Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize or the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
It was a rainy nasty weekend, and being too lazy to clean the house I purchased a book called “Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr. In it, Richard described 2 stages of life. The first stage being the longest part normally where God creates a vessel. It is here our ego is simultaneously being built, where success, security, prominence, all grow. The second stage of life is where we realize the first stage of life had little to no spiritual significance, often because our failures have challenged our beliefs sufficiently that surrender to God. (At least that is my synopsis.) And so in this second stage humility, understanding, and love emerge as God fills the vessel created in stage one.
For me this Stage 2 is the eyes open to the kingdom of God. It is coming ever so gradually into the place where Christ is preeminent, not just is word, but in the depths and fullness of my heart. Stage 2 is where the prize comes into vision.
If you read all of Philippians 3 you will see that Paul comes to the realization that all his religious efforts were “loss for the sake of Christ.” We see in this passage that the only thing that is important, the only prize that life has to offer is the opportunity and “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.” This is stage 2. And the paradoxical thing is that Richard Rohr basically admits the futility of the message of this stage of life, because neither he nor I can teach you to the place. It is as if you have to be invited by God Himself. But we can articulate the sanity of the insanity. We can encourage you to “press on toward the goal.”
When you get to Stage 2, when you have kingdom eyes opened, there is a clarity of how all things have been and will work together for good. All those negative experiences had just as much kingdom impact in shaping the vessel of your soul for God as all the good things. The teachings and the rules had by necessity the need to be broken for true freedom to be understood. In Stage 2 you can see that all of life is not about Christ… it is Christ. Anything less is second place.
The prize is knowing Christ and His resurrection. Not just a final resurrection but a daily resurrection from a daily bearing the cross, and a daily dying to everything that is not Him. Anything less is second best… it is to be the first looser.
Today's music selection has nothing to do with anything... I just like the song. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment