04/23/2021.
Is there anything in our lives that we value more than God, and Jesus Christ? Do we turn our attention away from Jesus to concentrate on some desire, facet, or issue in our life? In all things good, bad, and indifferent, we should find ourselves in the presence of God, and our way through them all by following the teaching and commandments of Jesus.
“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 3:8 ESV
If we have expressed a faith in Christ without having sacrificed then have we really come to know Him at all? If we are asked to follow Him, but we worry about what will be left behind, then do we really understand the nature of what we consider ours? Our faith in Him should be enough, and our trust in Him should be so strong that we can lean on Him regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.
“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—”
Philippians 3:9 ESV
When I was a teenager I was swimming in a lake, and became so tired that I started to sink down into the dark green water; I was drowning. As I sank deeper the water around me became cold, and I knew that I was dying. Suddenly I was surrounded by the most incredible presence, the cold was gone, and I knew it was Jesus. Without me asking He told me not to worry about my family. He did this because He knew my heart, and He knew that I feared leaving them behind. He told me not to worry, that they were His, and that He would lead them and care for them just as He had me. I was immediately calmed, and let go of my life as I handed it to Him. I fully expected to be with Him in heaven, but he told me to stand up. I remember thinking that the water was so deep, but I put my feet down and they found the bottom. As I stood up my head emerged from the water, and I found myself mere feet from shore. It was a miracle, and I wondered why I had been saved, but from that moment on I knew that nothing in the world that I once thought was mine... not even those I loved, belonged to me. God held everything and everyone in His hands. I had suffered near drowning in order to learn that nothing was of more concern in my life than Him.
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
Philippians 3:10 ESV
Later in life I had other experiences that caused me great bodily pain and suffering, but each time I looked for Jesus in them, and leaned on my faith as He brought me through them. When I was diagnosed with cancer I never felt fear. I had recently made the acquaintance of a young man from Atlanta named Chuck Savage , and we had been sharing our faith with one another. One afternoon in my office I told him that I was not afraid and that God had a plan to use me in my bout with cancer. Well, Chuck and many others prayed for me, and I recovered, but ten months later my eldest son was diagnosed with the same form of cancer. One afternoon Chuck called me and asked if I remembered telling him that God had a plan to use me in my struggle with cancer. I told him yes I did, and he asked... “did you ever think that it would be to help your own son?” We sat quiet on the phone for a moment basking in the presence of God. Interestingly enough, within a few weeks the son of a friend in my Sunday School class told me his son had been diagnosed with the same cancer... God uses us in the midst of the good, the bad, and the indifferent, and nothing in our lives is more important than placing him first, or should come before Him in any way.
“that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:11 ESV
So, as we move through our lives is there anything in them that is more valuable to us than God, and Jesus His Son? Do we place God second to anything? Does He come second to the concern we have for our family, how about our own lives, or the intense suffering and pain we might occasionally endure? Jesus asked His disciples to leave everything, and immediately they did... can we place Him first like they did Jesus?
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
Matthew 4:18-20 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the determination I have in my faith. Thank you for the confidence I have in you as I face everything in my life; the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Thank you for teaching me that no matter what faces me, even my own death, and the fear I have in leaving behind those I love, that they will be loved all the more by you, and guided through their lives just as you have led me through mine, and that in the end they will know you as I have come to know you... loving, kind, good, and full of grace. In this I find peace Father. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who surrounds me with your presence... your peace, and your joy. Praised be your name for every good thing that causes me to celebrate, and every bad thing that causes me to suffer as I wait on you, because in them both I find you, and through them comes the amazing quickening that your presence brings. Thank you for your provision, and for using me in mysterious, and wonderful ways to further your kingdom. Wash me clean of my sin with the blood of your Son Jesus who walked through the same good, bad, and indifferent things in His path through life that I now find myself enduring. Help me to place you above all things Lord, just as He did, and deem me worthy, as He was found to be. Lift me up, and seat me before you in heaven forevermore.
“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.”
Philippians 3:12 ESV
Rich Forbes