Gain is Loss

Are you confident of your abilities to accomplish what you set out to do or even to be? Has your education and maybe even your physical appearance and prowess given you the edge you see as key to success? The Apostle Paul had been quite the successful man among the Jewish high leadership before he came to know Jesus, had been a leader both in fervor and action, had a strong pedigree through his education, had earned the praise of the leadership and was well on his way to be someone important in his nation:

I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people 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 righteousness under the law, blameless. ¹

But this pedigree was nullified by ‘putting no confidence in the flesh.’ All that he had become through his own attainment now was of lesser value than what had become more important:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. ²

What had been the most valued for his life were losses for the sake of Christ. Not just that he gave up these things but that they had stood between him and life in Jesus. All the pride that he had for his personal attainments kept him from the humility of responding to Jesus. Being intent on doing god his way meant that he did not know the LORD even when confronted by Jesus on the Damascus road.

For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and 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…³

Values change when we recognize who the LORD truly is. In Paul’s life, all that had been important achievements became submitted to use by the true God. Paul still knew the Scriptures and understood the traditions but once he was seeing through the Spirit of God, all of those assets became God’s to be used by Him for His purposes. Paul recognized it was not his attainment but Christ’s work in and through him that accomplished both his life in Christ and the faith he now expressed. His confidence is now in what God can be when known in Truth,

…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ⁴

Have you made that turn in your life? Has all that you desired to achieve, to be, been submitted to the LORD, given over to Him for His renovation to suit His desires for you? You likely will want to see yourself through God’s desires for His Kingdom and not your own.