This morning my verses for reflection are some that I go back to over and over again. I am so encouraged by Paul’s heart and pursuit, and he describes them well in the these following verses - Philippians 3:7-16 NIV:
[7] “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] 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 [9] 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. [10] I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
[12] “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, 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, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
[15] “All of us, then, 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. [16] Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Starting at the bottom, verse 15 ought to encourage us to reread the previous verses, almost every time we read them, or at least that is what I end up doing! I have many reflections on these verses, and every time I read them, I am further encouraged, and invited deeper into my relationship with the Lord. It is like Paul is running the race, is way ahead of me, and calling back, “There is more, there is more, keep running!”
Secondly, I need the encouragement to forget what lies behind and straining forward toward what is ahead, namely Jesus. I can often get mired in the present, or even allow the past to affect me, and here I feel Paul’s encouragement to shake free of those and press forward. I am reminded of something runners call “catching their second wind”, and I remember the feeling well, there is a surge of life that seems to course through your body as the exhaustion or weakness wains. I feel like these verses have that same effect on me! No matter what I am struggling through, there is more ahead, and I can raise my eyes, and encourage my heart to press forward in this great pursuit.
Finally, Paul starts these paragraphs focused on the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. Worth is an interesting word, in that it denotes significance, and is often established by what someone else is willing to pay. We love to watch the Antiques Roadshow, and the interesting thing is the value or worth of certain items. The line they use when discussing the value is, “at auction” and that denotes what other people are willing to pay, especially when something is unique. There may be several collectors that would pay significant amounts of money to add the item to their collections, and that drives up its value or worth.
Paul considers everything else he has encountered in life, all of his accomplishments, all of his knowledge, all of his gains to be garbage compared to knowing Christ Jesus. This serves as a very effective plumb-line for me. I compare his statements and ask myself if I could say the same things? My answer, most of the time is unfortunately “no, I can’t say that is true for me”. I want it to be true for me, my heart wants that to be true for me, and I do consider knowing Christ Jesus of significantly greater worth than previously, but there is still so much that drags on me. I place too much value on the opinions of others, I allow my past to affect me, and sometimes seem to forget the Lord completely in the midst of whatever struggle I encounter!
I know I have much further to go, but I do know that of the things I am pursuing, Christ Jesus is at the top of my list! He is my goal, and as long as that is true I am heading in the right direction. I might get distracted at times, seem to wander off the path at times, but the one heart cry I have consistently had for the last 45 years, is that I want to know Christ Jesus, more and more.
My prayer is that I continue to place proper worth on knowing Christ Jesus! My prayer is that when compared to all else, I might be willing to pay the most for Him, that I might be found in Him. My prayer is that all my brothers and sisters in the faith might succeed in this great pursuit.
Amen and Amen!
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