Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

Let us hold onto truth

January 7, 2022 by Kristin 2 Comments

“Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” — Philippians 3:15-16

I’m 42 years old, but I’m not as mature as I want to be. 

I’ve been studying Philippians with my Precept group and so many life lessons are echoing what Paul is writing about first to the early church in Philippi and also to us as Christ-followers. Our pastor Bro. Ricky Cunningham even stepped away from the teaching series on Acts to teach from Philippians 3 to start the new year because it’s about new life resolutions, not just new year resolutions. (Watch that encouraging sermon here.)

God is wanting me to hear some things, that’s for sure. 

In Philippians 3, Paul is repeating himself because what he’s saying is important:

  • Put no confidence in the flesh. 
  • He counts all the many earthly gains as loss for the sake of Christ. 
  • Faith in Christ leads to righteousness. 
  • Believers share in Christ’s suffering and the power of his resurrection. 
  • Paul is pressing on toward the prize of Christ.
  • He forgets what lies behind. 
  • Strains forward to what lies ahead. 

Paul had been a Christ-follower for about 30 years at this point. He grew up among the people of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, a zealous persecutor of the church, and righteousness under the law. But Christ changed him from the inside out and now we’re encouraged to imitate him (verse 17). We should imitate him because he points to Christ alone.

Do people want to imitate me? Some days they should; other days they definitely should not. 

When I’m mature enough to “think” like Paul did (verse 15), I’m able to be understanding and wise. I can control my thoughts because I rest in my identity in Christ alone. On days I wake up grumbling because I didn’t sleep well or I’m worried about circumstances far beyond my control, nobody should imitate my grumpy self-centeredness. 

Only let me hold true to what I have attained (verse 16). 

Too often I let my circumstances dictate my attitude when I know the truth is I’m called to be of the same mind as Christ. I start to believe lies of convenience and assumption rather than rely on the truth that I know deep in my soul or have the conversations that bring me back to reality. Those lies — all the lies — steal my joy. 

In addition to studying Philippians, I’m reading “Live No Lies” by John Mark Comer. On a morning when I woke up in a hot, crowded bed much earlier than I liked, I read this:

“The daily decision to rejoice — to cultivate a way of seeing our lives in God’s good world, not through the lens of our phones, news apps, or flesh, but through gratitude, celebration, and unhurried delight — will over time from us into joyful, thankful people who deeply enjoy life with God and others. What starts as an act of will eventually turns into our inner nature. What begins with a choice eventually becomes a character. … We make our decisions, and then our decisions make us.”

I want to make mature decisions. I want to be like Paul. Ultimately, I want to be like Jesus. 

*****

While Precept encourages applications from scripture study, every now and then there’s an application prompt that’s a little different from the usual lessons. That’s what happens at the end of the lesson about Philippians 3. Specifically, I was supposed to take some truth that God has spoken to me through Philippians 3 and develop it in such a way to share it with others. So that’s what prompted this devotional writing that helped me work through some disjointed thoughts in my head. I hope you’re also encouraged. 

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: faith Tagged With: books, faith, life, quotes

Comments

  1. Katie Cunningham says

    January 7, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    So very encouraging!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      January 7, 2022 at 2:04 pm

      Thanks, friend! I’m reading to talk about this Precept lesson. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Fifteen
  • Help kids have healthy eating habits
  • How to organize your home
  • Let’s come before the throne
  • 3 Ways to Enhance Kids’ Cognitive Skills

#PorchStories button

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

I miss … … a few particular friends from whom I miss …

… a few particular friends from whom I’m separated by circumstances, logistics, and distances. 

When I make a friend, I intend to stay friends forever. Of course, life doesn’t always work out that way. 

I don’t miss my kids being young, but I miss the ease of socializing with my friends during that season. It was easy then to meet at the park or go somewhere for lunch. Now there are so many schedules to work around. 

Scheduling time to lunch or get together is still my love language, it just takes a little more work, patience, and persistence now. And sometimes that’s exhausting. But it’s always worth it. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #reallife
School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #mo School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #momlife #siblinglove #summerisbest #maydays
I’m proud of myself for … … surviving and t I’m proud of myself for …

… surviving and thriving this school year. I resist change almost all of the time, and the past nine months have been full of so many transitions for our whole family. I know, that’s life, but these changes seem like the kind that will mark us forever. 

My kids navigated new beginnings in kindergarten, middle school, and high school. As a mom, sometimes I’m too close to see the growth, but this year it happened in each of them right before my eyes. They navigated friendship hurdles, embraced new friends, and settled a little more into who God created them to be. Middle school isn’t for the faint of heart, but I feel like I’ve come out of this year closer to my son, so I will take it. 

I’m proud of myself for leaning into where God has me. I’ve grown deeper friendships, invested in my kids’ school as a board member and business manager, and seen God work in our ordinary days. 

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, so I’m proud of myself through getting through the winter and coming into summer stronger and braver. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #summerisbest #bettertogether
I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book sooner. I loved so much about it, but I did want some of her stories to be  less repetitive and offer more practical advice for living out “radical, ordinary hospitality.” Rosaria Butterfield defines hospitality like this as sharing what you have in real time, preparing to continually life this lifestyle, and bringing strangers in so they become neighbors who become family. 

I took notes throughout, but especially during the introduction. I came away with an appreciation that hospitality can involve lists, schedules, and habits. I felt encouraged, even if I thought the book could have been organized better to include practical tips and other people’s stories. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #audiobooks #livingfaithfully #bookreview #booklover
Something I don’t usually share (online) … I Something I don’t usually share (online) …

I am an opinionated person, but I don’t usually share political opinions on social media. People who know me in real life know I value being pro-life, having less government involvement in our everyday lives, defining marriage as God intended it, and being fiscally conservative. As a former newspaper reporter, I still get excited about elections. I admittedly pay a little less attention in the almost 15 years I haven’t been in a newsroom. But I still care and have plenty of opinions. 

I voted today in Kentucky’s Primary Election. I’m thankful for the freedom to share my opinion by darkening some blocks on a paper ballot. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #reallife #livingfaithfully
Old friends and live music are two of my favorite Old friends and live music are two of my favorite things, so having them together is the best. My friend Aaron and I went to multiple Dave Matthews Band shows together during our college years, so now two decades later it’s fun to do it again as grown ups with our spouses for a band that speaks truth into our lives. 

@needtobreathe put on the loudest acoustic tour I’ve ever seen, but it sure was good! And its encore of completely unplugged songs was especially sweet. 

#NTBlive #needtobreathe #bettertogether #choosingJOY #favoritethings #livingfaithfully #weekending
Happiness is … … a slow morning that gave me Happiness is …

… a slow morning that gave me a chance to finish reading a good book right after I fixed my favorite cinnamon toast. 

… some shade to invite me to pick some more weeds around the house. But why doesn’t my Apple Watch count this as exercise? It felt like exercise to me! 

… an appointment with my oldest girl for us both to get our nails done this morning. 

… my youngest girl’s last soccer game of the season, even though the heat made her a little grumpy. 

… pool time, another good book to read, my mom visiting for the second weekend in a row, a little more weeding, and a night at home with no specific plans. 

Happiness is everyday, normal life with my people, especially when it comes with a slower pace after a hectic week. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #soccermom #KHTreads #momlife #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #poolpeople #PorchStories
I regretted having to go to sleep last night befor I regretted having to go to sleep last night before I finished this book, so I picked it up at breakfast and didn’t do anything else until I finished it. 

I loved the Alaskan cruise setting, the quick love and understanding between Greta and Ben, and the realistic ways grief changes people. Well done, @jenniferesmith! 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #kindlebooks #booklover #kindlepaperwhite #reallife #weekending #recommendedreads #poolpeople #amreading
Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of s Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of school next week and then it’s #88daysofsummer! Obviously, we’re ready. ☀️ 

Here’s to a refreshing weekend with much anticipation of what’s to come! #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #thirdchild #momlife #summerisbest #poolpeople #PorchStories #maydays
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2022 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.