SCRIPTURE: Philippians
3:8 (TM)
Yes, all the
things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the
high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I
once thought I had going for me is insignificant - dog dung. I've dumped it all
in the trash so that I could embrace Christ
STORY as shared by Wilson
O. Weldon:
Sir James Simpson, the discoverer of the anesthetic
properties of chloroform and one of the most prominent scientists of his
generation, was asked by a friend to name the most wonderful discovery he had
ever made, and quickly came this reply: “The greatest discovery I ever made was
the discovery I had a Saviour.”
OBSERVATION:
What is the most wonderful thing that you know, have or
experienced in this life? When we are asked that question we normally wax
eloquently about our children and grandchildren. Sometimes we speak of our job
or the church we serve or have served. Sometimes we shared something of the
house we live in or the car we drive or maybe even, that last round of golf we
played. Those responses are just normal … the road markers of our journey
through this world.
What do we hope for? Some hope to win the lottery,
especially when the jackpot grows to a sum of over $100 million. While others
hope for good health or a good report from the doctor concerning the last
series of medical tests that we’ve taken. Still others hope for a little of
this or a little of that before the night is finished. And then there are those
who just want to make a difference in this world.
There are times that on these lists would go such things as
recognition, advancement, honors and/or praise. We are not really choosey. They
make us feel good about ourselves. It feeds our psychic and brings a
short-lived peace to our souls.
Underlining all of these things – important in their own
right and nice to have/receive – is our relationship with Christ. Nothing else
really matters … really, really! Nothing else matters. Oh, there are little
things that seem to matter … for a while at least, but then we tire of them or
get bored or move on to something else. They were just a passing fancy of our
emotions … just something to fill the hole in our soul. It can almost be heard
in the background of our life: “It’s all about Christ, stupid!”
When will we learn? How long do we have to live before we
get it? What experiences do we need to have before it all starts to make sense
to us? It is all about Christ – first, last and everything in between. Nothing
else really matters. Nothing! It is the greatest discovery that we can make.
Everything else is mere rubbish. To have Christ we gain everything.
PRAYER:
We pray today that you, O Christ, will be central in our
lives and central to it. Help us to live as if nothing else matters … because
it doesn’t.
QUOTE by W. Russell
Maltby, Christ and His Cross:
“Pilate could wash his
hands of Jesus, but Jesus could not wash his hands of Pilate.”
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