PROFIT AND LOSS (43 OF 52)
Scripture: Philippians 3:4-14
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Profit and Loss (43 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Philippians 3:4b-14
The one who dies with the most toys wins. The one who achieves the greatest fame wins. The one who works the hardest wins. The one who suffers the most wins. The one who achieves the greatest power wins. The one who has the largest family wins. The one with the most knowledge wins. The one who is the most religious wins. We have many different ways of determining success and our ultimate aims in life. But what good is it to gain all the whole world offers and lose oneself in the process?
Ecclesiastes evaluated all sorts of definitions of success and life fulfillment. Its author determined that what really matters is how we place our lives in service to God. The same could be said in many respects of Paul's own life experience. He had all sorts of claims that should have placed him at the head of the pack from various Jewish definitions of success.
Paul was one of a few who could trace his lineage to one of the original tribes of Israel. He came from a dedicated family holding tightly to the religious rites, rituals, and customs of Mosaic Law. He was born culturally, religiously, and socially Hebrew in every sense. He had followed the Mosaic code according to Pharisaic traditions and structures, holding fast to the commandments as a point of pride. He had been zealous for protecting the traditions and heritage of the law to the point of persecuting followers of Jesus for watering down and neglecting the integrity of established interpretation and tradition. He had lived a life that would be considered blameless in respect to observance of the Mosaic Code. Then he had walked away from it all, considering all of that as raw sewage.
His religiosity, his heritage, his traditions, his parentage, his accomplishments, his place in the pecking order of his people ended up losing all value to him when he encountered Christ Jesus. He had fully embraced his heritage ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Philippians 3:4b-14
The one who dies with the most toys wins. The one who achieves the greatest fame wins. The one who works the hardest wins. The one who suffers the most wins. The one who achieves the greatest power wins. The one who has the largest family wins. The one with the most knowledge wins. The one who is the most religious wins. We have many different ways of determining success and our ultimate aims in life. But what good is it to gain all the whole world offers and lose oneself in the process?
Ecclesiastes evaluated all sorts of definitions of success and life fulfillment. Its author determined that what really matters is how we place our lives in service to God. The same could be said in many respects of Paul's own life experience. He had all sorts of claims that should have placed him at the head of the pack from various Jewish definitions of success.
Paul was one of a few who could trace his lineage to one of the original tribes of Israel. He came from a dedicated family holding tightly to the religious rites, rituals, and customs of Mosaic Law. He was born culturally, religiously, and socially Hebrew in every sense. He had followed the Mosaic code according to Pharisaic traditions and structures, holding fast to the commandments as a point of pride. He had been zealous for protecting the traditions and heritage of the law to the point of persecuting followers of Jesus for watering down and neglecting the integrity of established interpretation and tradition. He had lived a life that would be considered blameless in respect to observance of the Mosaic Code. Then he had walked away from it all, considering all of that as raw sewage.
His religiosity, his heritage, his traditions, his parentage, his accomplishments, his place in the pecking order of his people ended up losing all value to him when he encountered Christ Jesus. He had fully embraced his heritage ...
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