Sandie and I had a great afternoon loving on kids of all ages. We picked up three of Sandie’s Sunday Night Small Group Girls, middle schoolers, and headed down to the Leaven. The Leaven is an after-school program for at-risk elementary school kids in one of the toughest neighborhoods around. We got to read with them, throw the football, play tetherball, and offer a birthday gift bag to the one child with an October birthday. I had a blast doing what I’ve done on our Mexico mission trips, drawing quick marker portraits of the kids. They’re so enthusiastic and grateful to get those three minutes of ‘star treatment.’ Afterwards, we took our teen partners to In-N-Out for burgers.
If you don’t know what an In-N-Out is, well it is the tastiest, sloppiest burger in town – especially if you order it ‘animal style.’ That’s how I order my ‘double-double.’ It’s just layer upon layer of flavor. It was an appropriate dinner considering all the wonderful things we were able to accomplish and enjoy today. It was a day layered and layered with “flavor.”
And then I sit down to read my New Testament segment for today’s blog, and Bam! Paul hits me with a QUADRUPLE-double animal style! This is about the meatiest chapter we’ve encountered in the last two months. Here’s the beef –
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.”
“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
In the first juicy layer, Paul reminds us of the relative value of things. There is nothing, nothing, NOthing that even comes close to knowing Jesus. And underneath the Greek vocabulary here is the Hebrew mind of Paul that understands ‘knowledge’ as ‘knowledge by intimate experience.’ If you will pursue and relate to Christ as the risen, living God – not as some historic example of principle – you will experience friendship with the Divine. How great is actually connecting with your Creator, Sustainer and Savior? Priceless.
In the second layer, Paul reveals a secret of true fellowship with God – to desire not only an experience of His power, but also to desire to share in His suffering. So often many Christians declare, “I want to be like Jesus.” “I want to really understand Him.” And yet how CAN we know Him without bearing with Him His burdens and enduring the pains, as He did, of standing against the onslaught of a wicked world? This is a huge revelation for us who seek comfortable Christianity. To really know Him, we must suffer like Him. We must WANT this, as much as we want the joy.
The third meaty layer reminds us that Christ took hold of us. He wants us; He wants something for us. And we must want that same thing for ourselves. Christ took hold of us to give us freedom to love and be holy, wisdom to overcome the world, and the hope of glory. Are these the things we strive to take hold of? Or are we still grasping after temporal ambitions – to be financially independent, to be physically beautiful, to be peerlessly important in our field? Jesus seized us for holiness, love, wisdom and hope. Invest your efforts in grabbing fistfuls of those.
Finally, the piece de resistance, for so many who have received the grace of God in Jesus Christ; we can forget what is behind! God calls us heavenward toward the finish line where a prize beyond imagination is waiting. Like a child lost in the woods, lost among the groves, who has suffered injury in that foreboding place, who can now hear their loving father’s voice – “Come!” “Come to me. Follow the sound. Don’t look back! Press on. Press forward to my voice.” Our Father is calling us, too - homeward; to safety; to reward. Past is past. We are forgiven and being healed with every step upward.
How delicious is that?
Pray: Lord of generosity, you prepare a feast for me even in the presence of my enemies. You pour into my cup until it overflows. Bless all my brothers and sisters with a time of layer upon layer of Your goodness. Serve up their quadruple-double animal style!
much deliciousness, friend...
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