That I May 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

BBE so that I may have Christ as my reward

ASV that I may gain Christ

CEV All I want is Christ

KJV that I may win Christ

Win Christ, gain Christ, Christ as a reward…  If I told you that you could win the lottery of over several billion dollars but only if you gave up everything in your life right now- everything. Family, friends, work, past times, hobbies, all your material possessions and I mean all and I mean everything. The only thing you could do is walk into a room put on the clothes provided, leaving your old clothing behind, then walk into another room and take the billions of dollars and leave without ever contacting anyone in your past life from that moment on, would you do it? Would you give up EVERYTHING for that kind of a reward? I imagine it would depend on the life you have right now, right? If you're single, alone, living in desperate straits, no family etc then this sort of reward would be pretty easy for you to take. If you have a loving family, a wonderful career, amazing hobbies, possessions dating back several generations passed down now residing in your gorgeous home- it might be a bit harder to give up for any amount of money. There are numerous movies with this sort of theme- and inevitably in a lot of those movies the person ends up choosing their loved ones over the money- realizing no amount of money will take the place of a loved one. Real life? Fairy tale? Somewhere in-between real life and fairy tale? What you've won will come at a price, but are you willing to pay the price for what you are to win.

Could you, like the Apostle Paul, count every single thing as being garbage, as being dung if you will, except to know Christ Jesus as your Savior?  Paul did give up a wonderful life as a respected Pharisee with a promising career ahead of him. He had the respect of his peers and elders and was a perfect Jewish citizen, a God-fearing man to the letter. He gave it all up, all of it so he could win Christ. 

Today I had a little technological scare. I turned on my laptop and proceeded to open various programs only to realize that my Onenote program icon was no longer there in the taskbar at the bottom of my laptop where it has been since I set up this laptop quite a few years back now.  Okay, where'd it go? Why wasn't it there where it belongs? Fine, it's just an icon, I'll go open the program from the start menu list. 

No, I won't, it's not there? So, where did my Onenote go? It was there last night when I turned off my laptop and went to bed. I use it every single day, in fact it's where I write all my notes, blogs, stories etc. I have so much history in my Onenote- so many things - all my Christmas notes for many years, recipes, personal letters, ideas, my care taking of my dying mother, notes on Jerry, the kids and so much more. So many things I've read and studied all right there at my fingertips to click on whenever I please. So, where is my Onenote?! How could the whole entire program just disappear overnight?!  Forcing myself not to panic, panic is never a good idea, I contacted my tech support (my son) and had him come to my rescue- or so I'd hoped.  

Me: Matt, where's my Onenote?

Matt: Gone.

Me: Gone where?

Matt: I don't know.

Me: It was there last night when I turned off the laptop.

Matt: I don't know. (Matt doing all kinds of techy things to my laptop)

Me: What am I going to do? I mean, where…

Matt: I don't know.  There are no odd events that happening during the time you said you were on it last night and when you turned it off.

Me: What's that mean?

Matt: It means I don't know what happened.

Me:

Matt: Maybe a virus.

Me: Uhoh.

Matt: Whatever happened it is totally gone.

Me: Uhoh. Okay, okay… there was so much stuff on there.

Matt: I did tell you to start backing up stuff to Dad's laptop, you knew yours was acting wonky. (He didn't say wonky but the equivalent)

Me: I was backing stuff up, I did some, I didn’t know how to import those files, and… there was so much stuff on there.

Matt: I'm reinstalling the program.

Me: There was so much stuff on there, if all of it is gone… ah well, it'll be okay. It'll be okay. It's only stuff. It'll be fine.

Matt: Okay, I reinstalled it….

Me: Do you think the stuff might be in the cloud?

Matt: If you saved it there.

Me: Did I save it…

Matt: I don't know where you save things.

Me: There was so much stuff on there.

Matt: Okay…it wants to know if you want to open 16 notebook files.

Me: IT'S THERE?!

Matt: Do you want to…

Me: All of them, open all of them!

Matt: Okay. (Hands me the laptop)

Me: (Tries to open one of the notebooks) There's nothing in it!

Matt: Try another one.

Me: (Tries another one)Nothing in that one either… or this one, or…. Oh no, there was so much stuff in there.

Matt: Hold on.

Me:  (Holding on)

Matt: Here… (takes the lap top, does some things hands it back)

Me: They're here! It's all here! So much stuff is here! All that stuff is here! 

Matt: Good.

Me:  But why did it do that? Where did it go? I don't understand…

Matt: Just back things up. 

Talk about giving up all things for Christ. Talking about counting all things dung/garbage but winning Christ. Talk about my entire life- just how much could I, would I, give up if I had to, to win Christ?  You might sit there and think we'll never have to make that choice, and we might not- but how much would we be willing to give up?  It's easy to sit here and say I'd give up every single thing in my life to win Christ, all the while knowing I'm not going to be asked to give up my life, my family, etc.  It's a whole other thing when you truly do have to make that choice. Today there are people that have to make this choice. People who are being beheaded, shot, tortured, imprisoned, all because they desire to win Christ over following the ways of those around them who choose not to follow Christ. There are people who have family member killing them, turning them into the local authorities, beating them all because they choose to win Christ. They are making the choice to win Christ KNOWING what fate could very well befall them. Do you think I'm lying? I'm not. Read the news on Christian persecution, it's a very real thing, not something from the dark ages. No, it's not like that here where I live in the United States. I'm not forced to give up things and people, and my life so I can win Christ. I am called to be willing to give up all for Christ. Just how attached am I to things? Just exactly where does Jesus rank in my life? Am I like Paul okay with giving up things so I can win Christ? Keep shaking your head and thinking I shouldn't even be letting myself think about this, but I am because this is where I've been led today.  I need to contemplate a bit more on Earthly Things vs Heavenly Things and where my God is- in heaven or my own belly, do I live to eat, drink and be merry, living just for now? Or do I live for Christ and eternity? These are weighty thoughts that must be explored. It's so easy to just sit back and do everything I want to do without a thought about where it fits into the life I'm living for eternity. God wants me to think about it though because my treasures are supposed to be in heaven- not on my laptop that has so much stuff. Even without all the stuff in my Onenote program- years of memories- I should be content to have God who never fails in my life, who I can never worry about disappearing out of my life, He should be more than enough. Yes, it would have been normal to lament the loss of 'all my stuff' but only to a point. Say what you will- we each have to answer to God in our own ways. 

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

Read the rest of that chapter in Philippians- Because our Conversation should be in heaven, of heaven, about heaven if it truly is our hope in Christ. All through HIS love now and forever! Amen!!!!!!

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 

Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.