Lose Things Gain Christ

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “gain”. I am again in the book of Philippians. The below verse is the one that directed me here.

“⁸Indeed, 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” – Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

Just what are those things that we lose and are “rubbish” according to Paul. Well you have to look at the rest of the passage. Paul is telling the Philippians that he was considered almost blameless in society at one time. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” and in eyes of society and in the law he was a Pharisee. Paul was fully protected under the law as he did the work of society. Yet, once he found the LORD, all of it was of no consequence and to him, it was all “rubbish” and of no use to him thanks to all he gained in Christ.

I have to get past all that is in this world. All that I have in the world is of no consequence and “rubbish” compared to all that I gain in Christ. I may have mentioned that Lori and I have a number of vehicles and we count those as blessings as they are useful in our lives up til now. Now, it is just the two of us in the house and we do not “need” all of the vehicles. We can only drive two at a time and therefore the rest are just “rubbish”. Subsequently we are working to rid ourselves of the “rubbish”.

I know, that this seems a bit silly to be talking about vehicles as gains in this world, but aren’t they? They are not investments, they are just things. It is time to lose the things to bask in the gains in Christ. It is time to be content with what the LORD will provide and look to those things from this world as they are “rubbish” that just takes up space, time, and effort that can/should be directed in the LORD’s Work.

What things do you have in your life? Are these things taking up your space, time, and effort? What if you were to rid yourself of the “rubbish” things and devote the now available space, time, and effort in the gains in Christ?