Do Joy: Joy in the Effort

Were you told by your parents to be proud of who you are? How you look? How well you do in school? Yet in Philippians, we are told that regardless of our heritage, our upbringing, our good deeds, we are not to take pride in ourselves but only in Christ Jesus.Paul at one time took pride in his past, his nationality and his religious track record of persecuting the church. Yet he tells us in Philippians 3:7-8a (ERV) “At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are worth nothing . . . compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”