Paul counted everything as loss and lost all things for Christ. That made me think about the things that I hold onto in my life. Not all of the "things" are bad, there are things that are important to me. I guess the question is: Are there things in my life that keep me from being what God would have me to be or that hinder me from living the way God would have me live?
God has blessed me with many things. We are by no means rich, but I am not wanting anything either. So, could I "suffer the loss of all things and count them as rubbish"? I would like to answer yes, but I am not sure how I would feel. I am not someone that holds onto things very tightly, but I have never had to face that situation.
Maybe Paul is not just talking about monetary things. Maybe he is talking also about our life, will, desires, goals. If we are to be found in Christ, then we need to lose all those things and take on Christ. Our focus has to change in order for us to have faith and a righteousness that comes from God. We cannot hold onto anything! All has to be given up.
When we are found in Christ, we surrender all that we have to Him. Nothing should be between us and following after Him. May we evaluate our lives and see if there are things that we spend too much time on, devote too much attention to, or love more than Christ- and lose them! This will come at a cost. We may suffer as Paul did, but it will be worth it to gain Christ.
2 comments:
The reason Paul was able to "count it all loss" to see it as refuse or dung, is because of what he had received in Christ. The value of what Christ had given him caused all other things to fade into nothing more valuable than what was left in the bed pan. The struggle here is not in valuing these things less, but in valuing Christ more. When we focus on valuing other things less, our focus leaves Christ, and we meditate upon our own sin. We must therefore pursue a love for Christ that causes all else to fade away.
Thanks for the post, and reminding me.
I would agree with you on this. I was not meaning that we should focus on our stuff. We do gain so much more with knowing Christ. He is more valuable than anything! That is what we should be striving for…loving Christ in such a way that all else fades away.
Thanks for your comment.
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