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. For his sake I have suffered the loss of
all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3.7-8
Paul lost much. When
many Christians hear that, what they think about first are the regular beatings
he faced in every town he visited - or so it seems. But even before all of
that, Paul gave up much. Trained by the esteemed Gamaliel, he was an up and comer.
Knowledgeable, intelligent. And greatly motivated. His journeying to Damascus
with authority from the high priest to imprison the followers of that heretic,
Jesus, give ample evidence of that. The future was his. But he gave it all up -
counted it all as loss - when he himself became a follower of that heretic.
So, what do you
think? Was he okay with how things were working out for him, or was it too
much? Was he content with his life, its loss, its suffering? Read the verses
from Philippians again.
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