God’s Smile of Affection for You

Meditations for Ragamuffins 

February 23, 2024

God’s Smile of Affection for You

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!

Philippians 3:1a

Philippians 3: 1-6

Today’s passage lays a foundation for the entirety of our life in Christ. We rejoice in the Good News that we belong to Jesus. Our relationship to Jesus is made secure not because of what we did, or we are doing, or what we have refrained from doing. Rather, we belong to Jesus because he has united us to himself in his death, burial, resurrection, and enthronement. This is our Good News. We never stop rejoicing in this Good News, because rejoicing in the goodness of Jesus safeguards our faith.

The church in Philippi was being tempted to deviate from relying solely on the goodness and faithfulness of Jesus to secure their right relationship with God. Instead, they were being urged to trust in the works of the flesh by obeying certain religious rules and doing good works. No one understood religious tradition, rules, and discipline like Paul. Paul had zealously pursued God only to come up empty-handed. Then Jesus found Paul, and everything in Paul’s life changed. Until the day he died, Paul continued to zealously pursue God, but after he encountered Jesus, his pursuit of holiness was always resting on the truth that Jesus securely had him in his grasp. Paul was always basking in God’s smile of affection for him as he journeyed to make the life in Christ his way of life.

My Takeaway: Today, with an out-stretched hand, Paul looks back toward us and says, “Come and learn to rest in God’s smile of affection for you.”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.