CHUNKS OF JUNK

Philippians3:7-8
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What ismore, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness ofknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I considerthem rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Haveyou ever been asked what your greatest possession or treasure in life is? Ifyes, what was your answer then, and what will be your answer now? If I shouldask you, “what makes you fulfilled in life?”, what would your well-thought answerbe in all honesty?

Wouldit be how much money you have, a successful career or business or investment,an intelligent and beautiful wife or a well accomplished husband? Would it befame, a sports team, state of the art mansion, educational background ordegrees, accomplishments, other people's approval of you, physical appearance ,attributes and abilities or perhaps, your associations and friendships, socialstatus, sophistication and even sexual satisfaction? The list could go on andon.

Accordingto the Apostle Paul, all these things are rubbish, they are chunks of junkcompared to having Jesus Christ – “But whatever was to my profit I now considerloss for the sake of Christ.” Jesus Christ himself said, “What goodis it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” -Mark 8:36.Then again, in His own words, when He was telling the parable of the Rich Foolwho thought he had great fulfilment and security because he had amassed greatpossession, He said, “… a man's life does not consist in the abundance of hispossessions” –Luke 12:15.

AmI saying that it is evil to have these things? No! Am I saying also that whenyou come to know Christ you will not enjoy life and have nothing at all? Not atall! On the contrary, God promises us an exceeding abundance of His goodnessand blessings which bring prosperity without any sorrow if we come to know Himand follow in His ways.

WhatI am saying then is, these things must not be the focus of our lives; they mustnot be the reasons for our existence but unfortunately, what do we see intoday's world? Today, we live in a world where such things take precedence overChrist in our lives, even as Christians. Yes, even as Christians because youcan call yourself a Christian and still have these things dominate your life.

Youhear people say things like, “I cannot live a day without my BlackBerry phone”or “My husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend is my life” or “I don't know what Iwould have done without this career and that job”. How do you think Jesus willfeel when He hears such things?

Don'tforget that whatever dominates your life is what your heart is inclined to andthat also is your treasure as the Bible says in Matthew 6:21, “For where yourtreasure is, there your heart will be also”.

Beforethe Apostle Paul told us what was rubbish and what was not, he recounted whathis achievements, social status, noble lineage, possessions, authority, fame etcetera were. The truth is in those days, those were quite some treasures thatno one in their “right senses” would give up but, he comfortably rejected them,regarding them as rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ.

Mostof the time, most of us believe that in Christ Jesus, there are no benefits asthere are limitations but the truth is “…Christ in you, the hope of glory”–Colossians 1:27. In Christ Jesus, we have everything and we are not justconquerors but more than conquerors.

Iquite remember sometime ago I was asked by someone, “What is your most prizedasset in life?”, and I said Jesus. Well, as to what ensued afterwards, yourguess is as good as mine but, the point is I understood what the other persondid not understand at the time and, that is, if I have Jesus Christ, I haveeverything.

Welearn from Moses in Hebrews 11:24-26 that, “By faith Moses, when he had grownup, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to beill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures ofsin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greatervalue than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead for hisreward.”

Areward which is far greater and eternal than all the treasures ofEgypt(all the treasures and pleasures the world has to offer). You can think ofEgypt in those days as what you would consider a superpower and wealthynation in these days and yet, Moses, a Prince of such a nation chose to sufferwith the people of God knowing that his enjoyment of such treasures will notonly be temporary, but also displeasing to his God. He therefore chose a fargreater treasure and reward and counted the others as chunks of junk. This iswhat our actions as Christians especially in a generation as this must be.

Matthew6:19-20 tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, wheremoth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up foryourselves treasures in heaven, where most and rust do not destroy, and wherethieves do not break in and steal.” Colossians 3:1-3 also says, “Since,then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, whereChrist is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, noton earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ inGod.”

Todayour walk with Jesus has become so polluted because there are chunks of junk inour lives that we've not been able to build up faith, muster courage and take abold step to get rid of. What do you treasure so much and pursue sopassionately that makes it difficult to get rid of the chunks of junk in yourlife? Please remember that no matter what it is, it cannot compare to the surpassinggreatness of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord.