Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
The great apostle tells us of his great love for Jesus Christ, it was an awesome love. I dare say that for us "To Value Something, We Must Know the Value of It". In this passage Paul is telling us that he actually had much in his life that he considered to be of great value. He valued his religious upbringing; it was something that he was very proud to share with any listener. He had the choicest linage that a Jewish boy could have, he was of the tribe of Benjamin, he was circumcised on the 8th day, he could even brag about being a Pharisee. He lived a life that would be pleasing to mankind, he was so proud of his flesh and his fleshly heritage. As he grew up, did he ever ponder, was this enough, he knew that this all pleased man, but did it please God?
He even persecuted the church; he killed Christians and allowed their persecution, and hoped for their extinction from society. He so valued all of this until he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ as he journeyed down the Damascus road. The day he met this man called Jesus something strange happened in his life, his values changed. The things that he considered to be of great value were no longer counted as anything but useless.
In the past he counted upon those things to get him to heaven, but now he totally turned away form these things, he considered them to be nothing but great loss. He realized the value of the valuable, he now compared these things to a different standard and these things failed to hold any value when standing next to the valuable.
- The Humble Realization of This Man—His Loss
- The Holy Righteousness of the Master—His Lord
- The High Regards of This Message—His Lesson
Cantrell's Jewels for the Journey.
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