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In the first part of this series on downsizing, we talked about the effects on our brain on a regular practice of rejoicing in the Lord. We reflected on the error in putting our confidences in earthly things. We discussed our chances at fulfillment when we carry around our hopes and dreams in a wet paper sack, and what happens when we put our confidences in the flesh.
Having confidence in oneself is a tricky thing. We live in an era where we’re told we can do anything we put our mind to. We’re taught to never give up, and with enough hard work, we can have anything we want. In this world of instant gratification, whether it’s getting information in seconds off the internet, or having something we order in two days or less, we’ve trained our brains to think we can have what we want, when we want it. And if we see someone with something better than us, we can have it too…asap. And if our neighbor appears to be doing better than us, then we must do something to one up them. “Keeping up with the Jones’” the old saying goes.
I was interested in finding out just where that saying originated, so guess what, I got the info. instantly over the internet. The phrase originates with the comic strip Keeping Up with the Jones's, created by Arthur R. "Pop" Momand in 1913. The strip ran until 1940 in The New York World and various other newspapers. The strip depicts the social climbing McGinis family, who struggle to "keep up" with their neighbors, the Jones's of the title. The Jones's were unseen characters throughout the strip's run, often spoken of but never shown. The idiom keeping up with the Jones's has remained popular long after the strip's end
I was surprised when I read that information, and since it came off the internet, it must be true… The saying could read keeping up with Paul. After-all, our author today did a lot to keep up with.
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We left off in part 1 of this series with verse 3 from Philippians 3:1-11, so let’s rejoin Paul here in verse 4:
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. The confidence Paul is referring to when he says though I myself have reasons for such confidence is from verse 3 confidence in the flesh. So, Paul is saying he could have confidence in himself. Ha! How does that make you feel when you hear Paul making such a claim…? When you hear Paul, or when you hear anyone speak in such high regard for themselves, how does it make you feel…? For some you may be competitive…you may think, “oh yeah, I’ll show you who’s great”. For others you may feel offended, “who does this person think they are?” Maybe you feel challenged, “I’ve got to beat this person, show them who’s better”. You may even feel confident, “they have no idea just how good I am”. If that is the case, you probably feel anxious for your chance to talk, thinking, “just wait until they hear what I have to say”. In fact, you may be so anxious to talk that you are thinking more about what you’re going to say than listening to them… Ever catch yourself doing that…?
Keeping up with the Jones’… What has been your experience in trying that, or, seeing others attempt that…? Imagine attempting to be, or appear, better than Paul. Verse 4 went on to say, if someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. I remember being about junior high aged, and I was going to be better than my dad in basketball. Sure, he probably threw a few games when I was a grade schooler, but now we had a real competition going when it came to playing H.O.R.S.E. in the driveway, and I was determined to get the best of him…to be better…to show off my skills. So everyday after school I was out in the driveway practicing my shots. I had my free throws down…I was lethal at the side shots…and I even had a secret backwards, no look, shot I was waiting to unleash on ‘ol dad. I had practiced and practiced, and now the time had come. Dad just rolled in from work and I challenged him to a game of H.O.R.S.E. He responded with something like, “are you sure?” The dad in me now tells me he probably asked me this because he was tired from work and would rather not jump into a game, but at the time I thought, “ha! I’m about to show him up!”. Well, I should’ve taken the first shot, because I never got the chance to show anything off. My dad walked up to me, grabbed the ball, and proceeded to walk the length of the driveway, leave the driveway, and stand in the street. He turned, faced the basket which was all the way back connected to the house above the garage, and sink 4 straight shots without even touching the rim. Believe it or not, the net fell apart off the rim following that 4th shot. My mouth hung open with astonishment as he walked up to me, handed me the ball, and went into the house… Needless to say, I went back to practicing.
Those 4 shots turned into folklore in our family that is obviously still told today. Now Paul, he had done a lot more than sink basketball shots, and he summarizes some in verse 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; Paul gives this quick highlight real to show the reasons he could boast. Everything listed were boastful descriptions in Paul’s time… What has been your experience with boasting…? It’s certainly different when we’re the ones boasting versus listening to someone else do it. When you’re hearing it, what are you feeling…? You may be interested in what they have to say, or you may be bored thinking, “is this ever going to end”. Hopefully you’re not thinking that right now… Or, you might get nervous. Do you ever find yourself feeling anxious when you’re around someone with so many list-able accomplishments…? Others have done so much that when we compare ourselves to them, we end up feeling inferior. Does comparing yourself to what someone else has…or how someone else talks…or how talented they seem…or how good they look…or how good they dress cause you to feel anxious or inferior…? If you have ever felt that way, did you want to buy something, or do something to appear better than that person…?
I want you to imagine for a moment the average commercial, or advertisement. What is the typical strategy the marketers use…? Usually they show have much better your life could be, or how much better you could look if you just buy this product or go on that trip. “Take this magic pill, and all your dreams will come true.” Remember, the only “pill” that works, is the gos-pill.
Most of us at one time or another have done something to improve ourselves, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, we all want to have the goal of being a better Christian. However, along the way, that desire to keep up with the Jones’s stalls our Christian progression and tends to be more about upgrading our appearance to others. Do you catch yourself comparing yourself to others…? Sometimes the person you’re trying to one up isn’t even a real being. Like in that original comic strip, the Jones's were never actually shown. Have you found yourself trying to best a fictitious Jones…? One of the issues we face in an era of social media, is we’re bombarded with false advertisement. False because we have so much access to watching others lives based on what they present on social media. “Wow look at so and so, they’re on the perfect vacation”, or “wow, they have the perfect family”, or “they have the perfect hair…teeth…kids…car…job…life…”. When we are constantly seeing people’s highlight reels only, we tend to forget they are real people facing the same real-life problems that ever one of us face. So, then we try to make our life as good as theirs appears to be. We buy that thing…we take that trip…we whiten our teeth…we gel our hair…we buy that pill. We consume and consume in hopes of getting that fulfillment that others appear to have. Appear to have. When we put our confidences in the flesh, or earthly things as scripture tells us, it’s like if we upgrade from using a wet paper sack to a plastic sack…we think that we are good to go.
Have you ever put your confidence in a plastic sack…? Let me rephrase that…have you ever put your confidence in a Walmart plastic sack…? When we upgrade to a plastic sack…when we spend tons of time, and even more money, and making that next purchase to improve our life…it.will.not.last. What happens when you put that plastic sack to the test…? Leave it in the sun a little…or, try putting some sand in it…or try some liquid in it…better yet, overload it and see what happens. Does life test you…? Has life tested you…? Is life testing you…? Do you get left in the sun…? Do you have to carry a larger load than you’re built to carry on your own…? Here’s the good news, we don’t have to carry the load alone. Darn it if we don’t try to though.
We are determined people aren’t we…? If we have learned anything about history, it’s that humans can accomplish big things. I know us here in the mid-west are determined. How else could we endure such long winters only to get to humid summers full of mosquitoes…? When we go after something, we go after it. Like the landmark out there says, “Get-r-done”. We get it done. So did Paul. He got it done. In verse 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
Paul was full of zeal…he was full of righteousness. Chances are you are full of one or both of those to. Chances are also good that in one way or another, you’ve found yourself trying to keep up with the Jones's. We’ve taken our zeal, and are can-do attitudes, and used it to acquire things that the commercial showed us would make our life great. Paper sacks were once the way to go, then we found flaws, so we invested in plastic sacks. We have put our confidences in so many places…we’ve put our zeal towards so many things only to find out two things… 1. The Jones's keep getting one more thing than us or there is always someone else doing something more, and 2. We aren’t any better than we were before we put our belief in a plastic sack.
Closing
We’ve learned that regardless of what we do, someone else always is doing better or has more. Know this…to someone else, you are that person. To someone else, you are the one they are envious of. When that is the case, we know better. We know that they shouldn’t be putting their confidences in us. We know that about ourselves. Know that when we are the ones trying to keep up with others. God lets us fail, and we do. We do whenever we put our efforts towards earthly desires. God is all we need, and we’ll explore that next time.
