Thoughts on Philippians 3

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 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— (Philippians 3:7-9 ESV)

By gain, Paul is referring to the gains in the pursuit of righteousness according to the law. From reading the Old Testament we know that there are a myriad of rules and commands. If salvation is by keeping of the law, then Paul would have had the most to brag about. He would be in the forefront, but still not far from complete. So these gains are really nothing, once compared to the great gift of salvation through Jesus. Through Jesus, the immense burden of keeping the whole law is lifted, and not only that, there is great joy in becoming recipients of God’s grace and love.

So after believing and being secured in God’s family through Jesus, do we stop our pursuit? No. In fact, we should “strain forward” and “press on” towards “the upward call of God”. With a new perspective, as those redeemed, and accepted, and given the grace to become heirs to The King. There should be effort involved, the Christian life is likened to a race and not a walk in the park.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, keep moving forward.

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