FLP. 3

1  tHatimaye, ndugu zangu, furahini katika Bwana.

Kuondokana na Yaliyopita

Kuwaandikieni mambo yale yale hakuniudhi mimi, bali kutawafaa ninyi.
2  tJihadharini na mbwa, jihadharini na watendao mabaya, jihadharini na wajikatao. 3 tMaana sisi tu tohara, tumwabuduo Mungu kwa Roho, na kuona fahari juu ya Kristo Yesu, wala hatuutumainii mwili. 4 tWalakini mimi ningeweza kuutumainia mwili. Mtu ye yote akijiona kuwa anayo sababu ya kuutumainia mwili, mimi zaidi. 5 tNalitahiriwa siku ya nane, ni mtu wa taifa la Israeli, wa kabila ya Benyamini, Mwebrania wa Waebrania, kwa habari ya kuishika torati, ni Farisayo, 6 tkwa habari ya juhudi, mwenye kuliudhi Kanisa, kwa habari ya haki ipatikanayo kwa sheria sikuwa na hatia. 7 tLakini mambo yale yaliyokuwa faida kwangu, naliyahesabu kuwa hasara kwa ajili ya Kristo. 8 Naam, zaidi ya hayo, nayahesabu mambo yote kuwa hasara kwa ajili ya uzuri usio na kiasi wa kumjua Kristo Yesu, Bwana wangu; ambaye kwa ajili yake nimepata hasara ya mambo yote nikiyahesabu kuwa kama mavi ili nipate Kristo; 9 ttena nionekane katika yeye, nisiwe na haki yangu mwenyewe ipatikanayo kwa sheria, bali ile ipatikanayo kwa imani iliyo katika Kristo, haki ile itokayo kwa Mungu, kwa imani; 10 tili nimjue yeye, na uweza wa kufufuka kwake, na ushirika wa mateso yake, nikifananishwa na kufa kwake;

11 tili nipate kwa njia yo yote kuifikia kiyama ya wafu.

Kujitahidi Kuelekea kwa Lengo

12  tSi kwamba nimekwisha kufika, au nimekwisha kuwa mkamilifu; la! Bali nakaza mwendo ili nipate kulishika lile ambalo kwa ajili yake nimeshikwa na Kristo Yesu. 13 Ndugu, sijidhanii nafsi yangu kwamba nimekwisha kushika; ila natenda neno moja tu; nikiyasahau yaliyo nyuma, nikiyachuchumilia yaliyo mbele; 14 tnakaza mwendo, niifikilie mede ya thawabu ya mwito mkuu wa Mungu katika Kristo Yesu. 15 tBasi sisi tulio wakamilifu na tuwaze hayo; na hata mkiwaza mengine katika jambo lo lote, Mungu atawafunulia hilo nalo.

16 tLakini, hapo tulipofika na tuenende katika lilo hilo.
17  tNdugu zangu, mnifuate mimi, mkawatazame wao waendao kwa kuufuata mfano tuliowapa ninyi. 18 tMaana wengi huenenda, ambao nimewaambieni mara nyingi habari zao, na sasa nawaambia hata kwa machozi, kuwa ni adui za msalaba wa Kristo; 19 tmwisho wao ni uharibifu, mungu wao ni tumbo, utukufu wao u katika fedheha yao, waniao mambo ya duniani. 20 tKwa maana sisi, wenyeji wetu uko mbinguni; kutoka huko tena tunamtazamia Mwokozi, Bwana Yesu Kristo; 21 tatakayeubadili mwili wetu wa unyonge, upate kufanana na mwili wake wa utukufu, kwa uweza ule ambao kwa huo aweza hata kuvitiisha vitu vyote viwe chini yake.

PHILIPPIANS 3

Being Acceptable to God

1 Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord. It doesn't bother me to write the same things to you that I have written before. In fact, it is for your own good.
2 Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you. 3 But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spiritt and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done, 4 although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. 5 t I was circumcised when I was eight days old, t and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses.

6 t And I was so eager I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God.
7 But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. 8 Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9 and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. 10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did,

11 so that somehow I also may be raised to life.

Running toward the Goal

12 I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13 My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14 I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15 All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you.

16 But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.
17  t My friends, I want you to follow my example and learn from others who closely follow the example we set for you. 18 I often warned you that many people are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And now with tears in my eyes, I warn you again

19 that they are headed for hell! They worship their stomachs and brag about the disgusting things they do. All they can think about are the things of this world.
20 But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ 21 t has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.