What Is the Greatest Treasure of This Life?

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Philippians 3:8

Throughout this journey of life, we meet with unexpected storms, rocky terrain, emotional upheavals, and trials that cause us to grow weary. At times we would despair of the weariness of heart and spirit, losing focus of the prize before us. Tears may stream down our face, we fall to the ground in despair and we wonder if there is any hope of joy. For most of us, our journey is an uphill climb; a race through boulders and rocks. We feel the struggle has left us bruised, bleeding and too exhausted to press on. We are overwhelmed with a deep, unrelenting weariness of heart and spirit that presses in.

Last week, as I began this series; I presented the root cause of that deep weariness as coming from faulty expectations of our own self, unrealistic expectations of others, and a self-serving unbiblical expectation of God. I began Monday with replacing our despair with steadfast joy. In that post, I presented a case for our being able to rejoice even when facing hardship by finding purpose in our pain. That purpose often is God’s Grace reaching out through our suffering to change the eternity of another soul. By this, God is bestowing upon us a part of His Glory.

Another means of holding fast to joy while running this marathon of life is to keep your eyes focused on the prize. When I keep my eyes focused on the beauty, the excellency, the preciousness of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord; then, I will endure all the years of trials. Each step of this journey, each rugged rock I have climbed, and each time I have fallen while grasping to hold tight have brought me one step closer to understanding the depth, breadth, and height of God’s love for me.

Now let us look at what Paul wrote, I count all things as loss for the excellent joy of knowing Christ. Everything else is dung compared to that prize. Health, wealth, position, power, possessions, relationships are all “feces” compared to this one prize–to know Jesus Christ. When we see our relationship to Jesus Christ as our most precious treasure of all; then, the loss of all these other things don’t matter.

My journey has lead me through many trials including divorce, abuse, widowhood, cancer, multiple surgeries, and financial disaster. Even more devastating were the battles I fought within my heart–battles against feelings of rejection, loneliness, desperation, or fear that I would never be good enough to be loved. In saying that I know that is not unique to me and many have suffered far more than I of life’s tragic storms. I only say this, that you might realize; I can sincerely tell you that when I lose focus of Jesus-I begin to drown. Much like Peter when he stepped out of the boat onto a stormy sea.

when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Matthew 14:28-32

Yet, each time I looked up, there was Jesus with His loving arms pulling me out of the storms. With each trial, I grew more in love with my Savior and I began to understand His Majesty, His Power and the beauty of His Grace. He never left me there!! For that reason, each time the storms bid me falter and cry out that I look at them; I turn my eyes and cry out to my Beloved King. It has taken a lifetime of trials to transform this heart of mine to see a glimpse of the magnificence of His Joy, His Love, His Grace and His Glory.

[bctt tweet=”I would gladly face every tear, sorrow, &pain I’ve walked again to know Jesus as I know Him now.” username=”effiedarlene”]

[bctt tweet=”When life’s storms come, keep your eyes on Jesus, the precious treasure in whom Joy abounds.” username=”effiedarlene”]

photo used by permission https://unsplash.com/@jordan

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.