BIBLE PASSAGE:
What 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 and 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.
(Philippians 3:8-9)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you thought,
“I would be willing to trade in all of my stuff for peace and happiness”
We can spend so much time chasing our rainbows that we miss out on some
really important facets of life. The problem is that we are so busy with our
achievements and accumulating possessions that we fail to see the precious
things of life passing by. However, it is never too late to make the needed
changes in our priorities.
We may wonder if Paul reached a similar point in his life. If he did, what
did he do about it? He re-focused and re-prioritized. Paul was willing to
give up all things so he could know the Lord better. Why? Because he
knew the benefits of knowing and being close to the Lord.
He knew that he would discover a new type of righteousness that comes
from God Himself. He knew it was a righteousness that he could never
attain on his own, and he also understood the benefits of changing his
priorities. Based on what the scriptures tell us, Paul knew the ‘connector’
he needed for achieving a new level of righteousness, was an ever increasing
faith.
Paul felt that his relationship with the Lord was so important that he considered
everything else as garbage. Of course, there are many necessities that require our
attention, but when our relationship with the Lord is at the top of our priorities,
we have an opportunity to experience the same blessings that Paul enjoyed.
People go through many doors which don’t lead to the Kingdom of God. Some
try the door of good works. They say,
“I can get to heaven if I only do enough good things,
because God will honor all the good things I do.”
It’s great to do good things, and God expects us to do good things, but we can
never do enough good things to satisfy God’s requirements for heaven. Why
not? Because God demands perfection, and we’re not perfect. If we’re going
to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be one hundred percent perfect.
We may ask,
“How then will I ever be perfect?”
We need to be clothed in a righteousness that only comes from God. That
includes our imperfections being covered with the blood of Jesus Christ.
There is one door to the Kingdom and it’s Jesus; we will never get to Heaven
unless we go His way.
ACTION:
Question to consider:
– Am I you ready for a righteousness that only comes from God?
If the answer is. “yes”, then we need to be prepared for some notable
changes in our priorities. Whatever God gave to Paul is available to
believers today as well. However, we need the ever-increasing type of
faith Paul had, and we need a desire for the Lord to renew our minds.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s
glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I have spent much of my life chasing my will,
but I want to change and start following Your will for me. I want
to have the type of righteousness that only You can provide. Help
me to rearrange my priorities and increase my faith so that I can
enjoy fellowshipping with You at a new level. Thank You, Jesus
for going to the cross as propitiation for my imperfections. God,
I thank You for Your assurance that when I believe in Your Son,
and surrender to Your control of my life, I will a place will be
reserved for me in Heaven. Let that promise be the guiding light
in all that I do and say. Forgive me for the times when I fail to
obey You, and help me to embrace Your transformation as You
sanctify me.”
A word about Sanctification:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
We are called to forsake our plans and pursue God’s will for our lives.
The Lord has a grand plan for the life of every believer, and it can be
summed up in the word. “sanctification”. This refers to the process of
making something holy; separated from its former common usage and
dedicated to God for His purposes.
Every person is born spiritually dead, and an enemy of God.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
(Ephesians 2:1)
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to
Him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
(Romans 5:10)
But the moment we trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, our sins are
wiped away, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, and we have
been adopted into God’s family. From that moment on, we are set
apart as God’s children, for His sacred purposes.
This means we exist not to chase after pleasure and personal gain,
but to serve and obey the Lord (our actions bring Him honor and
glory). As members of God’s family, we are called to reflect the
character Jesus.
The Lord now calls us saints (a term that shares its root with sanctification),
not because we live sinlessly, but it is our position in Christ and should be
our practice as well. We no longer are given to ourselves to sin; instead, we
should be giving our lives to God as slaves of obedience. That’s what Paul
did – are we any better than him?
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