Lose Yourself to Gain Christ

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)

⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as a 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.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture encourages us to desire the things of Christ so that we may obtain resurrection from the dead. Paul here may be relying on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:26 and Mark 8:36 for inspiration. In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks,  “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?^” Here, Paul applies that saying to himself and his audience.

            Paul confesses that he considers anything he may have obtained prior to his conversion worthless compared to what he gained by coming to Christ. He continues to believe all the things of his former life to be rubbish. He seeks after the righteousness that comes from knowing Christ Jesus rather than any righteousness that would come from  Paul’s good works. Paul is serious about making his salvation and ultimate reward in the next life come from the faith he has found in Jesus, and he urges us to do the same.

            In these verses, Paul clarifies that he will be willing to suffer and die for Christ so that he might ultimately be delivered. He seeks only to be found faithful and obedient to his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul almost seems to be trying to obtain heaven by his own power but makes it clear that he relies instead on faith, which is a gift from God. Paul did not deserve his Damascus road encounter with Jesus. It was all by the grace of God that he was changed from a Christ hater to a Christ follower.

            What, then, is the contemporary reader to make of these words from Paul? We who read these words must be willing to imitate Paul’s desires in these verses. We must realize that nothing we do based on the law can make Christ’s salvation our own. Grace is what we must desire in order to be saved. We can be assured of receiving that grace because we have Jesus’s own promise to make it available to all who repent of their sins and seek to follow Him. Let us pray that we, too, will obtain this great salvation.

Prayer:

            Lord Jesus, come to us and make your home with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are an undeserving people. Sinful and wicked beyond measure. We always seek our own ways instead of your ways. Forgive us for trying so hard to be suitable on our own merits. Teach us to seek you. May we know your grace as a free gift we never could deserve. Save us, Lord, as we cannot save ourselves. Amen.