If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more…Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.” vss. 4b, 7
Philippians 3:4b-7
It’s no accident that Paul was a recognized leader in the early Church–he had exceptional qualifications and was brimming with confidence. And he certainly had no ego issues–he was proud of his ancestry and never backed away from controversy. Yet as he sat in prison, thinking about his friends in Philippi, he came to realize that all the things he’d considered important were nothing when compared to the blessings that had come to him in Christ. His Christ connection was more valuable than lineage or learning or anything else that the world holds dear. That Pauline insight remains true in our own lives. It’s so easy to get caught up in credentials and grade point averages and academic degrees–and we’ve all met people who wear their Scandinavian heritage as a special point of pride. And then there are those for whom denominational connections are the central point of identity! They love being Lutheran or Baptist and give the distinct impression that any other denomination is definitely a lower tier form of Christianity. But really, if Paul is right, all that stuff is pure rubbish, and nothing to hang our hats on. All that really counts in this world is our connection to Christ–and Christ’s connection to us.
Thought for the Day: What do I like to brag about?
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