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. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:10-14 NIVUK
Maybe it's because she was brought up as an only child, but my daughter had always shown a commendable desire to grow up. For the most part, she has been fantastically well behaved and good natured. However, from an incredibly young age, and before she could even talk, she wanted to be treated on an equal footing with her parents.
Let me give you a good example: food. Most really young kids love the pre-prepared baby food available in supermarkets. Our daughter could eat it, but wasn't the biggest fan of it. She wanted what we were having. So, where we could, we mashed it up or liquidised it.
But, of course, there are some foods a toddler should not have because their little digestive systems are still developing and are too fragile. Have you ever tried explaining this to a toddler? Our diet had to change so she could feel she was eating like us.
And then one day we were invited to the barbecue by some friends from the Philippines. I was delighted. Filipino barbecue is one of my favourite types of food. It's marinaded for hours in a mixture of light soy sauce (salty), sugar cane vinegar (bitter), Sprite or Coca Cola (sweet) and banana ketchup (sweet and spicy), and is often accompanied by a dip containing light soy sauce, sugar cane vinegar and small jalopeno peppers.
You won't get that in the baby food aisle of your local supermarket.
Our daughter saw all the adults eating barbecue, and, guess what? She wanted some. Even if he had no teeth. So she sat in her buggy, sucking on a barbecued chicken leg like a lollypop.
We tried making chicken with a similar sauce using a wok and an oven and served it with the same dipping sauce (minus the jalopeno pepper), again mindful that it might be too strong for a developing infant's digestive system. Our daughter didn't care. She loved the chicken. We had to stop her from drinking the sauce.
We had to water down the sauce for several years.
Even now, she absolutely loves it.
I admired her desire to grow up, to be like her mum and dad. Of course, as children become more aware and grow into their teens, it can become more challenging. However, a desire to grow and progress through life, to constantly change into someone new, is absolutely a good thing.
I wonder, do we still want to grow? Or have we settled for the mediocre routine of a humdrum life? Are we comfortable with where we are now, like Abraham's father Terah who set out for the Promised Land but stopped halfway (Genesis 11:31), or are we still hungry and thirsty for more of God, like Paul?
I wouldn't consider myself to be a businessman, and definitely not a financial whizz (that's one of the reasons why I married an accountant), but I recognise something from business in Paul's words here. He is carrying out a cost-benefit analysis. He is comparing what he had in the past with what he could have in the future with God and taking a decision on what he should do now.
Let's look firstly at what he had in the past:
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 righteousness based on the law, faultless.
Philippians 3:5-6 NIVUK
His pedigree was immaculate. His standing and reputation was impeccable. He was even trained by one of the most respected members of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:3, cf. Acts 5:34).
Paul, on the surface, had everything.
But even with all that, he was missing something. Something so great, so wonderful that he was willing to trade everything he had to get it. What was that missing something?
Knowing Jesus Christ:
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 NIVUK
In other words, the glories of knowing Jesus Christ were so superior to Paul that they not only were much more valuable than anything he stood to lose out on, but the things he'd lost seemed to him like 'garbage' in comparison.
And the Greek word for this is so much more poetic and visual. It means something that would be thrown to the dogs - something so utterly unclean that it would be thrown to animal considered as unclean. We're not talking about meat offcuts or offal or anything like that. No, in those days it would have meant unclean rubbish, including animal and human dung.
Paul is not mincing his words.
But this comparison is not at all unusual for him:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 NIVUK
Jesus Himself made a similar comparison - twice:
‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46 NIVUK
In both cases, like Paul, the man and the merchant carry out a cost-benefit analysis. They weight up what they have against what they have found, and in both cases are convinced that what they have found is way more valuable.
And like these men, Paul had quite literally lost everything - including his liberty. As he wrote these words he was in prison (Philippians 1:12-14). In fact, in time he would lose his life. But it's clear that he would not regret it as he believed that knowing Jesus was of infinitely more value than even his own life.
So Paul had weighed up what he'd had - his past - against what he would have through knowing Christ - his future. But what did that lead him to do now?
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 NIVUK
The word translated twice as 'I press on' basically means 'I pursue'. It's a word that refers to someone in a race who is running as hard as they can towards the finish line. It can also be used of someone who is chasing someone else - following at pace, you could say.
It's as if Paul sees where he is, sees where he can go, and immediately runs energetically and with all his might to get there. It's the image of the Olympic runner, straining with every sinue to reach the finish line first.
The one thing you have to say about this verse is that it's very active, enthusiastic, full-bloodied. There's no slobbing around, no couch potato passivity, no laziness. Paul is not a spectator. He is actively and enthusiastically involved.
And this is exactly the point. I don't want to say we should be legalistic about having a personal quiet time with God. I don't believe that making it a rule, a routine or a habit is a good idea. That's not what it's about.
But we should want to do it. We should be enthusiastic about it. It should be the highlight of our day.
Why?
Because we long, like Paul, to be like Jesus. We are pursuing it every day with the best of our energies. We know where we are. We know the glories of knowing Jesus better. We take the conscious decision to make time in our busy day to spend time with Him and His Word, listening to Him and growing into His likeness.
I also believe this has to be something deliberate. It has to be planned.
Let me give you an example. A number of years ago, we went with our Filipino family to Singapore on a short break. That was a pain to organise. We had to coordinate my leave from work, my brother-in-law in the Middle East's leave from work, my other brother-in-law in the Philippines' leave from work and all six cousins' schooling, despite their schools having different term dates. It took months of head-scratching to line it up.
But it was worth it.
We invest time and effort into the things we value. We spend time organising meals and nights out and days out and reunions.
How much effort do we expend to meet with God? What does that say about how we value Him?
Let me finish with teaching from from Jesus:
‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.” ‘Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. ‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
Luke 14:28-35 NIVUK
I'm fully aware that life has its challenges. I spent time as a parent of a small child. I know of others who have to take care of relatives with special needs. Life doesn't always fit a neat schedule. I know that. And I'm not about to sit in some theological high tower and dictate to those who have much harder lives than mine what they should and should not do.
But it is an unmistakable reality that to be like someone you need to spend time with them and study them. There is no shortcut. There is no easy way. So to know Jesus and become like Him, we must spend time with Him and His Word. We just need to sit down and work out how and when.
These days it's too easy to 'follow'. But in Jesus' day it meant far more than to click a button to get updates on a virtual newsreel. Look at what Peter said about following Jesus:
Then Peter spoke up, ‘We have left everything to follow you!’
Mark 10:28 NIVUK
And he wasn't wrong. Even a quick reading of the Gospels will show you the enormous price they willingly paid to follow Jesus. Of the Twelve Disciples, only one died of natural causes, and even he died in enforced exile on the island of Patmos.
Yes, I know it can take some work to establish a regular time with God. Yes, I know it may mean being resourceful and putting the effort in. Yes, I know there may be a sacrifice in terms of time spent sleeping, relaxing or watching TV.
But this for God. And He has done so much for you. He sent His Son to die on the cross to save you.
Surely you can manage some time with Him.
And the seven principles of seclusion, silence, sincerity, structure, Scripture, supplication and surrender?
They're just there to help you.
Questions
How important to you is growing to become more like Jesus? How high up your priority list is it?
Paul weighed up his past and his future to decide his present. How does this picture help you to improve your quiet time with God?
What changes will you make to your quiet time as a result of this study?
Time reading and praying is necessary in the Christian life.