Losing all to gain

 

Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:4-8 ESV

            We have a bad habit of holding inordinate worth in worthless things. We have confidence in the flesh as evidenced by how we identify ourselves, what we are proud of, and what we count as valuable. We talk of our family name, of our reputation, our resume, our degrees, our trophies, and all these other things that must and shall perish as though there were really something there. And holding all these things in our feeble littles hands we would take hold of Christ as well, but find we cannot take hold of Him so well. We have only a faint grasp on Him, and lose hold as soon as trouble comes our way.

            Saul of Tarsus had a better pedigree than you, and a better resume than you, and had accomplished more than you he says as much in holy scripture. Yet he laid down that old life to take up a cross and follow Christ as Paul. Ah, what fools we are having our hands full of garbage how do we expect to take into those filthy full hands something of infinity? We get in our own way, overcomplicating a simple proposition, and encumbering ourselves on a difficult journey. We think we need all this junk, but we do not. And what you may ask shall I have if I throw down this junk as you call it? What shall take its place? And to this I give you the answer of Martin Luther as he threw down the useless trappings of a bloated unbiblical romish religion. “Christ! Man, only needs Jesus Christ.” In Christ we find such worth that all else pales and fades away in comparison. We find a resting place for our identity and our worth which elevates us onto glory forever and ever amen.

            To this one must understand it is not Saul who first took hold of Christ, neither did Martin seize first the Lord; Christ took Paul and Martin and He must take us as well. He claims us as His own, and so we claim Him. He has done so much, how shall we then do so little for Him? If He laid aside glory and honor to take up a cross, how then shall we not lay down garbage to take up a cross and with it a life and with that the glory of God?

 Prayer

            Father teach us to love our Lord as we ought to leave all the vanities of this world behind as we pursue the better things of Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. Help us to see clearly how worthless the things we place worth in truly are, that we might invest in things of eternal worth to Your glory and our own good. Take this world and give us Jesus. It is in his great name we pray. Amen.

Song

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

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