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Philippians 3
1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome, but for you it is safe.
2Beware of the dogs; beware of the evil workers; beware of the false circumcision.
3For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;
4though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more:
5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the which is in the law, found blameless.
7However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for .
8Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ
9and be found in him, not having a of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through in , the righteousness which is from God by faith,
10that I may know him and the power of his , and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death,
11if by any means I may attain to the from the dead.
12Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Jesus.
13Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before,
14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus.
15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you.
16Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let’s walk by the same rule. Let’s be of the same mind.
17Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.
18For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of of ,
19whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.
20For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus ,
21who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
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Questions this passage answers
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.
Does God provide for my needs?
Scripture says yes, and it is careful about the word need. God promises to supply what his people need, often daily rather than in advance, and he does not promise surplus, comfort or the removal of hard seasons. Paul, who wrote that God will supply every need, also wrote that he had learned to be hungry.
What does the Bible say about contentment?
Scripture presents contentment as something learned rather than felt, grounded in a promise rather than in circumstances. Paul says he learned it in plenty and in hunger, Hebrews grounds it in God's word that he will never forsake us, and 1 Timothy calls godliness with contentment great gain while naming food and clothing as enough.
What does the Bible say about worry?
Jesus forbids worry about food, drink and clothing, and he argues rather than scolds: your Father knows what you need, he feeds the birds, worry adds nothing to your life. Scripture then gives the worrier something to do, prayer with thanksgiving and casting the burden on God, and it limits the horizon to one day at a time.