Press On

             I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

                But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3: 7-11)

                Biblegateway.com seems to be focusing on the theme of victory. But what was the prize for which God had called Paul? Paul described it in the second passage above. It is, as it has been throughout Scripture, the prize of God, Himself.  It’s not the streets of gold, the mansion, the crown, or being right, as wonderful as those might be. There are some people who ridicule and reject the “prosperity gospel” until it comes to heaven and eternity. Then, it’s about wealth as a reward. This is not to say that we won’t get the mansion, etc., but that the whole point is that gold will have the value in our lives of concrete. It’s really convenient to have, but it’s rare that handing someone a chunk of broken paver is going to excite the recipient, especially if there’s no market for it.

                We have the same problem growing up. Yes, we plan to get married and to build a relationship with our spouses, but that gets lost among the house, appliances, cars, vacations, and jobs. Somehow, the people get lost as we seek what we can own and control and seek to get what we cannot own or control but that will benefit the things we can own and control. This is the truth found in the other religions. It’s all about the gods bringing rain, victory, or whatever. And as the Lord pointed out in His teaching prayer (The “Lord’s Prayer”) the Father knows we need these things. But the vast majority of the gods had little interest in people, especially weak, useless, poor, people unless those people were somehow useful or entertaining to them.

                What Scripture tells us is that God was willing to give up the golden streets and mansions in order to give us a way to get to know Him. He puts more importance on including us in His society, and making us fit for that society, than He does on gold, pearls, or mansions.

                One of the benefits of having spent winters at Hillcrest RV Resort was the slow realization that community worked there in ways it didn’t in Erie. That led, indirectly, to a focus on my part on building community. I realized that I wasn’t part of a community, but of several. In the past couple of months, I’ve read at least two books that deal with the collapse of communities, and the need to strengthen and heal them. First, of course, we need to develop our community with God. Then with those who are also in His Kingdom. And thirdly, with those who aren’t in His Kingdom, and even with our enemies. This ties in with Jesus’ teaching, but it also ties in with what Paul says because community with God is what he seeks.