“Keep Your Focus On Christ Jesus!”

“Keep Your Focus On Christ Jesus!”
In the New Testament Paul wrote like some of the prophets of old. He often left what he was inspired to write about Jesus Christ and rather wrote about his personal experience and encounters with Jesus Christ.
This is to say in such passages where he harps on his experience and encounter with Jesus Christ what we should learn from it is not to parody him. Rather it should teach us to tell our own faith experiences and encounter stories with Jesus Christ as a lesson to others.
Writing to the Philippians he states, “But whatever 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 whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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 and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, by becoming like him in his death…” (3:7-11).
If I were to appropriate Paul’s words to my situation the questions to answer will include, What was my profit before I encountered Christ Jesus? Now that I have experienced Christ what is my attitude towards those things? Is knowung Christ a surpassing greatness to me than any other thing in the world? Have I found in Christ a righteousness that comes from God by faith or do I still think that I can gain righteousness through obedience to the law?
These and many more are the questions I pose and answer for myself as far as my encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned. I believe Paul’s life stories help us to evaluate our own stories and tell it if they can be beneficial to others!
Those stories which demonstrate that being in Christ one has become a new creation; abandoning the old for the sake of Christ. Pressing forward to take hold of that which Jesus took hold of you and helping others along the way so that together we should all arrive the winning point! Those stories which reveal that we have ceased from being self-centered to being Christ-centred!
Prayer: Holy Spirit keep me focused on the surpassing grace of God through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!