January 14 - The Reason To Lose.

Philippians 3:8-11
“Yea 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, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
 
None of us like to lose. None. Of. Us.
 
Whether it is family game night, our favorite team is playing, or a race to the best parking spot in front of [enter your choice of store here], we do not like finishing second, much less last. 
 
But that is not the type of losing Paul writes about in Philippians 3. The loss that he refers to are those times in life when we no longer have something or someone we once did.
 
Sometimes God removes situations, places or people from our lives so that our focus is no longer on our surroundings, but on our Saviour.
 
The Realization of Christ 
Philippians 3:8
“…for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…”
 
Knowing more about Christ is worth any loss we experience.
 
The Reward of Christ 
Philippians 3:8
“…that I may win Christ …”
 
Though we may suffer while we lose, there is no better reward than Him. 
 
The Reception of Christ
Philippians 3:9
“And be found in him …”
 
When we place of faith in Christ, God sees the righteousness of His Son instead of our unrighteousness. We once were lost, but through Him we are found.
 
The Reality of Christ
 Philippians 3:10
“That I may know him…”
 
The more we lose, the more we can know Him.
 
It is in those times when we feel like we have lost it all, that we must pick up the Word of God and look within those precious pages in order to find ourselves once again…in Him.
 
 
Bible Reading:
Genesis 27-28    |     John 14