“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 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 with 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.”
Philippians 3:5-9 NLT
My daughter just got another dog, Gus. This is their second. He is just a puppy. They have an older dog, Bob, who is mostly black lab but is a mix. This new puppy is also a mix. You can tell he is a "mutt" , which I say with affection, because he was free. The cost of pure breed dogs is astronomical and for what? The average person doesn't need a dog with a huge list of family accomplishments. They just want a dog for the family. Bob is a big part of the family. My other daughters all have dogs they love (and sometimes hate). They wouldn't love them any more if they had some impressive breeding papers.
Paul had finally gotten to the point in his life that he realized his long list of impressive family credentials, or earthly accomplishments, meant nothing. He said, "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 with 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 am proud of my earthly accomplishments, my family, my ministry, my teaching degree, my success as a leader , and educator. Most people have accomplished a lot more than I have. I have the greatest accomplishment of all........ While I was yet a sinner and far less than righteous, Christ loved me. He has rescued me from sure death and brought me to a point equal to the greatest Christians to ever live, not by my wonderful works, but by his perfect grace. I deserve nothing and am blessed with eternal life. My pedigree through Christ is nothing less than perfect. Praise God!
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