Message from Scripture: 5/19/2020

Greetings! Today’s message from Scripture comes from Phil. 3:8; “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.”

We all live with a sense of anticipation, looking forward to something. For Paul, his expectations were centered in gaining Christ. In our passage today, he speaks of knowing Christ as his Lord and Savior as surpassing, that which is superior, his ultimate goal. What does it mean to know Christ as Lord and Savior?

The term Paul uses for know means more than just intellectual knowledge, a gathering of facts, but practical knowledge, living life based on an understanding of Jesus as Lord. This means Jesus is to be Master over us, as is seen in the term Lord. It also means being conformed to His death (Phil. 3:10). If we truly want to gain Christ, to have eternal life, then we put Christ’s will above our own in daily living. It means we must die to ourselves in order to serve God and others. We are reminded of Jesus own words in Luke 9:23; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

To gain Christ, we must deny ourselves, because we will only get in the way of reaching this goal. Each day we must decide to be transformed by the gospel, and not conformed to the pattern of sin so prevalent in the world. Then we must follow Him, which means realizing the things of life that get in the way of living for Jesus are but rubbish, and the ultimate goal of having a relationship with Christ is above all else.

Nothing this world holds is more important than gaining Christ. May we let go of whatever would keep us from eternity, and encourage each other to gain Christ. Have a great day today. God bless.

Robert