The Joy of Glory

Philippians 3:1-11 (click here)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…
(Philippians 3:7-8)

Reflection
What do you have in your life that you would call “gain?”

For the apostle Paul the list went on and on. His heritage, his education, his citizenship, his social position, his moral character… all of it… gain!

But… Paul says that he counted all of this loss for the sake of Christ. What does he mean? “For the sake of Christ” is another way of saying “for the glory of Christ.” So somehow, Paul’s counting all his “gains” as “losses” is for Jesus’ glory! How does that work?

We used to play this game when I was a kid where you had to think of the one item you would take with you on a deserted island… or another way of playing it would be to think of what one item in your house you’d save if your house was burning down. I know it’s all a bit macabre, but we loved thinking through these hypothetical situations.

In essence, we were choosing the thing we loved the most, the thing which was most valuable to us, the thing we held up as more glorious than everything else.

This is what Paul does in his life with Christ! In order to hang onto Christ, Paul had to let all the other gains of his life go up in smoke. He had to abandon all to hang on to Jesus… and he did! He did suffer the loss of all things in order that he might gain Christ!

Jesus became his gain! As Paul lost things he once thought valuable or that he once depended upon, he found Christ to be more valuable and more dependable than all the rest! With each loss he had to hold on to Jesus all the more… he gained more of Jesus. AND with each loss, the world saw more and more the value of Christ in Paul’s life. Jesus was glorified! Paul did it all for the sake of Christ!

So… when life’s deserted islands come your way… situations that demand you to abandon all except that which is most valuable… when the house of your life is burning down, and you can only hang on to that which is most glorious… what or who will be gloriously most valuable to you?

What will you count as loss… and what or who will be your gain?

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (click here)
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Reflection
Paul’s thorn… was it from God or from Satan?

He explicitly calls it a messenger from Satan… so I guess that means it is from Satan, right? Then again, he says that it was given to him to keep him from becoming conceited. Well that is God’s good purpose… so I guess that means it is from God, right?

Is the thorn from God or Satan? Paul answers, “YES!”

Through this thorn, whatever it is, Satan is aiming to destroy Paul’s faith! But the sovereign God over all is working through this thorn to strengthen Paul’s faith! It makes Paul rely all the more on the power that God provides, and his gracious power proves sufficient! Thus, Paul’s faith is strengthened!

It turns out that this thorn is for Paul’s good! It keeps him humble and depending on the Lord. Thus, the thorn is also for God’s glory, for the sake of Christ, as he works through it to show the world his power through Paul!

This “messenger from Satan” sent to torment Paul, becomes a messenger sent to teach the world of God’s grace! Satan loses! God wins!

This is true of every “thorn” in your life!

All too often we look at our thorns and only talk about how they are messengers from Satan sent to torment us and destroy our faith. And we can talk about them that way! We can call all our thorns evil and of the devil! BUT… if we only talk about or see them that way, then we are missing an even deeper reality, namely, that our sovereign God rules over Satan! He rules over all our thorns! And he uses them as a means of grace in our lives!

When we look at our thorns, we must not only see how they are messengers from Satan, but also full of purpose from God! They keep us humble and reliant not upon ourselves, but upon him and his power! Of course, we can pray for the Lord to take them away, and he may… but he also might say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore, let us boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses and thorns, so that the power of Christ might be shown to the world! For his sake, for his glory and our good, may all “messengers from Satan” sent to torment us, become messengers sent to teach the world of God’s grace!

Satan loses! God wins!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

2 Corinthians 11:16-30 (click here)
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches…

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
(2 Corinthians 11:24-28 and 30)

Reflection
Paul sure has a strange way of boasting.

Most of us boast in our strengths or things that make us appear important… like how busy we are. I often catch my children bragging to one another about ways they can outdo each other.

“I can hit a baseball farther!” // “I can ride horses better!” // “I’m Papa’s favorite!”

When it comes to boasting… we bring up everything that makes us feel and appear superior… but not Paul.

Paul goes low. He boasts in his weaknesses. Why?

Perhaps it is to show another’s strength. Perhaps it is specifically through all of the things that sap his strength that another’s strength must sustain him and can therefore be shown to the watching world.

As Paul is beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger, and rejected, God sustains him and God is Paul’s boast! He boasts in his weaknesses that God’s greatness may be seen! He goes low so that God is lifted up!

What weaknesses do you have that may serve as ways in which God displays his strength through you? How can you boast in your weaknesses? How can you go low that God may be lifted up in your life?

How can you have a strange way of boasting?
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.