Day 345 of 364

^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. ^3:2Beware of the dogs; beware of the evil workers; beware of the false circumcision. ^3:3For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; ^3:4though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: ^3:5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; ^3:6concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. ^3:7However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ. ^3:8Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ ^3:9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, ^3:10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death, ^3:11if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ^3:12Not 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 Christ Jesus. ^3:13Brothers, 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, ^3:14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ^3:15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. ^3:16Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let’s walk by the same rule. Let’s be of the same mind. ^3:17Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example. ^3:18For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ, ^3:19whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things. ^3:20For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ^3:21who 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. ^4:1Therefore, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. ^4:2I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord. ^4:3Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. ^4:4Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!” ^4:5Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ^4:6In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ^4:7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. ^4:8Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ^4:9Do the things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me, and the God of peace will be with you. ^4:10But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. ^4:11Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. ^4:12I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. ^4:13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ^4:14However you did well that you shared in my affliction. ^4:15You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. ^4:16For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need. ^4:17Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increases to your account. ^4:18But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God. ^4:19My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ^4:20Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever! Amen. ^4:21Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. ^4:22All the saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar’s household. ^4:23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints, ⁵because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News ⁶which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth, ⁷even as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf, ⁸who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. ⁹For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy, ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, ¹³who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, ¹⁴in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross. ²¹You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds, ²²yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him, ²³if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant. ²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly, ²⁵of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, ²⁷to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; ²⁹for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.