Philippians 3:[8] 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 [9] 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— [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. [12] 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. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [15] Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. [16] Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
As we consider again the matter of resolutions we find ourselves in Philippians 3:8-16. Paul is recounting what his life goals are and it is a marvelous account of where every believer ought to be in terms of aspirations, desires, goals.
Verse 8 – I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord –
There is absolutely no privilege greater than that of knowing Jesus Christ. This is where many believers get themselves into trouble. We often love the gift more than the Giver. If we love anything more than Him we are going to set some horrible goals for ourselves, no matter how good they appear to be. What is there that you want for yourself that can compare to the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ? If you can answer that question with a list even only containing one thing in it then you do not understand the Gospel and you may not be a believer at all. In fact, chances are that you are not.
Verse 9 – 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 –
We stand before a holy God and are counted with the very righteousness of Christ, not because we are righteous, but because He counts us as righteous because we believe in Jesus. Good goals start here. Here is a good resolution to make for yourself. Make it a goal to come to greater understanding of the biblical Gospel and what Christ has accomplished for you. Our goals will be directly related to the things that capture our hearts. Study the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be truly captivated by it. Your goals will change.
Verse 10 – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, –
If anyone knew Christ, it was the Apostle Paul. But he could speak of his desire to know Him. Jesus is unfathomable. Everyone, even the great Apostle, needs to know Him better. What a quest this is. And it so easy to lose sight of it in the veil of tears that this life is for many of us. Resolve to know Him better. Of course the reason Paul wanted to know Jesus better was to be more like Him. Do not be satisfied with knowing facts. Knowing Jesus is not a matter of just filling your head with information. It is a matter of growing in a relationship with God. It is to know Him and think the thoughts of God after him. It is to love what He loves and hate what He hates. And it is, as Paul tells us here, to share in His sufferings. We are called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. We will not be willing to do that if our walk with Him is distant or sporadic. And note this well. Paul`s desire was to fellowship in the sufferings of Christ. This does not mean that Paul had a death wish or invited persecution. He ran from trouble as he should have. But it does mean that his goal was that he never put anything ahead of Jesus – even living. Now there is a resolution – to know Jesus so deeply, so intimately, that one would rather die than deny Him.
There – three resolutions for us to consider – 1) To want Jesus more than anything and everything; 2) To know the biblical Gospel and be enraptured by it; 3) To know Jesus more and more so that we imitate Him in every aspect of our lives, even suffering as He did.
What a God. What a Saviour. What a Gospel. He and it are worth our everything. We will not make it so if we do not set them down as our pursuits. May we all make these part of our lifelong , not just our New Year`s, resolutions.
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