"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more." - Philippians 3:4b
The apostle Paul surely could relate to the business executive. Paul reached the height of his profession only to have it completely stripped and torn from him. What he thought mattered in life became rubbish compared to what God did in his heart as He destroyed what seemed valuable at the time. It took a dramatic event to bring Paul into this revelation. It took a bright light, blindness, and the most fearful experience a human could have - being addressed personally by God, who was questioning why Paul was persecuting His people.
It would not be too long after his conversion that Paul would learn one of the greatest lessons every child of God must learn. That lesson is to avoid putting confidence in the flesh. In our work, we are rewarded for achievement. It is a "measurable" life. We work. We see the results. We get certain feelings of accomplishment from these activities.
It was not until I was placed in a situation to experience utter failure that I could identify with the words of Paul. I have met other workplace believers as well who achieved great success in their business life only to experience dramatic failure. That personal handshake with failure leads to a realization that:
"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..." (Philippians 3:7-9).
Sometimes God lets us experience great pain to learn the lessons of greatest importance. Knowing Christ intimately is the most important lesson we will learn. Take stock in what you find your greatest pleasure in today. Avoid placing your confidence in things that are but rubbish so that you might know Him more intimately.
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Yes, I can remember my Damascus road conversion oh so well, and it was experience I will tell everyone that truly the flesh holds no good thing; Romans 7:18; (KJV) "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not". My God in the Kingdom. I know God was tugging on me, telling me a great change" was coming, actually has hit, I've tried so many time to please God and all failed. I got twisted all around, not understanding the true beginning of the fundamental of receiving Christ. The building that holds the people of God, didn't explain, all the tools I needed to start my journey was totally missing. So, I continue to do all I wanted to do, all I thought I could do, totally pleasing the flesh, but it came a time that God interrupted it all, and it was in my God mothers living room when He filled me with his Holy Spirit, didn't know what was happening, no one was home, so there was no explanation from no one to give. And looking back now the word of God that comes pouring in, "it all turned for my good. I haven't been the same since. Praise God, many things I had to bare, many things I had to learn on my own, but knowing the Holy Spirit was with me all the time, didn't recognize, but He was there. So as I have grown in the Lord, I tell people always, that you can make it with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, allow His Spirit to come in, because it's in Him that we are saved, it's in Him that we move and have our being, it's in Him that we are more than conquers, it's in Him that we are victorious. Thank You Lord...