Philippians 3:8-14
I forfeit all in order to find my wealth in Christ.
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Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.Philippians 3:8-14
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8 More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because
of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I
have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much
rubbish, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in him, not having
any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes
through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on
faith10 to know him and the power of his resurrection and (the)
sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,11 if
somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.12 It is not
that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained
perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may
possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ
(Jesus).13 Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have
taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but
straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I continue my pursuit
toward the goal, the prize of Gods upward calling, in Christ
Jesus.
Paul is considering his past life and he views it as worthless
compared to knowing Christ.He recognized that a persons
relationship with Christ is more important than anything else.The
closer we are to Christ the more you consistently model his
behaviors of love, patience, charity and mercy.Paul had given up
everything in order to follow and bring others to Christ.When you
consider Pauls efforts to spread the word of God they were
monumental in human terms.People tried to kill him, he was beaten,
imprisoned and eventually beheaded, yet all these earthly
sufferings were nothing compared to what Paul believed awaited him
in heaven.Do you recall how you felt when you fell in love?
You did your best to spend as much time as you could with the
one that you loved.The person was constantly on your mind, you
became infatuated and eventually fell in to a long lasting love so
intense that you were willing to give up your life for that
person.Sounds like the love that Christ has for us doesnt it?Sounds
like the relationship Paul is seeking with Christ doesnt it?
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