"There are so many things this side of heaven that I found my identity and value in. I believed in them all, but now I see them for what they are in comparison to Christ. More than just seeing them, I’ve actually lost most of them and, internally, I rescind all of them when understanding the ultimate value is knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It’s okay that I’ve lost them, compared to gaining Christ and being found in Him (in life and death) everything else is like manure–not even close. Now, I’m not talking about having a relationship with Him derived from some religious idea. But being assigned with the righteousness of Christ through faith. The basis of this righteousness is a gift from God as is the faith through which it comes. What I value now is that I may know Him and the power of His resurrected life and that I may experience the totality of life, the one He suffered for me to have, and, that, in so doing, I’ll be molded by His death to self and obedience to God. The results of knowing Christ is the reality that I fully anticipate experiencing a physical resurrection.
I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I am moving forward in being everything Christ saved me to be. You know me better than to even think that I’m saying I’ve arrived, but you know, too, there is one thing that drives me: I don’t live in the past and I won’t let the past limit me, like a runner stretching for the finish line tape, I’m reaching forward for everything Christ has for me. I will press on toward the goal. I want the trophy, the prize when God calls me home. Jesus is the prize, the trophy. The call is in Christ. True life begins in Him and ends in Him. Let’s keep on living in and enjoying Him." (Philippians 3:7-14, Andrews Translation)
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