NewSpring Church - Wichita, Kansas

15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 

16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 

19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

Philippians 3:15-19 (NLT)

Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the “easy Christianity” trap. You know, it’s the trap that says, “I’ve been a Christian long enough now, I can put it on auto-pilot.” But here, Paul tells us that those who are truly spiritually mature take the view that we have to continually strive to reach that prize for which we have been called. There’s no cruise control in the life of the Jesus’ follower. Today, it will take effort to “strive for the prize.” It will be uncomfortable at times, but always worthwhile.

The other day, I was conned into playing a 1-on-2 basketball game. Honestly, it’s been about 10 years since I have played, and I thought it would be no big deal. I mean, how hard could it be, right? Well, after about 20 minutes of low-to-moderate exercise, I was seeing stars (like the kind Wil E. Coyote has when Roadrunner drops an anvil on his head) and my body was telling me that it might be most fun to just pass out on the gym floor. I have to tell you that that experience really opened my eyes to how soft I’ve become…

I think spiritually we can become soft without even realizing it. We just get used to taking the simplest, least resistant path, and little by little, we are getting out of shape spiritually.

If that’s a good metaphor, then we could say that Paul is volunteering to be our personal trainer. Check out what he says in verse 17. He tells the Philippians to pattern their lives after his. Wow. I wonder how many of us could say with confidence, “Just do what I do, and you will grow as a Christian”? That’s a pretty bold statement. Yet, really that’s what a trainer does. He shows you how to do an exercise and then he’s there to encourage you to push yourself past the point of comfort. That’s the only way you get in shape. So, let’s apply that spiritually. If you’re not experiencing any spiritual discomfort, that means that you have not really been striving for the prize. If you only step out in faith as much as you are comfortable, you will never develop more faith.

I find it interesting that Paul even paints the picture of the person who is the opposite of a Jesus’ follower. Paul calls them “enemies of the cross of Christ.” He says that their appetite is their god. Whoa. In other words, whatever feels good is what they do. That sounds like just taking the easy way in a situation, doesn’t it? Then the second thing Paul says is that they brag about shameful things. They call things that are bad good. The third statement Paul makes is that they only think about life on this earth. Let’s recap, because this is HUGE.

Enemies of Christ’s cross:
1. Just do what feels good.
2. Call bad things good.
3. Think only about this life and not the life to come.

As I sit here and write this, I’m extremely convicted that in my own life it is so easy to fall into these things. To simply take the easy way out in a difficult situation. Or to become numb to the evil around me in our culture to the point where I can laugh at it or find entertainment in things that God has called wrong. And most convicting of all, I often lose sight of the fact that this life is not my permanent residence. Everything I do is affecting how I’ll live for eternity.

Would you join me in a prayer for today?

God, thank you for being so patient with me, your child. I know I often can behave like an enemy of Christ’s cross. But today, I ask for the strength and the grace to live differently. Help me choose the path that strengthens my faith and my trust in You today. I don’t want to opt for the easy way out. I want to be a passionate follower of You.

Thank you for loving me. Amen.