DAY 281

I COUNT EVERYTHING AS RUBBISH

Isaiah 28 & 29 and Philippians 3

In this chapter of Philippians we read that the Apostle Paul counts everything as rubbish save for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord—all that he once gained, he now counts as loss—in other words, all that other stuff does not matter.

So what was Paul’s stuff? He lists it for you. He had the right pedigree. He was an “up and comer” in his world and he walked away from it all. Further, he says very clearly he has not arrived, he says he is pressing on toward the goal. The Gospel of Jesus Christ…the Person of Jesus Christ has become Paul’s focus. Are we all supposed to do that? Are we all supposed to walk away from everything? My answer would be “no and yes”. NO, in that we do not have to quit our jobs. (In fact Paul did not quit his, he was a tent maker – he could set up shop most anywhere.) YES in the sense of what we live for. Do I live for my job? Do I live for my recreation? Do I live for my kids? Certainly our family is a large priority. Certainly doing a “good job” is important. The point is, are those things more important than God. This is tough one. To answer quickly means you may not have thought about it. I love my wife and my two sons. I don’t think God would ask me to choose over them. I also think God wants us to be gracious in the manner in which we share our faith with our loved ones. They should be drawn to God because of our behavior, not driven away by our disappointment or judgment…knowing how to support and love those who do not choose God requires great godly wisdom.

There is another extreme: the extreme where God is not in the picture or he is in the picture superficially. This is what is taking place when Isaiah is writing. Chapters 28-35 really deal with human schemes and God’s plan. Chapters 28 and 29 are full of scorn for leaders who are arrogant and self-indulgent, not heeding the warnings of God. In 28:1-13 the northern kingdom is criticized, then in 28:14-22 the southern, and in 28:23 through the end we have a poem about a peasant farmer who is wiser than all. Chapter 29 outlines the general terms that God will have to take to bring the nation to its senses.

But in the midst of all this “bad news” we need to pick up on something…something we know about God. God is faithful. He is not abandoning them. He is like a parent who has to discipline his children and yet will not abandon. God, through Isaiah, points to the future in chapter 28 beginning part way in verse 16, “therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line…” So if are struggling with loved ones who do not know the Lord, if you want to count it all as rubbish, but don’t quite know what that means, then pray and notice that God does not abandon those He loves, even if they do not love him.