But everything that was a gain to me,
I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things
and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ
Phil. 3:7-8
When I was younger, I found my identity in music. I played drums and guitar and was performing regularly when I was 13. Music was my life. When I began following Jesus I found my identity in what I was doing for the Lord. My works validated my walk with the Lord. Ministry was my life. Then the Lord chose to reveal His Son in me and I have been on a 20+ year journey of walking out my identity in Christ alone. Now, Jesus is my identity – my life.
It is my experience and observation that most believers in Jesus have yet to truly count all things loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul considered his former life in Judaism and determined everything from that life was a loss. He then goes a significant step further and considers all things loss so that he can gain Christ.
There are some significant Kingdom principles that believers fear. They read the scriptures but simply cannot see what they are reading. They lack spiritual sight because they are not really looking. They study the scriptures to validate their ideas, rather than to have life imparted to their inner person. This is a true statement: Whatever you spend the most time with will ultimately determine your destiny.
Do you spend an inordinate amount of time playing video games? Do you binge-watch series after series on TV? Do you make a point of memorizing box scores and stats for several sports? If so, you are being subtly evangelized by Digital Babylon. Eventually, what we continually set before our eyes will conform our inner person to the worldview being communicated by the storyline, graphics, and characters. Over time we develop false narratives that validate and support lifestyle choices that are unscriptural and detrimental to the advance of the Kingdom.
Years ago, Twila Paris released a song titled “He Is No Fool.” My favorite line is from the chorus and says…
He is no fool
If he would choose
To give the thing he cannot keep
To buy what he can never lose
Twila Paris
Consider what validates you, what brings fulfillment, and what forms your identity. If it is not Christ on all accounts you have not counted all things loss. And if we d not count all things as loss, we will never gain Christ in His fullness.
Have we been given everything that pertains to life and godliness? Yes indeed! Are we partakers in the divine nature? Absolutely! Have we been crucified and raised with Christ? With certainty! However, these truths reside as seeds in the human heart that must be watered. The soil of our hearts must be cultivated. Part of that cultivation requires pulling weeds.
Weeds are considered anything growing where you don’t want it to grow. When the spring rains come, the weeds are the first to show themselves. In a short time, they will consume an otherwise beautiful landscape. Where there is competition with the intended crop, the weeds will always win. This is a living metaphor for us to receive instruction. The weeds must be pulled immediately or they will drive out the seed we have sown.
So it is with the human heart. Seeds are being planted in us daily, from various sources. We must keep our hearts cultivated to receive the seed God is planting. We must also rid our hearts of weeds that compete for space in our hearts. The degree to which we put away that which is gain to us is the degree to which we will apprehend Christ.
