Today's Scripture
Philippians 3: 7 – 16 No Regrets
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing toward the Goal
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
The Message Bible says,
7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.
10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Focused on the Goal
12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
15-16 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
What does the passage mean to me/us?
Paul says that he will give up all the statues for the goal of knowing Christ. Of course, we do remember that Paul is defending the Gentile Christians, by saying God’s grace is sufficient for the salvation, and all they need is faith. Therefore, he is saying that the law can be an obstacle of knowing the fullness of that grace.
For a person, like Paul, who are ready knows the Lord, it is intriguing of how much we want to know more about Jesus. Which raises some questions:
Do we know Christ? Is our knowledge about our Lord sufficient? Do we have the desire to know more about our Lord, like Paul did?
In this passage, Paul shares an important key to knowing Christ.
“I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him (v. 8 The Message).
When we have too much of our thoughts, ways, and even ourselves, it is hard for Christ to be part of our life. There is no space for God to dwell in us.
However, the more we put our life to death on the cross, the more space is made for God to reign.
This reminds me of Galatians 2:20.
“20 I 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” (Galatians 2:20 NIV).
Through Baptism, we put ourselves to death and risen again through Christ. The old has gone and the new has come.
Are we, by any chance, holding onto the old, which prevent us from learning more about our Lord?
After all, he did say, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25 NIV).
Prayer
Lord, we want to know you more. Help us to let go of our old life, and make space for your to dwell in our lives. Pour upon us, your Holy Spirit, and fill us with your love and grace.
In Christ Name, we pray, AMEN
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