KNOWING CHRIST

Philippians 3:7-9 (TNIV) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 on the basis of faith.”

Funny how at a time when people are getting so many things as gifts, Paul is talking about losing everything, or at least considering everything he has as garbage. Why would a person say that? When they are comparing their material possessions to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. God in all His glory far surpasses anything this world has to offer. Everything in this world has been created by God to begin with. Nothing created can be greater than it’s’ creator.

Everything in God’s economy is based on faith and trust. Anything worth having in this life is tied to the Creator of the Universe. Baubles and bangles and all the shiny things that attract the eye are all well and good, but they have never done for a person what Christ has done for the soul. “Dressing to the 9’s”, as the saying goes, is meaningless if the clothing adorning one’s body is nothing more than a façade covering up the true man. Nothing is hidden from Almighty God. Nothing escapes His gaze.

It is frivolous to think that we could ever get away with anything in this life without God knowing all about it. Oh sure, there are many things that we do each day that are inconsequential … they hold no eternal value and have no real meaning. You know what I am talking about … dressing for the day, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, going through the rigors of the day and so on. No eternal value, yet things that need to be done nonetheless. Anything of true value tends to be well thought out. Spontaneous events can be beautiful and very rewarding as well. Things we say and do can have a lasting impact. What we do for ourselves out of need or selfish motivation in the end amount to nothing. It is what we do for others that make the biggest impact.

What in this life could possibly surpass the greatest of Christ? What in this life could possibly be greater than what He did at Calvary, Golgotha’s hill? Nothing else thrills the soul like that. The temporal things of this life are supposed to hold no attraction for us. The enemy of our souls is constantly wooing us with his temptations; drugs and alcohol to deaden the senses so we can muddle through our life. Just make it through the day and the week. Party hardy on the weekend. Recover the next week. Sex sells. It’s everywhere we look. Scantily clad women, leaving nothing much to the imagination slither through our lives via television and internet to get us to buy, buy, buy anything from cologne to liquor to clothing to cars. All temporal; none of it does what Christ can has already done. Oh make no mistake about it; sin is fun … for the moment. If it wasn’t no one would do it. Sin is to hold no attraction to us as believers. Fun can be had spending it with family and friends. The destruction that lies at the feet of temptation can be devastating. I know. And in the face of all this Paul stands up and says everything this world has to offer is dung … it is garbage compared to the surpassing greatest of knowing Christ.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!