Written by Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister in Arkansas
In Philippians 3:8-11 (ESV) Paul writes:
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 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— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus admonishes us to count the cost of being a disciple and closes with these words in verse 33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Paul had a background to be proud of, but it meant less to him than knowing Christ. We read in Philippians 3:3-7 that he was…
“circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”
Paul was born in Tarsus and was a Roman citizen who studied at the feet of Gamaliel and probably was being primed to eventually become a well-respected religious leader. It is thought that because he had been educated by Gamaliel, his family was wealthy.
Paul held the garments of those stoning Stephen (Ac. 7:58) and approved the execution (Ac. 8:1), indicating he had some authority among Jewish leaders. He very likely was seen as one of their bright young leaders on the way to the top.
However, on the road to Damascus Jesus got Paul’s attention and changed his life.
When he made the decision to follow Jesus, he cut ties with his former life… with those with whom he had studied, with the religious leaders, and perhaps with his source of income.
The example Paul sets in seeing nothing in this world as being as important as following Jesus Christ tells us of his dedication and faith.
What holds us back from “knowing Christ”?
Sometimes it’s just the busy life we live. Other times it is the TV, sports events, or entertainment of the world. Time passes… our day gets away from us, and we have not stopped to pray, to read from Scriptures, or to meditate. We are concerned with our work, our car, the bills, or our house, and these take over our lives.
But Jesus once said that the Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Mt. 8:19-20).
Paul appears to be in a similar situation. He walked away from what he had, so he could teach others about Jesus. We have no record of him ever having a permanent home after becoming a follower of Jesus. He had no wife, and no children, but although he did have a sister and nephew (Ac. 23:16), he found a home with fellow disciples in his travels.
While living a nomadic lifestyle may not be something most of us can do, we can decide to put Jesus first in our decisions about things that occupy our time, how we spend our money, and how we treat others.
I encourage each of us to stop and think: Is there something that is keeping me from putting Jesus above everything on earth? Is there something I need to give up to truly make Jesus the lord of my life?
