Living Understanding Pt 3: Consider
Philippians 3:7-14 7But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What 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 9and 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. 10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not 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. 13Brothers 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, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 2:20 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Consider everything a loss
Paul was the Renaissance Man of his day, highly educated, a man of the known world, he was diligent, committed, and multi-talented. He was highly esteemed by the leaders of the time, but everything changed when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-22).
People like to think of themselves as special in some way; there are so many in our sphere of influence that we look for a way to stand out—to be different. Some seek education, some seek social interaction, some seek leadership in some way, but all of it is based to some degree on human effort. Paul, when he was known as Saul, was all these things and more. But after the Road to Damascus everything was different. Paul is presenting a profound truth from his life which applies to every single member of the family of God. Yes, you, and yes, me.
You may ask, “Why should I give up everything I have accomplished?” Paul is not saying that we should lose those things we have worked hard for, but to realize that they are worthless in the scope of things. Why do we value these things? Usually because they make us feel better about ourselves and because we want others to like us. Both views are sinful because they put us above God. But even this is not what Paul is teaching here.
In the face of surpassing worth
At the moment of conversion, a new believer receives full forgiveness of sins and the granting of eternal life. Their spirit is awakened, and Jesus lives in them. But most people still struggle with the sin nature; this is what sanctification means. It is the daily effort to become more like Jesus. I believe that in every child of God there comes a moment, a sort of critical mass, when the realization hits of the beautiful worth of being in intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. At that moment we suddenly realize that nothing else matters. Nothing I do matters if it is not done for him. Nothing I value matters. This is Paul’s point: Everything he had valued before was now rubbish; some translations even use words which imply human waste.
At that point those things which we once valued so highly are now not only of no value but are actually abhorrent to us because they stand in the way of greater connection to Jesus.
So I press on
But we still have a sin nature, and we still live in a fallen world. So stuff happens. We make poor decisions or someone else does and unpleasant things come our way. And we press on. This does not mean we grudgingly endure that thing, nor does it mean we embrace it, but that we seek righteousness and holiness through it. Consider this from James:
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
This is not the way we think before that time of critical mass. Before that time mostly we engage in ‘stinkin’ thinkin’’. We still have some degree of self-interest, even selfishness as we daily, but haltingly, walk towards Christ. A few steps forward, less few back, we are hindered by our own selves. But we get there; we reach a point when we realize God’s love, his full involvement in our life, and we come to understand that nothing else really matters except to urge to love him in every possible way we can.
What about me?
So it comes down to correcting our stinkin’ thinkin’. Our salvation came about completely through the work of Jesus Christ. We can’t earn our way into eternity without him. But we still have a part to play. Our salvation experience required us to be willing, say yes, or just realize there had to be something better. As we continue to grow toward him we still have a role. To reach that critical mass there are things we have to put out of our lives: If the Creator loves us so much as to seek us out, to bring us into the Kingdom through his Son, then there must be some value in us. That’s the first thing. We must not listen to Satan’s lie that no one could possibly love us because we are so awful inside. God does!
Second, we must practice thinking about good things. Many verses teach that. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus made several statements that the evil we do is foreshadowed by the evil we think. It works for the good also, the good we think leads to doing good things for others. We should practice doing these things.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:4-8)