A Word from Ken “I am willing to toss everything onto the rubbish dump, if only I may know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the prize of the upward call of God” (Ph 3:8, 10, 14) At first sight, that seems to be a piece of wild hyperbole. But it all depends upon what you hope to gain. Paul had in mind three great treasures – The Greatest Person You Can Know Paul recognises that there is no greater happiness than to have a true companion. But the corollary is that loneliness must be the greatest misery! For example, can you imagine any greater nightmare than to be marooned on a barren island, condemned to live and die there, utterly alone, perhaps for many years? Yet we are all like that desolate mariner, marooned on the desert shores of life! We are separated from each other by a hiatus that not even the deepest love or friendship can fully bridge. The cause is sin, which breaks the bonds within ourselves, and with our neighbours, and with God. But Christ is the great Mender (Ep 2:13-14). Through knowing him, the walls begin to fall, and to gain this knowledge, said Paul, is worth any cost! The Greatest Power You Can Experience Imagine the scene in a great Roman arena, where the crowd is being entertained by watching a small Christian congregation being torn to pieces by wild animals. Some of the martyrs are aged, some young; there are toddlers and babies, men and women, fathers and mothers, boys, girls, and teenagers. You may ask how can those men stand by and watch their wives and children perish so horribly? And why are those pitiful victims not cursing the men who had brought them to such misery? The answer: they all knew that Christ had conquered death for ever! They had lost all fear of death, no matter how awful the form it took. For them, no price was too high to pay to feel the power of the resurrection of Christ. The Greatest Prize You Can Gain The great folly of our time is that people have no vision of the future; they live only for today. Not so Paul. He uses the metaphor of a foot race, with the runners stretching out both arms, straining to win a glorious prize (vs. 12-14). That too must be our aim and our vision. Who can place a price on the reward, the crown, the paradise, the eternal life that is God’s gift to us in Christ? If I had to, I would indeed cast all the earth aside in order to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the prize of his upward call! (From Ken Chant’s new book on the Letter to the Philippians.) visioncolleges.net/study-options/degree-options/index.html
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 02:29:30 +0000
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