September 5, 2024
Andrew Thompson
Dunbar Cave, Campus Pastor
Philippians 3:7-9
Whatever gain I had, I counted as a loss for the sake of Christ…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.
Most of our life is spent trying to earn our way into entry or acceptance. We spend years of our lives trying to earn good marks in school to gain entry to the next grade, improving skills in order to succeed in a tryout or impress people, and behaving the right way to stay in the good graces of our friends. We learn to craft the perfect resume to catch the eye of a prospective employer, we go to school to improve our trade or craft so that we can earn our way into the workfield we desire, or clean ourselves up to earn the affections of a guy or girl that we would like to earn the affections of. We go above and beyond at work to earn the right to a promotion, we learn to save and invest so that we can earn our way into a comfortable retirement.
Since so much of our lives are spent earning entry or fighting for acceptance, it is easy for us to miss the simplicity and freedom found in the Gospel. Even in our relationship with God it is so easy to drift into believing that entry into heaven, or acceptance by Christ, are the result of something like our church attendance, prayer, or Bible reading. Ultimately though, if our actions are what we place our hope in for entry or acceptance, we will miss it entirely. At one point in his life, Paul believed such things were how he earned God's favor. And if it were possible to do so, I think Paul would have been one of the few people to do it! However, Paul eventually encounters Jesus and it completely changes his understanding. He came to realize that simply knowing Christ was worth leaving behind all of his thoughts that the things he did could earn him any favor with God. Today I want to encourage you to rest in the knowledge that you know God. Remind yourself that you do not have to earn acceptance or do a bunch of spiritual chores to gain entry to God's presence. Jesus earned acceptance on your behalf! Rejoice and celebrate that you can be found in him.
Dunbar Cave, Campus Pastor
Philippians 3:7-9
Whatever gain I had, I counted as a loss for the sake of Christ…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.
Most of our life is spent trying to earn our way into entry or acceptance. We spend years of our lives trying to earn good marks in school to gain entry to the next grade, improving skills in order to succeed in a tryout or impress people, and behaving the right way to stay in the good graces of our friends. We learn to craft the perfect resume to catch the eye of a prospective employer, we go to school to improve our trade or craft so that we can earn our way into the workfield we desire, or clean ourselves up to earn the affections of a guy or girl that we would like to earn the affections of. We go above and beyond at work to earn the right to a promotion, we learn to save and invest so that we can earn our way into a comfortable retirement.
Since so much of our lives are spent earning entry or fighting for acceptance, it is easy for us to miss the simplicity and freedom found in the Gospel. Even in our relationship with God it is so easy to drift into believing that entry into heaven, or acceptance by Christ, are the result of something like our church attendance, prayer, or Bible reading. Ultimately though, if our actions are what we place our hope in for entry or acceptance, we will miss it entirely. At one point in his life, Paul believed such things were how he earned God's favor. And if it were possible to do so, I think Paul would have been one of the few people to do it! However, Paul eventually encounters Jesus and it completely changes his understanding. He came to realize that simply knowing Christ was worth leaving behind all of his thoughts that the things he did could earn him any favor with God. Today I want to encourage you to rest in the knowledge that you know God. Remind yourself that you do not have to earn acceptance or do a bunch of spiritual chores to gain entry to God's presence. Jesus earned acceptance on your behalf! Rejoice and celebrate that you can be found in him.
Posted in Daily Devos