May 29, Sunday I HAVE LOST ALL THINGS PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11

May 29, Sunday

I HAVE LOST ALL THINGS

PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”

Philippians 3:7

Paul’s life prior to his conversion was the life of a man with a solid economic status.  He was a member of the dominant social class, a Hebrew among Hebrews, a Pharisee with respect to the law, and respected by all leaders. From the moment of his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, everything changed, to the point where he himself declared: “I have lost all things.” For a person who has had everything, to suddenly find himself stripped of it all makes for a hard experience, a difficult burden to overcome.  And yet it did not matter to him.

The life of a Christian is a paradox:  one must lose in order to gain; losing life in order to find it again.

In our society, where competence is respected and winners are rewarded with prizes, talking about loss is a great dilemma. But those who wish to follow Christ must set aside all personal ambition, stripping oneself of the old human being in order to become a new creature in Christ. He is the one who gives up everything for his neighbor, the one who is willing to lose his life so that others can gain it.

Let us remember that we need to allow our old human selves to die, so that Christ can live in us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you, because when I met you, I was transformed. We wish to be able to lose everything for your sake.  Help us, oh God, to live our lives as authentic witnesses.  Amen.

LO HE PERDIDO TODO

FILIPENSES 3:1-11

“Pero cuántas cosas eran para mí ganancia,

las he estimado como pérdida por el amor de Cristo”

Filipenses 3:7

La vida de Pablo antes de su conversión era la vida de un hombre de sólida posición económica. Miembro de la clase dominante, hebreo de hebreos, fariseo en cuanto a la ley, estimado por los que gobernaban. A partir de su encuentro con Cristo en el camino de Damasco, todo se transforma, de tal manera que él mismo dice: “Lo he perdido todo”. Para una persona que lo ha tenido todo, de pronto verse despojada, resulta una dura experiencia, una carga difícil de sobrellevar. Sin embargo eso no le importó.

La vida del cristiano es una paradoja: tiene que perder para ganar; perder la vida para volverla a encontrar.

Para nuestra sociedad, donde se estimula la competencia y se premia al ganador, hablar de pérdida es un gran dilema. Pero el que quiera seguir a Cristo tiene que dejar a un lado toda ambición personal, despojarse del viejo ser humano, ser una nueva criatura en Cristo. Ese es quien lo entrega todo por el prójimo, el que está dispuesto a perder su vida para que otros la ganen.

Recordemos que debemos dejar morir al viejo ser humano, para que Cristo viva en nosotros.

Oración: Señor, gracias porque cuando te conocí, fui transformada. Queremos ser capaces de perderlo todo por ti. Ayúdanos oh Dios, a vivir un testimonio auténtico, amén.