Count It All Loss
The Holidays are upon us!
We are but one week from our nation’s Thanksgiving celebration. This time next week the turkey’s will be roasting, and the smells of dressing and pumpkin pies will fill our homes. It is hard for any of us to realize what the first thanksgiving celebration was like, even as it is a challenge to understand life in the days of the Apostle Paul.
Paul tells us he made a choice to turn and walk away from all he had, and all he was to have, in order to have Jesus as his Savior! He even calls his former life and former glory “rubbish!”
But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, Philippians 3:7-8
Paul went from an up and rising star in Judaism, to the number one despised traitor of all the Jewish world. He forfeits it all to have Jesus and with Jesus he found peace and contentment. He even says, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. What does it mean to know Jesus? What does He offer that Paul could not obtain by staying where he was as head of his Jewish class, as it were?
The truth is, Jesus offers everything Judaism and all other worldly religions can never deliver!
Make a list of what you are thankful for as a Christian. Jesus offers forgiveness! Jesus offers eternal life. With Jesus we receive true wisdom from God. The peace which surpasses all human understanding fills our hearts. Jesus has revealed the true heart of the Father. We have been adopted and restored to be the children of God. We understand the meaning of our lives. We know our purpose! We have true hope for our future, and confidence which is not dependent upon the momentary circumstances we face in life. Jesus gives us even more, but I believe you have the idea.
In the world of Paul, no religion including Judaism offered what Jesus freely gives to every believer. The same is true for the religions of the world today. No belief system offers the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. No religion connects you with God as His child where you then experience absolute acceptance and love simply because of who you are and not based on anything you do! Paul came to know the truth of Jesus and there was no turning back for him.
Think for a moment about the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. When the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in November 1620 there were 102 passengers and about 30 crew members. They had hoped to reach the new world in early October. Arriving in late November they were totally unprepared for the harsh winter. By Spring so many had perished their numbers were cut in half. These men, women, and children braved the journey and made these sacrifices because of their faith in Jesus.
The harsh treatment they received from the Roman Catholics and the Church of England drove them to the point of choosing the comforts of complying or the sacrifice and pain of separation. The Pilgrims chose to sacrifice and suffer rather than compromise the truth of Jesus which they held in their hearts.
Setting off with little beyond their faith in Christ and the promise of a new world where they could worship God from a clear conscience, these first settlers buried half their number and then one year after their arrival, they celebrated God’s blessings with a feast that lasted three days. This was the first Thanksgiving celebration. Like the Apostle Paul, the pilgrims truly held this truth in their hearts, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
As we prepare for the festivities this coming week, what are the things which we count as valuable in our lives? What accomplishments do we relish in? What are the possessions we treasure and believe we can’t do without? What would it take for us to give up everything we have and all that we are and walk away to begin a new life? Starting from scratch is a scary proposition.
It is when we turn our attention to Jesus and who He is as our Savior and then count our many “spiritual” blessings that we are then able to look at our lives and see all that we have and all that we are as nothing compared to knowing Christ. To have Jesus is to have it all! To Have Christ as Lord is to live with the assurance for today and in confidence for tomorrow!
As we move forward in our lives individually and as a church, may we continually refocus everything on Jesus. May we keep our eyes on Him so that He might guide us. The way may be fraught with many hardships but all pale in comparison with knowing the One who guides us.
Happy preparations for your celebration!
Pastor Russ
We are but one week from our nation’s Thanksgiving celebration. This time next week the turkey’s will be roasting, and the smells of dressing and pumpkin pies will fill our homes. It is hard for any of us to realize what the first thanksgiving celebration was like, even as it is a challenge to understand life in the days of the Apostle Paul.
Paul tells us he made a choice to turn and walk away from all he had, and all he was to have, in order to have Jesus as his Savior! He even calls his former life and former glory “rubbish!”
But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, Philippians 3:7-8
Paul went from an up and rising star in Judaism, to the number one despised traitor of all the Jewish world. He forfeits it all to have Jesus and with Jesus he found peace and contentment. He even says, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. What does it mean to know Jesus? What does He offer that Paul could not obtain by staying where he was as head of his Jewish class, as it were?
The truth is, Jesus offers everything Judaism and all other worldly religions can never deliver!
Make a list of what you are thankful for as a Christian. Jesus offers forgiveness! Jesus offers eternal life. With Jesus we receive true wisdom from God. The peace which surpasses all human understanding fills our hearts. Jesus has revealed the true heart of the Father. We have been adopted and restored to be the children of God. We understand the meaning of our lives. We know our purpose! We have true hope for our future, and confidence which is not dependent upon the momentary circumstances we face in life. Jesus gives us even more, but I believe you have the idea.
In the world of Paul, no religion including Judaism offered what Jesus freely gives to every believer. The same is true for the religions of the world today. No belief system offers the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. No religion connects you with God as His child where you then experience absolute acceptance and love simply because of who you are and not based on anything you do! Paul came to know the truth of Jesus and there was no turning back for him.
Think for a moment about the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. When the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in November 1620 there were 102 passengers and about 30 crew members. They had hoped to reach the new world in early October. Arriving in late November they were totally unprepared for the harsh winter. By Spring so many had perished their numbers were cut in half. These men, women, and children braved the journey and made these sacrifices because of their faith in Jesus.
The harsh treatment they received from the Roman Catholics and the Church of England drove them to the point of choosing the comforts of complying or the sacrifice and pain of separation. The Pilgrims chose to sacrifice and suffer rather than compromise the truth of Jesus which they held in their hearts.
Setting off with little beyond their faith in Christ and the promise of a new world where they could worship God from a clear conscience, these first settlers buried half their number and then one year after their arrival, they celebrated God’s blessings with a feast that lasted three days. This was the first Thanksgiving celebration. Like the Apostle Paul, the pilgrims truly held this truth in their hearts, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
As we prepare for the festivities this coming week, what are the things which we count as valuable in our lives? What accomplishments do we relish in? What are the possessions we treasure and believe we can’t do without? What would it take for us to give up everything we have and all that we are and walk away to begin a new life? Starting from scratch is a scary proposition.
It is when we turn our attention to Jesus and who He is as our Savior and then count our many “spiritual” blessings that we are then able to look at our lives and see all that we have and all that we are as nothing compared to knowing Christ. To have Jesus is to have it all! To Have Christ as Lord is to live with the assurance for today and in confidence for tomorrow!
As we move forward in our lives individually and as a church, may we continually refocus everything on Jesus. May we keep our eyes on Him so that He might guide us. The way may be fraught with many hardships but all pale in comparison with knowing the One who guides us.
Happy preparations for your celebration!
Pastor Russ
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