Philippians 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ"
What are things? That covers a lot of territory, doesn't it? Defining
the word, "things", requires that we trim down our list to those
"things" that hold the most interest to us. In the first six verses,
Paul defined his thoughts on that word. His definition was wrapped up in his
pedigree. Until his Damascus Road experience, Paul's main concern was his
position in life and in the Jewish traditions.
What is my definition of the word? How would I define, or list, the things
that I hold most dear. I think it would come back to the statement in
chapter 1. "To me, to live is __________." We all have our own
definition that could be placed in that blank.
We have missed the mark if any of our list of things holds more importance
than Christ. There is an emptiness within us, if our relationship with Christ
is not the utmost thing for which we strive. On the other hand, if we place our
relationship with Him above all other "things", then there is great
joy to be experienced. Yes, even in those things, we can find a joy that does
not exist without Christ being our focus.
We will explore this thought of "winning Christ" next time.