Win Christ!

Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

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Count ALL things loss but for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.


All things are DUNG, other then then knowledge of our Savior.


Not some things. Not just a few things. BUT all things mean NOTHING other than the knowledge of Christ.


We could have everything this world calls good. We could have everything our worldly heart desires. We could have just ONE cherished possession, or perhaps a few. Maybe we want to hold on to just one earthly treasure in the form of heirloom, or a priceless personal gift that would mean nothing to anyone but you. All is counted loss but the knowledge of our Savior.


We need to realize just how little everything in our lives means outside of having the knowledge of our Lord. Does this include people? What good does it do to cling to a loved one if there is no knowledge of Christ? Seriously. It sounds horrifically callous but it's the truth. Christ is ALL things, knowledge of Christ is ALL, leaving no room for anything else to enter in. Am I saying we shouldn't CARE and LOVE others? NO, no, no! But I am saying knowledge of our Savior MUST come before anything else or all our loving, all our caring will mean nothing at all.


We want to be naturally loving, naturally like Jesus, and when we fail to be Christ-like in our lives we chastise ourselves and start to believe that we will never be as Christ would have us be. It WON'T come naturally! It WON'T come easy because our natural self WARS against our Spiritual self. Our natural self clings to THINGS other than the knowledge of our Savior. Our natural self is an excellent excuse maker, an amazing conscience soother, a marvelous deal broker- our natural self wars with our spirit self and all this takes place within us. Our natural self will mock our spirit self with a determination to get our spirit self to just give up. It's horrible to imagine this, let alone believe it. We don't want to be a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde- that's a fictional character in a fictional book and nothing more. We hate to believe that we possess split personalities- and in the medical sense we don't but in the spiritual realm we ALL possess split personalities, ALL humans but our Savior have these split personalities but few want to believe it's a reality. This is crazy people talk, and I can understand how some might believe that to be true. Split personalities, heh, that's nonsense. But it's not nonsense, it wasn't nonsense to the Apostle Paul.


Read this and tell me there isn't a split SPIRITUAL personality situation going on here-


Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.


We all have bodies of death, every single one of us. We all are in this spiritual fight. If we don't care about our spiritual life- if we don't care about worshipping and honoring our Creator - this war within is seemingly won by the carnal side and often that carnal side will subdue the spiritual side and all will appear normal. No more spiritual fighting, no more spiritual angst, no more spiritual upsets, no more spiritual warring- this carnal victor is more than willing to help you enjoy it's victory over the spiritual.


Going back to counting ALL loss but the knowledge of our Savior, it's the truth. Yet our carnal side will have us believe that our spiritual side matters little and the earthly life that surrounds us now means everything. If you want to believe that you should NATURALLY be able to count all loss but your Savior it's not going to happen. It's a fight! It's a war! You're in a battle for your spiritual life! You have to choose DAILY, choose often during the day, choose always to be Christ's to seek knowledge of Him. You have to ask God to show you always when and where the battle lines are being drawn so you know when and where the fight is. When we recognize our battles we can recognize the need to fight with the armor of God, fight with our Savior as our King, submit to our Lord. Wouldn't you much rather be at war taking part in the spiritual battle than having surrendered to the carnal nature? The chaos we feel inside ourselves is to be embraced as the knowledge of the war. We have to stop trying to be naturally good, thinking that we should be naturally good and then flailing about when we are naturally bad. We have to seek the kingdom of God, we have to seek all knowledge, an excellent knowledge of our Savior and we have to do this ACTIVELY, not half-heartedly or passively when the mood strikes. This is our duty, to know God, to love God. When the naturally bad stuff creeps up as it will we have to fall to our knees seeking forgiveness, repenting of our bad acts even bad thoughts. We have to run to Christ not run from Christ thinking we are too evil to go before Him. Satan will DO everything He can to get us to run from Christ, to look to ourselves for our salvation, for our hope but our HOPE is NOT in us at all… PRAISE GOD! Our hope is in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Let us WIN Christ! Let us count all around us as dung but the knowledge of Christ. Let Christ matter MOST. Please Lord… by YOUR GRACE!



Amen.