I hope the title caught your attention! It did mine.
I was recently meditating on Philippians 3 where Paul talks about counting everything as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). And as I usually do, I read these passages in the Amplified, the Message, the New Living, and then opened the Passion Translation. I like to read from different angles almost like peering through a prism– I always see and grasp some new light from this practice.
It was the Passion Translation that got my attention this time. Paul said, “All of the accomplishments that I once took credit for, I’ve now forsaken them and I regard it all as nothing compared to the delight of experiencing Jesus Christ as my Lord! To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness” (Philippians 3:8-9 TPT).
I have to emphasize the visual here– a pile of manure is trash, a dung heap. It’s not anything we want to keep or hold on to (that’s why we flush it)! But the emphasis isn’t the dung heap, but the trade! Paul said there is nothing in comparison to the delight of experiencing Jesus!
To know Him is to love Him.
But more than that, to know and experience the love of God automatically creates love in return. It’s what we call “cause and effect.” 1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Because (the cause) He loved us, we love Him (the effect). The truth is, we only love because of His love. “God is Love” (1 John 4:8).
Leonard Ravenhill said of Paul’s passion: “Place, pedigree, and privilege are but dung that he may win Christ, and by his abiding obedience be found in Him.” In other words, when you really experience the LOVE of Jesus and the LOVE of the Father (that sent Jesus), the result is exactly what Paul said: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7). Why would he say that? Because it’s true!
And it’s God’s heart.
He wants us to experience His love. When the love of God invades our heart and lives, it’s so easy to throw everything else on the dung heap (in comparison). There’s just nothing we could cling to that would be more valuable than knowing Him.
And if you don’t know this kind of relationship with God, I pray you find it. “Who could ever divorce us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? They are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love…” (Romans 8:35 TPT).
In other words, anything competing with God’s love is just dung (in comparison). And the sooner we realize this, the more vibrant our lives will be!
