"That You May Gain Christ"

There lived a man who had been living for things that seemed  to be very commendable:  a righteous life, obedience to a very demanding religious law,
and the defense of the religion of his fathers.  But one day, Saul of Tarsus (whose name was later changed to Paul) met Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and on that day 
his values changed (see Acts 9:1-31).  When Saul evaluated his life, he discovered that apart from Jesus Christ, everything he lived for was only rubbish.  
He wrote: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).

The following are three ways in which “gaining Christ” changed his life:

By gaining Christ, we have the forgiveness of our past.  Paul said that he was able to “forget those things which are behind” (Philippians 3:13).  Paul had a sordid past for which he needed and received forgiveness when he obeyed the Gospel.  When we gain Christ, we also receive forgiveness for the sins of our past!  We gain Christ by accepting His offer of salvation on His terms.  When a person obeys the Gospel through faith (Acts 16:30), repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confession (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), his or her past is forgiven.  One who has gained Christ may “forget those things which are behind” (Philippians 3:13).

By gaining Christ, we have purpose for the present.  “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me ... I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12, 14).  “I press” -- carries the idea of intense endeavor.  Every day, Paul focused on and worked toward his goal.  Toward what goal was Paul pressing with such spiritual determination?  
“The prize of the high [upward] calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).  Paul knew that when he reached the goal that he would receive the reward.  Even so every faithful believer will be crowned when Jesus Christ returns.

By gaining Christ, we have hope for the future.  Forgetting those things which were behind him, Paul kept “reaching forward to those things which are ahead”  (Philippians 3:13). “Reaching forward” literally means “stretching as in a race.” 
The phrase describes the one with eyes for nothing but the goal.  It describes the 
man who is giving his all to reach the finish line.  Those who do not have Christ are controlled by the past, but the one who has gained Christ looks with anticipation toward the future.

By gaining Christ, Paul gained far more than he lost.....  

Once he understood the value of this relationship with Christ, he willingly let go of that which he could NOT keep - in order to gain that which he could NEVER lose.  No wonder he had joy!  His life no longer depended on the "things" of 
the world but on the eternal values found in Christ.

What are YOU seeking to gain in your life?

My prayer for you is that among all your successes and attainments, you will gain Christ, for this is TRULY gain.

God bless you!

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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