DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY October 19, 2023
The Privilege of Knowing Christ
Knowing Jesus intimately is the most rewarding pursuit in life.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, or we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Philippians 3:1-16
Have you ever written a résumé? It requires a good deal of skill and tact. After all, it’s the way you introduce yourself to a potential boss. You must feature your skills and accomplishments in a way that isn’t boastful. That’s quite a tall order!
The apostle Paul would have had an impressive résumé (if such a thing had existed in the first century). With regard to religious achievements, his were certainly impressive. He referred to himself as “a Hebrew of Hebrews,” “a Pharisee,” “a persecutor of the church” and “blameless” under the Law (Phil. 3:4-6). In other words, when it came to his standing in Jewish culture, Paul was a man almost without equal.
But all that changed on the road to Damascus.
After he met the Savior, Paul did a one-eighty regarding his accomplishments. “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” he wrote to the church at Philippi. Every superlative became “mere rubbish” to him, compared to being found in Christ (v. 8). All those fancy titles and honors were cast aside without a moment’s regret. May we all say the same.
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