Giving it all up is a phrase most have never anticipated. We want to hold on tightly to those things we call ours. If money gets tight, we work more hours or borrow more so that our standard of living does not have to change. If a child is anticipating going several hours away from home to college, we try to convince them to go to a school near home. If they feel the calling from God to the mission field in a faraway land, we remind them that there are souls all around us that need Jesus. We don’t like the idea that we can’t have what we want when we want it. However, this attitude causes us to miss the real blessings of God by holding on tight to things that God wants to use for the betterment of the kingdom. We are not willing to count everything as loss for the gain of Christ.
In Philippians 3:7-8, Paul is telling the church at Philippi that he was willing to give up everything this world had provided him in order to gain Christ as his Lord. To Paul these things were nothing but dung, this word means garbage or things thrown to the dogs. His past accomplishments were worthless compared to what he gained in Christ.
Philippians 3:7–8 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 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”
So why is it so hard for us to let go of the past or the present, and hold on to what Christ has for us now with an eye to the future? Why do we want to extend one hand to Heaven and the other gripping tightly to the world?
Letting go is difficult because we are clingers. We cling to the things with which we are familiar. The things that we know. We are not good at stepping out on faith. However, if we are to follow Christ, we must be willing to trust Him completely. Faith allows us to let go not knowing what tomorrow may bring. Faith is believing what His word says, applying it to our lives, and moving forward. Clinging is not a bad thing if we are clinging to the right thing.
In Joshua 23:8, Joshua tells them to cling to the Lord. In chapter 24, he reminds the Israelites of all the good things God had done for them. This memory should have challenged their faith to move forward in a greater capacity, but it didn’t. Joshua did not want them to do as their ancestors had done after they left Egypt. Their faith in God was overshadowed by their circumstances. They had forgotten how difficult life was as a slave in Egypt. All they were concerned about was their belly. Their thoughts went back to the day they had a variety of things to eat, and they longed for that instead of being thankful for the quail and sweet bread God was providing daily.
Joshua 23:8 “But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.”
Numbers 11:5-6 “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”
What do you need to give up to become a greater servant to the King of Kings? What is it that you are afraid to lose as a result of complete surrender? Let me assure you that complete surrender is not only required of those who follow Christ, but it is the only pathway to joy and peace.
