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Are you a person of single focus-a person of one thing? "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ." Paul purposely narrowed his options to become a man of one thing. Let’s consider how he put it…
“Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant - dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ 9 and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ - God's righteousness. 10 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. 11 If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” (Phil. 3:8-11, Msg)
Growing up or maturing is partially a process of letting go, of getting rid of, of taking inventory of what is un-necessary baggage and tossing it! Like Paul; “I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him.” Maybe, just maybe everything is rubbish if it keeps me from embracing Jesus with the single focus Paul portrayed.
Maybe the best thing we can do for Jesus is to first and only embrace Him? And then the next best thing we can do for Jesus is to embrace what He is doing for us! In so doing we are truly being-we are in fact ‘being’ a human being, not a human doing! And in this posture we receive being embraced by Him. Maybe when we finally (every day) let go of, cast off, throw away and turn from anything and everything that has been before Jesus then we can truly and fully experience what Paul did! Embracing Jesus calls forth trusting him only!
“I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ - God's righteousness. 10 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. 11 If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” (Phil. 3: 9-11, Msg)
When we embrace Jesus only; by faith, the prize of our Salvation is realized! “I have not yet received all of those things. I have not yet been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for. 13 Brothers and sisters, I don't consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me. 14 I move on toward the goal to win the prize. God has appointed me to win it. The heavenly prize is Christ Jesus himself.” (Phil. 3:12-14, NIRV)
But here is the one thing I do. If you will allow me to be so bold as to put it this way? This ‘being’ is the summation of our required ‘doing’! Did you get it? Every day, every moment, in every circumstance—He is the prize!
Embrace and embracing, Ron Ross