Philippians 3:7-8
I love this prayer:
“Dear God, so far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes Lord, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen.”
Yes indeed, we need Jesus every moment of the day. That is why Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4). Our life pursuit is to know and win Him.
Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yes doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”
Philippians 3:7-8.
Thirty years before he penned this, Paul had been the ringleader of the self-righteous and a fearsome enemy of Jesus. But the Lord graciously saved him and from that moment he refused to take his eye off his Saviour. From that instant, he lived his life 'looking unto Jesus.'
For Paul, Jesus was enough! He had the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. He saw in Jesus more than enough to make him turn his back on earthly glory and the praise of men. His life became a pursuit of Christ. He had discovered a new focus and purpose. Christ Jesus was enough for Him. Christ had become his life.
What about us? Is Christ our life? Is there a passion within us to know Him? Indeed, do we know what it is to win Christ?
To win Christ means to gain out of Christ the riches that are in Him. We have a vast inheritance in Jesus. He is an inexhaustible mine of treasure. Yet we stand outside this treasure store yearning for everything else other than the unsearchable riches of Christ.
But, Paul says, 'I want to win Christ,' In other words, I want to possess all that I can possess of Christ. I want all of Him. He is enough. Paul does not say, "my goal is to win souls." Winning souls is important, but winning souls will only follow the person who is winning Christ. Paul’s life was totally wrapped up in Jesus.
Is the Person of Christ precious to us? No one like Him has ever walked onto the stage of History. He is the God-man. He is humanity married to Divinity. What a mystery - God, yet man!
Is He enough for us?
Is it enough to know He was perfectly obedient on our behalf? Are we satisfied in the knowledge that He was perfectly righteous on our behalf? Everything He has done has been credited to our account. Look at Him, the God/man, perfectly obeying the Law on our behalf. Surely He must be enough? What a wealth of accomplishments we have to present to God. We have the obedience and righteousness of the God-man. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10).
Look now at His suffering – Look at Him hanging between Heaven and Earth like an abandoned, dispossessed Son. Look at Him exhausting the wrath of the Holy God whom we had outraged by our sins.
Is He enough?
He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). He was 'made a curse for us, that the blessing might come upon us.' (Galatians 3:13,14).
Is He enough?
Look at Him now, He is our mediator. We belong to Him, He represents us as He appears in the presence of the Father for us. He has rescued, redeemed and reconciled us; therefore, there is no way He will release us. We are safe. All that is in Him belongs to us. Why would we look elsewhere for our validation, acceptance, approval, appreciation and recognition?
He is enough!
Look at Him again: He is coming back in Glory. Our Saviour is the King of the Universe before Whom all shall bow. He is coming back for His purchased possession. That’s us! Did you think He would leave us Fatherless (John 14;18)? Did you think He would forget us? He’s coming back and we are in His heart. He loves us, He’s passionate about us. As Paul says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
Jesus is Enough.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!