Gain Christ with Loss Through the Law

Here goes. I know, it sounds interesting in that we can gain through loss.

Paul was a very learned man and had considerable gain in life. He was fully Jewish. He was fully Hebrew. He could be considered a Pharisee. He was a great man thanks to his work in the law. Yet, he did not fully gain until he found Christ and in doing so, he lost all that he had gained in the law. Paul ended up in prison and ultimately died for his faith in Christ and through it all, counted that time as the time of his life as opposed to all that he had gained and lost in the law.

“⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 ⁹and 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— ¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)

Read carefully the above again. See and feel the freedom that Paul experienced through his faith in Christ. He had everything from the standpoint of the world, and yet he was overjoyed to lose it all for the sake of knowing Christ and seeking after him daily. Paul found joy in prison as he led people and churches to know Christ. He did not want for things other than to know Christ more.

I was reading and studying this morning and this passage hit me a little different this morning. I have been struggling with things a bit and needing a bit more clarity. God provided for me this morning that I am to just be joyful in the gain of knowing, trusting, and relying on Him. I am to put all the struggle away and know that God has me in a place, whether physical or in time, that I am to be in for Him and He will ensure things to be right according to His plan. I just need to revel in the fact that I may lose that which was gained through the law, but what a minimal loss it is compared to the gain I receive in Christ.

Where are you placing your gain? Are you relying on the law to provide for you and give you great things? What if you instead relied on the LORD, knowing that there is far greater gain in Christ?

We Sin Because of the Law

Do you remember your parents telling you not to do something and as such you had an almost insatiable desire to do it now that they said not to? I know that I do. I remember with my first B.B. gun I was told not to point at something that I did not intend to shoot. Well, I did and pulled the trigger and shattered the back window of my uncle’s pickup. I did it because I was told not to. This is the effect of sin in our lives as well.

I know it sounds as though I am making an excuse for sin, saying that it was or is the law that made me do it. I am not doing that. I am saying that we know about the negative impacts of sin through the law that tells us not to do and our nature is such that we are drawn to that thing to really test the validity of the law.

“⁷What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ ⁸But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” – Romans 7:7-8 (ESV)

We see here that Paul is saying just that. He would not know what is or how to covet, had the law not indicated that it should not be done. And as he now knows, he is drawn to it like the moth to the flame, ultimately to his detriment. Had he not known of this thing called covetousness, he would not have been drawn to it. As he notes in the last part of verse eight, if he had not known, the he would not have sinned.

Now, as I have read, studied and written, just because we don’t know does not absolve us of the sin. I may not sin consciously, but I do sin subconsciously every day. And I pray for forgiveness every day. I am still accountable to all of my sin whether conscious or subconscious. The difference is in my heart. Without knowing of the sin through the law, I am not looking to sin. I am aware and do it because of my nature to test the bounds of the law. Without the law, I am working through things based on what is written on my heart thanks to God.

“⁹I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.” – Romans 7:9 (ESV)

So, I was alive and now I am dead. Not physically, but I am no longer free to simply live by way of the law on my heart that is placed there by the LORD. I am a slave to the law in knowing that this and that are against the LORD and thanks to my nature, I choose to do them anyway because I know. I choose sin thanks to knowing of sin through the law.

What is the law to you? Are you of the view that it keeps you from sin? What if you consciously sin because of knowing the law and what if you leaned on the law of your heart as the LORD wrote there?

Desire to Know a Law

Yes, “a law” is what I meant. In this morning’s study of the word “law” I was led to the book of Isaiah.

“⁴Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

for a law will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.”

— Isaiah 51:4 (ESV)

In the above verse we see the word law and it is defined here from my study as “teaching” or “instruction”, which really helps to understand the context of the verse and the passage. I have to remember that God’s Word is not just rules and regulations to follow, but it is instruction and teaching that lead to discipline. It does not come from man, but from the LORD. It is breathed out by Him and for my daily use.

Man’s law is in place to stop us or keep us from doing things that injure other people. God’s Law is for us that we might not injure Him. When we break the Law of the LORD, we hurt Him. When we sin, where those sins may not hurt any other person, those sins are against the LORD and He feels the betrayal and is hurt in the process.

It is up to me to know that the Word of God is for my benefit and not my regulation. By following God’s Law, we will not cause Him harm and by extension will not cause harm to others (You shall not steal or kill, clearly impacts other people). And how do we keep God’s Law but to know and follow it.

God’s Law is instruction and teachings for us to follow. We find what to do and what not to do to bring glory to the LORD. Bringing glory to Him is clearly not causing harm to others while bringing praise and adoration to Him. We are to desire to know that instruction and teachings or “as law” of the LORD.

What are your thoughts on “a law” of the LORD? Are you seeing them as rules and regulations to follow so as not to bring harm to others? What if you saw them as instruction and teaching instead as a way to not bring harm to the LORD and bring Him glory?

Keep the Law of the LORD in Your Heart

It is one thing to know something and something else to commit it to your very being. The second is where I find my learning this morning in God’s Word. I continue my study of the word “law” and in this study I have found that it is important to read, study, know, and understand the Law of the LORD. We have to commit it to memory to use in our daily walk with Him and in the carrying out of His plan for our lives.

I see on social media a number of people that are defending their position on things and using God’s Word in their rhetoric. Yet when they are presented more context as to the verse or passage they are using, their arguments fall apart. These people may have read, studied, know, and understand the Law of the LORD, yet they have not committed the Law to their being and only use it to get what they want as opposed to what God plans.

I know, when I am doing my study I will post a single verse and to the first time visitor to my posts it may seem as though I am cherry picking verses. You are entitled to your opinion, yet I encourage you to read many of them and dig into God’s Word for yourself. I am a sinner just like you and will get it wrong.

“⁸I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

— Psalm 40:8 (ESV)

The above verse is found in a passage titled, “My Help and My Deliverer” in my ESV Bible. Yes, it is only one verse, yet again I encourage you to seek out God’s Word for yourself. I have been in the passage and studied this verse before and what I got from it I wrote in the margin of my bible, “God is in your heart.” And this morning I see more than that, God is in my heart indeed, but I have to allow Him to be there and along with Him is His Word and Law.

The Law of the LORD is more than just words on a page or in a book. It is the very culture that I am to live out in this world to carry me to heaven. Actions don’t do it, it is the condition of my heart that God is looking to. He will determine my righteousness from the condition of my heart that leads to the following of His Law, not necessarily the actions that I perform. Oh, the actions are important, as they will demonstrate to the world the condition of my heart. But those actions are not what get me anywhere as they are simply an extension of my heart and the application of God and His Law to my life and those actions. I can follow the law to avoid discipline, but when I have God’s Law in my heart, I follow His Law because of discipline.

God is indeed in my heart. It is up to me to allow Him to be there and also His Law. I live the Law of the LORD and not just read, study, know, and understand. I keep the Law of the LORD in my heart to guide me into actions that bring glory to Him and show the world that He is in my heart and my life always.

Where to you keep the law of the LORD? Are you storing it up in your mind to use to avoid discipline? What if you keep the Law of the LORD in your heart to guide you in you actions to bring glory to Him ans show the world that He is in your heart and your life?

Meditate of God’s Law

“⁸This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” – Joshua 1:8 (ESV)

God is speaking to Joshua directly here. Moses has died and Joshua has been tasked with leading the people into the promised land. A big task, yes, but God will be with them and here He is telling them how to go about thing. They are to follow the Law as it is written and not deviate. The thing is, as noted in Deuteronomy, they did not have everything written in books to read and take with them, there was reliance on the passing of Law down from person to person and generation to generation. As such, God has given the command to no only read and know the Law, but to “meditate on it day and night”.

This is the command to us and not just the Israelite people. We have to not only read, know, and understand the Word of God, we are to “meditate on it day and night” to ensure that we are living it out daily. It is easy for us to read God’s Word as we have bibles readily available, in many different version and even electronically. We even carry it with us (in the form of apps on our phones). Yet, do we really know and understand His Word. Do we “meditate on it day and night”?

I have on my desk a stack of Bible Verses for memorization. This is my start to meditation. They are right in front of me and I see them and reference them throughout the day. I am not just looking at God’s Word in the mornings as I have my time to study, I am reviewing His Word all day even if for just a moment to read through the verses in front of me. See the last part of verse eight above to see that we will find success in when we are in the Word of God and following His Law carefully. In my interactions with others I have God’s Word and the example of Jesus at top of mind leading to efficient and effective interactions.

Just having the information of God’s Word available is great, as we do have more access today than was available in biblical times. Yet that information is essentially useless in our day to day walk with Christ if we are not keeping it at the forefront of our minds and actions. We have to read, know, and understand God’s Word and then we “meditate on it day and night”.

What is your approach to God’s Law? Are you one that has the information available and then seeks to look it up to determine your next move? What if you were to read, know, understand, and “meditate on it day and night” and live it out always?

All the Words of This Law

Words are important and selecting the right words to convey a message is vital to the message itself. God’s Word is a great example of this and my study today is no exception. I am still in the study of the word “law” and that law is God’s Word. Today I am focused on the words in the scripture I was led to.

“¹²Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, ¹³and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 31:12-13 (ESV)

Both of the verses above are part of my learning this morning. First, I see in verse 12 to “all the words of this law”. When I read it this morning I was struck by “this law” and specifically the word “this”. I had not really read it in the pas when I have been in this passage. I even went to two other versions of the Bible and found the same words “this law” in each of them. God’s Word is indicating here in the passage related to the reading of the law is the law that is to be followed. Not the law of man, but the law of God. It is “this” law that we are to live a life in that will guide us to righteousness.

Now before we get off track here, two things. 1) No, reading and doing God’s Law does not make us righteous. It is a guide to righteousness. Righteousness is in our heart and deemed by God, not the acts we perform. 2) “This law” is all of God’s Word and not just the “laws” found in the old testament. Those before the New Covenant are to some degree still valid, yet we look to the New Covenant to see how the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus led to His example to us as to the application of God’s Law in our lives.

Now, the second thing I found this morning as I was studying the verses above was the phrase “be careful to do all the words” found in verse 12. I know, this is part of the first phrase/words with addition of the words “be careful to do”. I went again to two other versions of the Bible and found that in this case, there are different words used. The New International Version (NIV) has the phrase as “follow carefully all the words”. And that helped me to understand it more intensely. You see, we are to read, know, and understand God’s Word and we are to follow it carefully in our actions and use them as our guide to righteousness.

Again, performing the actions and following God’s Word does not make us righteous, it is His Word on our hearts and deemed by God. But, here’s the thing. God provides us with His Law and we are to read it and know it and understand it. When we do, we will follow it and that will lead us closer to Him and subsequently can/will lead us to righteousness. This is where the first part of verse 12 and verse 13 come together. Notice those who are to read, know, and understand “this law”. It is ALL. Not just those in the church or those we like or those who are far from God, but all of us even the children.

I found the following in my NIV commentary on verse 12 as relates to the reading, knowing and understanding of God’s Word. “There were not books, Bibles, Newstands to spread God’s word, so the people had to rely on word of mouth and an accurate memory. Memorization was an important part of worship because if everyone knew the law, ignorance would be no excuse for breaking it. To fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, we need the content and substance of His Word in our heard and minds.” This commentary reiterates both of the things I mentioned above. First, “this law”, everyone was responsible to read, know, and understand God’s Law. And second, we “follow carefully” all of the law and ignorance is not an excuse.

We start learning God’s Law as children and as we grow older, we continue to learn, know, and understand God’s Law and the application it has in our lives. We are to read His Word regularly, commit it to memory and “be careful to do all the words of this law” daily.

What is your take on God’s Law? Are you pleading ignorance as an excuse to not upholding “this law”? What if your were to regularly read, know, and understand God’s Law and are “careful to do all the words of this law”?

Read the Law Regularly

“¹⁰And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, ¹¹when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.’” – Deuteronomy 31:10-11 (ESV)

We are to come back again and again to refresh on what the LORD has commanded us. Notice that in verse 10 above, we are to read the law of the LORD every seven years. Not once and move on, but every seven years we are to reacquaint ourselves with the law.

It is easy to forget things. In our world today, we tend to not even commit things to memory or even practice as we have such ready availability to things that we engage with them when we need them. Where this may see as though it is in accordance with what Moses is saying here, it is really not. Isn’t this more the approach to the law of hearing about what we did, had done, or should have done after the event took place. We use the now to adjudicate the past or tell us about what to do in the now. We tend to lack the knowledge of how to avoid thing in the future.

I am a professionally trained baseball umpire and have called games at a pretty high level and consider myself very astute as to the rules or laws of the game. I studied the rules to know them and was tested on them and demonstrated application of the rules. I have been thinking of getting back on the field and before doing so I have to refresh on the rules of the game. Some things in baseball do not change, and yet others are amended with adjusted for the now as the game has evolved. This refresh is going to take some time and effort on my part as I have been away from the rules of the game for some time. If I had been doing a regular refresh or reading of the rules, my knowledge and understanding of the rules would be deeper and I would be more prepared to jump right onto the field.

Where God’s Law is much more important than the rules of baseball, the concept is much the same. We have to know the law and be familiar with it to apply it correctly as He intended. We maintain our knowledge and familiarity with the law by reading it regularly. We have to study it and commit it to memory. We have to stay in touch with the law to ensure that it does not pass us by. We have to know the law so that we are not tricked or deceived by others as to the application of the law.

Moses indicated to the people to read the law every seven years in the public square for all to hear and refresh. This public reading was also for those who had not heard the law and would be acquainted with it and know it to apply in their lives. Today, we have God’s Law, the bible, available everywhere. Everyone can have their own copy, either in physical form or electronically. There is less dependence on the public reading of the Law due to this availability. But, even as the dependence on the public reading is lessened, the need to read regularly God’s Law is not lacking importance at all.

We are to regularly engage with God’s Law to know and understand it. Where seeking the information in the moment is useful to our application of the Law, we would be able to avoid or achieve so much more with our deeper understanding and the commitment of God’s Law in our lives. We should be in God’s Word studying it daily. Even if only for five minutes a day on average every day would add up to over 30 hours of study a year. That is almost the equivalent of a full work week studying God’s Law. So get out there and read God’s Law regularly to know and understand how we apply all that He has commanded us.

What does your reading of God’s Law look like? Are you in the mode that you have it available to engage when needed? What if you were to regularly read God’s Law to know and understand it so that you can apply it always and not just in the moment?

Know and Adjust to Your Wife

People get along with people that are like them, and with those that are not like them, there is continued strife in the relationship.

“¹⁵A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

¹⁶to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.”

— Proverbs 27:15-16 (ESV)

Here we see that it is not good to be in constant quarrel with your wife. And if we are honest, we knew it was coming early in the relationship, right? We know who she is and how she will react and interact in situations. There is no surprise as we get further into the relationship as to who she is. And likewise, no surprises as to who we are either.

All of the above said and known, there are some adjustments that will need to be made in our relationship to work for one of mutual love, respect, and understanding. I know who my wife Lori is and find myself adjusting to her continually. I love her dearly and know that she loves me as well, but we are not the same and therefor have to adjust to one another to get the most out of our relationship.

I am not able to change her, so I am the one who has to change. I have to make moves to be more like her to ensure that there is continuity in the relationship. I have to make changes to who I am with her so that she will see that we are indeed on the same side and moving the same direction. When things are best, she likewise makes an adjustment to who I am, but that is not a requirement of my adjustment to her.

I say often to our boys, when something with Lori is not a little off, “that’s your mother”. And they come back quickly, “that’s your wife, and you chose her, we did not”. Where it is a funny exchange between us, it is so very true. I chose Lori and she chose me. We knew and know who one another is and it is up to us to work together to get the most our of our relationship. Knowing Lori means I am aware of her and am therefor needing to adjust to her to keep our relationship strong.

What do you know about your wife? Is she who you thought she was before your were married? What if you remember who she is and adjust to her to keep the continuity and love in your relationship with her?

In Your Heart Know There is God

Notice how I phrase the title, “There is God”, not “there is a God”.

“¹The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

there is none who does good.”

— Psalm 14:1

The verse above speaks of the “fool” keeping in his heart that “There is no God”. I found it interesting that the Hebrew word “fool” here means, according to my ESV commentary, “someone who stubbornly rejects wisdom”. It does not mean, as we would generally think, someone who is just not that bright. The writer is referring to people who consciously reject God’s existence in holding people to account for their actions. As such, they feel free to act in whatever manner they like without consequence.

This is not a “luxury” that I afford as a follower of Christ. I know in my heart that there is God and He will deal with me and my actions. I have escaped the wrath of God thanks to my salvation, but I am not immune to consequences of my actions. I still have to obey or be subject to accountability.

The LORD is looking down on me to watch over me. I can only imagine how, when I fail Him, He sneers knowing that He will have to hold me to account. But, He loves me too much to let me slide on those things. He ensures that I am aware of my faults so that I can work to avoid them in the future and carry on teaching others about Him.

Love is an emotional and actionable thing. The emotional part overlooks all accountability, where the actionable leans on accountability. I hold love for the LORD in my heart as He holds love in His heart. Both of us emotionally love one another as well as actionable. The actionable love I have for the LORD is in that He is to hold me accountable to my actions. The LORD’s actionable love for me is to hold me accountable for my actions. We are aligned here and should always be. But that alignment cannot be if I do not know in my heart that there is God.

How do you know there is God? Are you like the “fool” who chooses to reject his existence for accountability? What if you know on you heart that there is God and love him emotionally and actionable?

Agree with the LORD in your Heart

Recently I had a conversation about how our team of three at the office may disagree on actions, yet once we decide to take an action, we are behind it fully. Where I carry out the actions fully in expectation of success, I admit to having doubts and look for moments when I can come back and indicate that I thought there was another way when thing do not go as planned.

“²¹Agree with God, and be at peace;

thereby good will come to you.

²²Receive instruction from his mouth,

and lay up his words in your heart.”

— Job 22:21-22 (ESV)

When it comes to the LORD, our agreement cannot be on the surface. We may go along with God’s required actions of us, but there is no room for us to doubt. It is imperative that we lay His words on our heart and not just on our minds.

“²⁷You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will pay your vows.

²⁸You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and light will shine on your ways.”

— Job 22:27-28 (ESV)

Expecting success is different than knowing of success. With the LORD, we can know of success and not just expect it. When we have His words on our heart, He will hear when we call. He will make success happen. No, maybe not the way we wanted things to go, but He will make success. It is in our trust of Him from our Heart that makes it so.

With the LORD, there is no room for doubt. When we are looking for the way out, we will surely find the way to failure. Maybe not in the moment, but in the end. I have to remember to be all in with the LORD. I have to hear His words. I have to agree with Him. I have to take His words and place them on my heart to ensure that I am fully on board with Him. Here I will know that success is imminent. I cannot fail with the LORD. I will not look back and have those what if thoughts. I must agree and will succeed.

How do you agree with the Word of God? Are you expecting success but holding out for the what if? “What if” you were agree with the LORD and place His words on your heart to know He will lead to success?