Philippians 3:8-11

Passage

Rather, I even consider all things a loss for the sake of the surpassing value of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord.  Because of Him I suffered loss of all things – even considering them garbage – in order to gain Christ.  Even I should be found in Him, not while having my righteousness that comes out of the Law but through the righteousness through the faithfulness of Christ – the righteousness from God resting upon faith – to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings while with Him taking on the same form of His death so that in some way I should arrive into the state of the resurrection out of the dead.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul continues his challenging conversation of loss here.  Paul pushes the envelope one more step.  Not only does he consider the things of the world loss; he is now of the mind to consider them garbage.  As we learned yesterday, the things of the world are things that need to be overcome.  Therefore, without the things of the world we wouldn’t have to overcome the negative influences they have upon us.  They truly are trash from a spiritual perspective.  The things of this world hinder our spirituality with God and with one another.  Yet it is so hard resisting the lure of the things of this world.

Why is it so difficult to turn away from the things of this world?  Why is it so difficult to consider the non-spiritual stuff in this world as garbage?  What gets in our way?

Second Thought:

Paul talks about knowing Christ as the replacement for the trash of this world.  In that light, there is no comparison!  But to know Christ means to know both the good and the bad dynamics of the relationship.  To know Christ is to know something of great value.  To know Christ is to know the power of the resurrection and triumph over death.  To know Christ is to know the death of this worldly person and the birth of the person Christ wants me to be.  Yet to know Christ is also to know the fellowship of His suffering.  I love that Paul uses the word fellowship there.  Fellowship is a good thing.  Fellowship of suffering is a good thing.  We tend to naturally see it as bad, but to truly know Christ we must also know the fellowship of His suffering.  To know Christ, we must know the rejection of the world.

Do you think it is possible to truly know Christ and not also share in His suffering?  What does it mean to you that to know Christ also means to know the power of the resurrection and triumph over death?

Third Thought:

Paul ends this passage in a most humble tone: “that in some way I should arrive…”  Paul is careful of his words here.  Paul literally is saying, “should.”  In other words, it is a confession.  He knows he cannot guarantee it on his own power or means.  Based on his works alone, it is not a foregone conclusion.  It is only through Christ that Paul should arrive at the resurrection out of the dead.  Yes, he will arrive there when Christ comes back.  We can trust fully in God’s promise knowing that He is faithful to His promise.  But it is good for us to remember that the only reason we will find joy in eternal life is because of God’s grace.  It is never me or my work; it is always by the grace of God.

Do you ever talk of the resurrection as though you are taking it for granted?  What is the danger in speaking about the resurrection in terms that are not humbly pointing back to God’s grace, mercy, and love?

Passage for Tomorrow: Philippians 3:12-14