Philippians 3: 8-11 - What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul had built a relationship with God that surpassed any Earthly blessing he had ever received. He says that all our Earthly wealth and gain is rubbish compared to the ‘surpassing greatness’ of our Lord. Amazing that he doesn’t stop there…he goes on to say that he wants more…he wants to build an even closer relationship with Christ than he had in that moment….to be so like Christ that he can even share in Christ’s sufferings too.
He even gives us the directions for how to do this later in verses 12-15, “ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”
There were three notes in my bible…just waiting to remind me that I had already been told how important it is to run after God. I don’t remember when I wrote them there…but they spoke to me just the same. The first one said…. “forget what is behind and press on” …easier said than done. But we must strive each day to leave the past in the past…to allow God to move us forward…to allow God to heal us and prove to us we can be someone despite the mistakes or life hurts we have experienced. I had also written …. “train for what is ahead” …that makes perfect sense. God needs to train us to work with others…sometimes he uses the very pain and life hurts to make us into a vessel of his word. We must study…and pray….and seek his wisdom from other trained Christians to gain the confidence to be his workers. Then I saw where I had written… “press on toward the prize” …the ultimate reward…a place in heaven…where we won’t even remember our Earthly pain anymore. We will rejoice nonstop… and party every moment as we are bathed in the presence of God 24/7.
One other verse in the chapter kind of explains what Paul wrote these great words of wisdom for us. He closes this great Chapter with these words in verse 21, “ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Paul reminds us of the love God had for us…the precious gift he gave us when he sent his only son….the sacrifice he allowed him to make so we could all share in his glory someday. He reminds us that this love give God the power to bring our crazy messed up lives under control…IF…we allow him to transform us into a child of power…a worker that needed not to be ashamed.
Father…forgive me for not working hard enough to put my past where it belongs…in the past. Help me to drink in these directions of Paul…to move forward…to train harder…to seek you more. Help me Lord to see you with more worth than any Earthly thing you have ever given me. Help me Lord to seek after you…abandoning anything from this world that holds me back from knowing your fullness and glory. Give me strength and courage to embrace all that you have to offer me here on Earth while I seek to do your will. Amen.
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