A heads-up moment…

In Philippians 3:3, Paul says that he and his fellow Christians pride themselves in Jesus Christ and put no confidence in what they are in the flesh, on outward privileges and physical advantages, and external appearances.

Seriously? Can this be said of us Christians today? Well, maybe the first part about ‘priding ourselves in Jesus Christ’. Most Christians in the United States today make a big deal out of being a follower of Christ, but that isn’t true in most places in the rest of the world, unless a Holy boldness has come upon those who claim His Name. A boldness that enables people to become true followers of Christ, no matter the cost. We hear about that kind of Christianity, but do we have even a small inkling of what that looks like?

I don’t think so. And I’ll tell you why. Because the vast majority of Christians today put their confidence in who they are (their reputation), and on outward privileges, physical advantages and external appearances. Think about it.

Appearance seems to be everything nowadays. The clothes a person wears, how their makeup looks, how their hair is styled, the friends they hang out with, the house they live in, the car they drive, the places they go for entertainment, the gourmet food they eat–it’s all there in living color on Instagram and Facebook, proof of what’s really important in their lives that they want the rest of the world to know.

Whether we intend for it to or not, what we put on social media becomes our witness. I think it’s worth asking ourselves if we really do take pride in our relationship with Jesus Christ, because if we do, our posts will reflect that relationship. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jesus in a selfie, but I have seen Him in a dad and child playing ball, a mom and daughter laughing, and a kid eating a drippy ice cream cone.

And yeah, it’s worth asking ourselves who exactly we put our confidence in–our reputation, the privileges we enjoy, the physical advantages we have, or our external appearance.

Or can we, like Paul, say, Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ, and become one with him, no longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying God’s laws, but by trusting Christ to save me; for God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith—counting on Christ alone. Phil 3:8-9