in faith and righteousness in Him. And what does that mean for me. Spending time alone with Him. I read my allotted chapters in the Bible every morning, but is that enough. Even Jesus after a long day of ministry, when he was weary and tired, would come to the father for prayer. Am I counting the costs, could I do more?

Application

During this week I will get up 30 minutes earlier to have a specific prayer time and start to read a book from the Bible I feel like the Lord lays on my heart. 

IBS PHILIPPIANS 3:8

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

All things loss. I have left many things behind for Christ, mostly out of necessity. But the knowledge of Christ. Truly knowing him is my ultimate goal. To see His face in glory, and worship Him for eternity. That sounds like heaven. But living for Christ is the fulfillment of life. Everything a fallen human man looks for is found in Him. But it’s the things inside the fallen human man that drives me away from thinking I can receive the things I’m grasping for. Security, Love, peace. To find these things in Christ is to let these things go on earth. He who tries to gain his own life will lose his own life. When you die you can’t take the things sought after the most with you. Everything from this earth fades with your last breath. But a christians last breath is the start of new life. A life God can’t wait for us to finally, truly live to its full potential. But on earth, there are still those things that linger. Every time God purifies, I find things from this earth to tuck away. In Lev 9 Aaron made a sacrifice for the sin of the people. He needed to cut the sacrifice into pieces. Then he placed each piece on the altar, then the lord consumed the sacrifice. When we lay our troubles on the altar, the Lord takes care of the rest. He burns until there’s nothing left to burn, and tells us this is how he wants us to live. On freedom from sin, and in a freedom that I may live for Him. 

Application

This week I will memorize this verse to meditate on this passage in the mornings. 

IBS 2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

We were created to be in unity with God. To live in perfect harmony with Him. But when sin corrupted the hearts of Adam and Eve, Our communion with God was broken. The unity God established with us was made incomplete. A divide was created. A chasm that man cannot breach. We can get as close to the edge as we want, by living as best as a fallible man can, but I can’t pay for what I have done. But Gods cannot contradict his character. He sent His holy son to repair that connection. And reconnect that divide. I can now live in eternity with the father that loves me so dearly. He has given me His spirit so that through me I can connect with my brothers and sisters in his love and live out the peace he blesses us with.

Application
Today I will try and reconnect with some of my brothers and sisters I may have drifted away from.

IBS Romans 12:6

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. 

One body. One bride, one never-ending love from God. He loves us in our differences. He created us with our differences. If we were all created the same then we would be like angels, and He already has those. But giving us different personalities allowed Him to be the creator, the artist, and He delights in making masterpieces. But we are also created equal in His image and in His image He bestowed in us parts of His being. When we were bought by Him we were given new names and new identities as His children. And His blessing for us on earth is being filled with His presence and power, His gifts and His family. We have been set apart to do good world for Him who saved us. He gave us the power to do so the moment we ran into His arms. Without each other we can’t succeed. The body has been gifted accordingly. God has His purposes to grow us closer to each other and to Him. If we stumble or hinder one part of the body, the other parts don’t work properly. As class fourteen we are one organism in the whole operation, gifted for our callings and needs. Unified we thrive, but distracted we discourage the rest of the body. 

Application

Today I will meditate over this passage and pray that God will show class 14 our gifting and callings in our lives

IBS Luke 12:37-40

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

A servant is someone who is ready to serve at any time. Someone willing to lay down their time for someone in need. But if you're sleeping how can you be ready. I was a sleeping “servant” for many years. I was dreaming I was serving Him, but it was a false reality and world I created. But He woke me from my dream and showed me where I was wrong and has shown me the truth. Now that I have the truth I need to spread it. And I need to be ready, at any time. Any watch of the night.

Application

The Lord has laid his timing on my heart so I will pray that he will show me verses in His word concerning this timing and his will, and when he shows me one I will write it down in my journal

IBS 1 John 1:5-7

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Unity with God. Communing with Him. Walking with Him in the light. He has set me apart to be a child of light. He desires for everyone to walk with Him. But for most the darkness is easier to walk in. One compromise leads to another and another. Compromise compromise compromise. In the darkness, you can get what you want, but in the light, you get what you need. Romans 13:12-13 with our armor we repel the enemy and his attacks but it starts with the communion, fellowship, and unity with him. And as we grow closer to him we grow closer to our brothers and sisters. And if everyone is like minded then there should be no fear of dissension. But when we get in the way and slink back in the shadows our sinful ways get in the begin to show. But we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. Living in an environment like this with a group of people like this creates a unity and likemindedness like no other. In the light, we grow, closer to him and closer to each other.

Application

This week I will spend extra time in the morning praying for class 14, the teams and the family as a whole, and I will write family on my arm and be reminded to pray throughout the day.

IBS John 15:15

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

We have been bought by a new master. Adopted by a new father. And have become friends to the King. Jesus told us we are to love as the father loves Him. And that means loving everyone. Serving all. And if we obey we remain in his love. And as we remain will bear fruit. Thankfully we have a gardener who watches out for us. Who prunes what needs to be pruned, for our own growth. Cutting away for actual healing. Right now I’m reading through Leviticus. There are so many commandments sometimes it’s hard to keep track. But Jesus knows this. He tells us to love. Love God and love people. Even if I’m not serving someone physically, if I’m loving, that’s enough. And Gods love will compel me to serve. For God is Love. And if we remain in Him, we will grow in love. The people of Israel were looking for a conqueror, a warrior. But Jesus came to conquer hearts through love. He calls us his friends, but we serve out of love.

Application

Today I will make right my relationship with one of my brothers out of love for him and the one who lives me first.

IBS Matthew 20:26-28

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

It’s crazy to me that I can take something as humbling as serving “the Lord” and make it about myself. I hate that I want to serve to make myself the best servant. Or that I’ll serve out of a frustration that I’m not as good as someone else. In trying to be the best I make myself the worst and least useful in Gods eyes. Works out of pride. Not love. How could I twist something as caring and humbling as serving to try and point it to myself? How shameful. The one who should be served out of reverence for the position came down to serve the lowest. He lowered himself lower than my position and never ask for anything in return. In fact, He told those He served to not tell anyone. Why would He serve me? The greatest became the servant. Lord, I pray you humble me and lower me. Not for man to see. But that I may understand the depths you took for me.

Application

During this next week, I will take time and write down and memorize this passage

IBS Luke 17:7-10

“Will anyone of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

A servant doesn’t get recognized. His reward comes in serving. He serves because he was brought out of a world of death and destruction. But His masters task for Him was to go back and save others who were once like Him. I have been saved from the price of sin and given a gift of eternity with the savior. But before that, there is a call. A call to go. A call to wait. A call to wait for the master until His prepared time. Until then there are sheep to a pastor and a harvest to sow. Serving may not seem all that fun at times. With a zoomed up perspective menial tasks seem almost obscured compared to the ministry and the souls who need the good news of a savior. But I have been bought. I am His grateful slave and cleaning up someone’s mess is a reasonable sacrifice compared to the sacrifice he made for me.

Application

Today I will pray for a thankful heart while serving and when I look at my hand I will pray that God would restore that attitude.