On Discarding the Rubbish

Philippians 3:7-9 Phillips Yet every advantage that I had gained I considered lost for Christ’s sake. Yes, and I look upon everything as loss compared with the overwhelming gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For his sake I did in actual fact suffer the loss of everything, but I considered it useless rubbish compared with being able to win Christ. For now my place is in him, and I am not dependent upon any of the self-achieved righteousness of the Law. God has given me that genuine righteousness which comes from faith in Christ.

ALL I ONCE HELD DEAR (KNOWING YOU)
Graham Kendrick – Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing you, Jesus
Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die

Observation

Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee.  Pharisees prided themselves on their knowledge of and adherence to the hundreds of laws added to the Law of Moses.  They were highly respected as spiritual authorities by the people.  Paul was born in the Greek town of Tarsus but was sent to Jerusalem at an early age to study under Gamaliel, one of the wisest, revered and respected teachers of that time in Judaism.  Gamaliel was the one who counseled moderation and calmed the anger when he stood up for the Apostles in the Sanhedrin, convincing his fellows to release them rather than execute them (Acts 5:33-39 Phillips).   Paul would have worked long and hard for many years to gain position and influence among the religious leadership.

Truly, Paul gave up all he had worked for from his youth to follow Christ.  He was giving up everything he had gained as a Pharisee.  He probably was also disowned by his Pharisee father.  All of his years of training, all of his influence, power and position, all that he ever strove to attain, he was willing to toss away.  The zeal and diligence with which Paul studied, served in ministry and defended the man-made rituals of the law by persecuting the early church was converted with Paul on the Damascus road to become  “loss compared with the overwhelming gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.”   Paul set aside his performance-based construct of religion for a personal relationship with the God of mercy, grace and love, the long-awaited Messiah.  Paul chose wisely.

Impact on me

“Now my heart’s desire is to know you more, to be found in you and known as yours.  To possess by faith what I could not earn – all-surpassing gift of righteousness,”   I was raised in a church that had a great deal of structure and ritual.  I learned so many good habits there and so much that was true about God.  I did not have any idea that He wanted a personal relationship with me.  The moment I found out that He did, I embraced Him as my Savior and Lord.  I have spent the last 40-plus years leaning into my relationship with Him and learning more about what it is that He expects of me in it.  He does not expect payback nor does He demand performance.  What He wants if for me to love Him and, in my gratitude, be know as His so others may also come to know Him as I do.

So, what am I willing to let go?  What would I consider worth holding on to in place of becoming more deeply what He desires that I become so I can do what He has called me to do?  Giving up what I have worked hard to earn is not easy.  It was not easy for Paul, but he recognized that all he earned was worthless compared to knowing Jesus – “For his sake I did in actual fact suffer the loss of everything, but I considered it useless rubbish compared with being able to win Christ.”  Can I be as wise?

Devotion

Lord God, my Redeemer, my Helper, my Advocate, my Saving Grace, I am so grateful for the privilege of having this choice.  Work wisdom, knowledge and understanding in me so I make the best choices in what has value in eternity to keep, what to pursue, what to treasure, while discarding the rest as temporal rubbish.  May I base my life as Paul – “For now my place is in him, and I am not dependent upon any of the self-achieved righteousness of the Law. God has given me that genuine righteousness which comes from faith in Christ.”  Make it so, Lord, in Jesus’ name.