What motivates you – what gets you excited?

If we were to ask Paul this question in relation to his confidence in his own ability, he could just point us to Philippians 3, where in verses 4-6 he proclaims:

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

In these verses, we learn that Paul has every reason to take pride in himself – he is a model Jew – a Hebrew of Hebrews – his credentials are faultless and untouchable – he is on the fast track to being one of the great leaders of the Jewish nation!

Yet, he has a dynamic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, and suddenly all these attributes become insignificant because his perspective on life and what matters and what is true changes – in other words, his values are turned upside down and refocused. Now, to describe this encounter to the Philippians – to describe the difference that knowing Christ makes, Paul uses a bookkeeping metaphor from their day-to-day life, but with a difference! Because when it comes to spiritual application, Paul reverses their worldly meanings to demonstrate that everything the world champions – in other words profit and surplus being the chief goal of a materialistic consumer driven world (and yes 1st century Greek culture was very much like this), all this gets you nowhere with God because following God is about losing oneself. And so, using this language of profit and loss, Paul writes in verses 7-8,

But what ever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for who sake I have lost all things.

Paul isn’t the only one to use these ideas in Scripture, because when we read the NT, we discover many instances when this kind of language is used to describe what it means to know Christ. For example, in Mark 8:34-35, we read:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

There is no greater thing in the entire world than knowing Jesus. A number of our songs and hymns that we sing pick up this very thought. For example:

All I once held dear, built my life upon, all this world reveres and wars to own. All I once thought gain I have counted loss; spent and worthless now, compared to this.

- A Kendrick song that encapsulates these thoughts. You see, for Paul, he now considers all his previous achievements to be nought – of no value or worth when compared to gaining and knowing Christ, and so writing about this to the Philippians, he says:

I consider them [that is everything else to be] rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.

As the chorus of Kendrick’s song says:
Knowing you Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing.

There is no greater thing – do we really believe this or are we still trying to search for something better? So often in life, we get stuck in the ‘starting blocks’ (to use a running metaphor) – we know we need to run, but somehow we just can’t get out. You see, it’s one thing to know we need to run, but it’s another to know how to run.

In a similar way, it’s one thing to know Jesus, but as Paul reminds us, we also need ‘to be found in him.’ Unless our lives are firmly rooted in Christ, then we sadly miss the most exciting part of all, and that is the reality of Christ living in each of us. This is why Paul can proclaim to the world that there is nothing better than knowing Christ because he knew this reality first hand and the difference that it made.

For us, the challenge today is to examine our own lives and consider whether we have that same desire to know Christ and to be found in Him, Is this our aim and practice? Can we really sing: Now my heart’s desire is to know You more, to be found in You and known as Yours.
So, learning to put in perspective what matters in life - gaining Christ and being found in Him is what Paul is championing. However, if we think that such things can easily be acquired as one acquires worldly possessions, or if we’re thinking that Paul has it all – or has finally arrived, then we’re in for a surprise. Because as Paul goes on to tell us in verses 12-14:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

There’s still much work to do – there’s still a future prize at stake – and only sheer determination and pressing onwards will enable one to get there!

To illustrate this, we’re going to watch a clip from one of my top ten films ‘Chariots of Fire’ – so without further introduction:

‘Chariots of Fire excerpt’ (Scene 6: 32:59-34:24)

Well, there we saw the great determination of Eric Liddell, when effectively knocked out of the race, came back with such great determination, single-mindedness and focus on the race ahead to win it.

The key thing we need to remember is not to lose sight of the goal. Yes we will be knocked down at times – other times, we will be distracted by any number of things that seek to take our attention from the race. However we are called to press onwards – to be single minded, and focussed on the race ahead.

To use another running example, how many of you have ever watched Linford Christie preparing to race? Whilst most athletes jog around, Linford was absolutely still – completely focused on the finish line. It was clear that at that moment he had tunnel vision. Nothing else mattered – all that was important was the finish line.

For us as Christians, running the Christian race, like Paul, we too, are called to focus on the finish line – which is heaven. That’s our goal – that’s our prize and it should excite us because that prize far surpasses any prize the world can offer, even for the highest achievers.

The challenge for us all today is to ask ourselves where is our focus? What are the issues that preoccupy our minds? What is it in life that consumes our efforts? What, too, is it that drives us each day?

This week can I encourage you to consider what your response would be to these questions - because only when we are able to answer such questions can we begin to realign our lives with what it means to know Christ, to be found in him, and to be equipped to run the race of life, following our Saviour, Jesus Christ.