Read: Philippians 3:7-9 – (7 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. 9) And be found in Him, not having my own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith:
You probably have a childhood memory of being sick and having to take some awful medicine. It was a disgusting color and smelled horrible, and you just know it would taste worse than it looked. Still, your mother said, “It’s good for you – really. You’ll feel better.” It was hard to imagine how something that seemed so bad could actually be for your good.
Paul endured beating after beating, rejection, mockery, shipwreck. Yet with rejoicing and confidence, he made this statement of conquering faith while in a Roman prison: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . .” (vv. 8).
The events that many people would consider a curse or a punishment, Paul considered trivialities, unimportant when compared to the outcome of following Christ. As a result, Paul not only found deep and abiding fellowship with Jesus, but he was God’s key instrument for reaching much of the world with the gospel.
Do you view your problems in light of God’s purpose? Even when it’s difficult to see what lies ahead, you can rely on His grace to make every trouble a channel of His blessing. The flow of His grace is swiftest when the need is greatest.
