Lesson 17: Joy’s riches
Philippians 3:1-21 www.bible.com/bible/59/php.3
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
One of the most incredible truths we can ever understand is that our earthly life can never truly satisfy any longing we have. No amount of wealth will ever be enough. No level of health will ever keep our bodies from growing old and dying. No extent of fame or power is ever enough to place us at the top. No percentage of approval from others will ever satisfy our souls with enough acceptance. When God created us, He did so in His own image, and now only He can ever truly fulfill the desires He created in us – not with things of this world, but with Himself.
But how do we truly count everything which is considered earthly gain to be loss for the sake of Christ? Is the Bible saying we are not to have jobs or careers or seek to develop the gifts or abilities God has given us? The answer is, no, this is not what the Bible says. Let us turn to a story of a young man in the Bible; his name was Daniel, and we read his story in the book named for him.
Daniel was a young man of privilege who was stolen from his family and shipped off to a different country where the king determined to educate him in the ways of this new country. He would be given all the education, wealth, good life, and power he could ever want. But Daniel said no to all these things and determined to follow God no matter what it cost him. As you read the first 6 chapters of this book, you find Daniel always chooses God’s way rather than the way offered by others. His choice even got him sentenced to die in chapter 6.
God’s blessings for Daniel’s faithful choices were far more than Daniel could ever have imagined had he stayed in his own country living the life he could have had there. God never promises us earthly wealth and fame and health and riches – He promises you much better things for eternity if you allow Him to make you what He created you to be.
*Have you cultivated the habit of asking yourself, “Will this matter 100 years from now?” when you set priorities and make decisions? How would living with eternity’s values in view be life-changing?