Philippians: 14 Days of Hope and Encouragementनमुना

In my house, I am the queen of “Jeopardy.” I throw out phrases like they’re my middle name.

Know what? Those random facts mean nothing in real life. The only thing my couch-sitting “Jeopardy” skills earn is momentary fun. After “Final Jeopardy,” we’ve all moved on.

That’s a silly example, but it makes Paul’s point in Philippians 3: just like trivia doesn’t earn me a thing, any action I do on this earth won’t earn me righteousness for eternity.

Righteousness: that’s God’s perfect purity and justice. Guess who’s not perfectly pure and just? Me. You. Anybody who has ever breathed… except Jesus. That’s what Paul wants us to understand. When we believe Jesus’ death on the cross took on the punishment for our sins, and trust in that, then God no longer looks at us and sees our sin. He sees Christ’s perfection.

What we’ve done is nothing. What Christ did is everything.

Anybody who says you have to earn that free gift that Jesus gave you, or that you have to do something to “make it stick,” is one of the “dogs” Paul refers to in Philippians 3:2. He makes the point by listing his impressive credentials. When it came to religion and the world, he had it all: born in the right family and the right town, highly educated, zealous for his religion to the point of killing for it. There was no greater religious man than Paul.

But then he looked Jesus in the face, and he realized that, like my “Jeopardy” couch-wins, none of it had value. Those things he’d chalked up in the “win column” to earn his way into heaven were worthless.

Only Jesus mattered.

But shouldn’t we serve others? Take action? Definitely yes. But our actions should be a loving response to God’s gift of salvation through Christ, not a “point” to earn toward getting into heaven.

Sweet friend, Jesus loves you right where you are. More than anything, He wants you to simply accept the gift of eternity and relationship with Him that He’s offering you. No bonus points required.

~Jodie Bailey

Novelist, Faith Over Fear podcast host