Judges is the story of Israel's failure to follow God's plan to possess the Promised Land. They progressively and repeatedly moved further and further away from God and worshiped other gods. In chapter 1, we see that even a good start at following God's plan can end badly if we compromise and do not follow God's plan.

Romans 5:15-17

In Philippians 3:12-16, the apostle Paul talks about what it looks like to press on to spiritual maturity.

In Philippians 3:1-11, the apostle Paul contrasts two approaches to achieving a right relationship with God: through the merits of our own effort and privilege, or through faith in Jesus Christ. Though he had every credential for boasting in his own background and effort, he counts it all as loss compared to knowing Christ.

In Philippians 2:19-30, Paul talks about two men as examples of the kind of thinking he has been talking about. Timothy and Epaphroditus both looked out for the interests of others before their own. We are called to steadfastly serve and sacrifice for the benefit of others.