Paul's Christmas List

Philippians 3: 7-11
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Lost anything recently? I'm just thinking about Paul, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Gave up his life as a Christian hater to become a Christian... Christians didn't trust or accept him because He was a Christian hater. Incarcerated but invigorated. Because he literally traded his life for Christ. He became what some people consider the most prominent writer of the New Testament. His work spoke volumes about his faith. And his faith drove his work... One glorious meeting on the road to Damascus and the man literally changed religion. He had credentials, and prestige. He would probably have been in our time a highly educated man with a doctorate and very esteemed job, considered an expert by a great deal of the world's people. He had gained much!

Paul said he gave up the things that were "gain", so that he could know Christ and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering and to be conformed to his death. Not gold and silver, fame and publicity or a harem of beautiful women. He sought the Truth and he found it, and he was not sorry for the exchange he had made.

So the things we lose.. the things that slip away from us, are taken away from us, that we throw or give away... are we counting them "as rubbish"? Or, are we forgetting what's really important, Christ? Are we prepared for our lives to get rougher and more turbulent as we gain the knowledge of Christ and the "fellowship of his suffering". Are we ready to be "conformed to His death" or are we looking for streets of gold to walk on while we live here on earth?

Paul wanted to "attain to the resurrection from the dead", and that is what we all should want. To enter into eternity after we die having been raised by God to live with him, should be our hope. I will consider the things I have lost and will lose as extra baggage, that by losing I can more easily walk beside Jesus!