Pursuing Your PurposeSample

In the fall of 2016, Netflix released a new series called The Crown. It is a historical drama about Queen Elizabeth II. The series begins with her marriage to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and continues to the modern day. 

For many Americans, royalty is just a title with lots of pageantry. The series, however, reveals that a reigning monarch has responsibilities and a code of conduct because of their position. The king or queen must never forget who they are. 

Neither should you.

Before Paul discussed joy, he reminded the Philippians in his opening remarks who they were. He called them “saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1). You may think of a saint as an individual who, because of their good deeds, was honorable above others. In fact, some churches classify a specific set of individuals who lived unselfishly as saints. But according to the New Testament, every Christian qualifies as a saint. No one person in the Bible is called a saint. Instead, the word saints is always used to describe a group of people. 

If you know Jesus Christ personally, you are a saint. Not because of what you did, but because of what He did. His death and resurrection opened the door for your redemption. And through your relationship with Christ, you, like all believers, are a saint.

As a saint, you are special in God’s eyes. It means you are set apart. As Max Lucado said, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” And the word saint, in the original Greek that Paul used, means you are set apart for a purpose.