Monday Meditation

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count 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 that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- 

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 

11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But 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 upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [Phl 3:8-14 ESV]

Nothing is worth as much as knowing Christ.  Nothing.

Giving up things and activities that don't glorify Christ is fine with me because it is just a removal of an obstacle that takes my focus off Him.

We are covered with Jesus' righteousness from the point of salvation.  With the Holy Spirit residing in us, we learn from Him to be more like Jesus and that becomes our new purpose.

Sometimes, we sorrow over things we've done in the past, but think who penned these words.  Paul, formerly known as Saul, who participated in the persecution and murder of Christians.  He could have dwelt on that, but He didn't.  Christ became everything to him.

So we too must resolve to press on toward the goal of the most worthy of prizes - Jesus!