Philippians 3:8-11 (NIV)

8What is more, 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 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Reflection:

The way Paul embraces suffering might seem shocking, but it is not the suffering in and of itself that he is after. What drives him is his desire to know Christ. Compared to this, nothing else matters. Suffering is not just a necessary evil as if Paul is taking the good with the bad, but rather suffering has taken a whole new meaning because of Christ. Before, it was just a result of our sin and fallenness, but now it has become a signpost, a marker of Christ’s redemptive work and pointer to our eternity with the Lord. And nothing that Paul had experienced in this world before this compares. He is all in.

Responding to the Transmission:

Let’s pray that, like Paul, we would know the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Rather than responding to just trying to avoid suffering, let’s instead respond with hearts that look to Jesus and His glorious work. May times of struggle and difficulties serve as times where we can know Christ more deeply. May those times serve as signposts pointing to the eternity we will spend with Him.