I’m proud of my successes. I don’t have many in comparison to others at CMPC, but they are worthy achievements. Let me give you one example. Just after I turned 30 years old, I decided to lose weight. I weighed 230 pounds. Over the next few months, I lost 40 pounds, slimming down to 190. It’s a meaningful achievement, even though some of that weight is back after 40+ years.
There are many kinds of achievements in our lives that we look back fondly, whether they be business successes, awards, promotions, educational degrees, sports records, dietary successes or family bonds. The list could be endless.
At a recent men’s Bible study in the Village at Deaton Creek, I asked the guys what they wanted to be known for and here are a few responses:
Philippians 3:8 says, “…I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them GARBAGE that I may gain Christ and be found in him…”
The apostle Paul was a Jew’s Jew (a Hebrew of Hebrews). In his own words, he says he was “faultless”. He was elite and yet he called his own accomplishments “garbage”. Why?
Because they paled in light of the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord”.
Our successes are different than the apostle Paul’s, but, nonetheless, the same principle applies. No matter how many degrees we have, physical sports awards we achieve, goals exceeded or great husbands, fathers and grandfathers we are, they are infinitely less than knowing Christ Jesus, our Lord.
It’s like buying a new 30’ speed boat and mooring it next to a 225 million, 357 ft Oceanco yacht owned by Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. It’s like bragging you got six answers right on one Jeopardy contest and Ken Jennings won over $4 million as a participant, getting hundreds of answers right. It is like bragging that you have a coin collection, and your friend shows you his and it is 20 times bigger and 50 times more valuable. (true story). My God is too small.
The Lord has given me incites and experiences that show me glimpses of his glory, but they are small in light of his full glory. When I get to heaven, will my first words be, “WOW! If I only knew, I would have been a better disciple.” The answer is “probably”. There is a song released in 1972 called Day by Day. Later it was featured in the Broadway production, “Godspell”. The first verse is this:
Day by day. Day by day, Oh dear Lord Three things I pray to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly. Day by day.
We are charged to help us see the Lord more clearly that we would better understand how immeasurably precious our salvation is. May our spiritual eyesight be clearer and may every achievement and accomplishment in our own effort pale in comparison to our walk with Christ.
There are many kinds of achievements in our lives that we look back fondly, whether they be business successes, awards, promotions, educational degrees, sports records, dietary successes or family bonds. The list could be endless.
At a recent men’s Bible study in the Village at Deaton Creek, I asked the guys what they wanted to be known for and here are a few responses:
- PhD in Chemistry
- Fulbright scholar - twice
- Won 2 state football championships as
- head coach
- Top franchise award out of 2,000 businesses
- Pharmacist
Philippians 3:8 says, “…I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them GARBAGE that I may gain Christ and be found in him…”
The apostle Paul was a Jew’s Jew (a Hebrew of Hebrews). In his own words, he says he was “faultless”. He was elite and yet he called his own accomplishments “garbage”. Why?
Because they paled in light of the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord”.
Our successes are different than the apostle Paul’s, but, nonetheless, the same principle applies. No matter how many degrees we have, physical sports awards we achieve, goals exceeded or great husbands, fathers and grandfathers we are, they are infinitely less than knowing Christ Jesus, our Lord.
It’s like buying a new 30’ speed boat and mooring it next to a 225 million, 357 ft Oceanco yacht owned by Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. It’s like bragging you got six answers right on one Jeopardy contest and Ken Jennings won over $4 million as a participant, getting hundreds of answers right. It is like bragging that you have a coin collection, and your friend shows you his and it is 20 times bigger and 50 times more valuable. (true story). My God is too small.
The Lord has given me incites and experiences that show me glimpses of his glory, but they are small in light of his full glory. When I get to heaven, will my first words be, “WOW! If I only knew, I would have been a better disciple.” The answer is “probably”. There is a song released in 1972 called Day by Day. Later it was featured in the Broadway production, “Godspell”. The first verse is this:
Day by day. Day by day, Oh dear Lord Three things I pray to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly. Day by day.
We are charged to help us see the Lord more clearly that we would better understand how immeasurably precious our salvation is. May our spiritual eyesight be clearer and may every achievement and accomplishment in our own effort pale in comparison to our walk with Christ.
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