Observation: Paul has just listed all the ways in which he ought to be proud of his own cultural and religious credentials. he has done everything right, followed every rule, attained every outward reward from his religious system. yet he counts it all as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus Christ. Now, he invites his readers to imitate his behavior and attitude, and put the quest to know and connect with Jesus above any other human endeavor.
Application: Our citizenship is in heaven. Our first loyalty and allegiance is to Jesus Christ. Many Christians would say this, but to really live it out the way St. Paul and others have is harder. It's one thing to intellectually say, "I put Jesus first," but when Jesus has things to say about how we should spend our money, how we should relate to our family, what our priorities should be in the workplace, or the ballot box, a certain kind of cognitive dissonance sets in. We do lots of mental gymnastics to explain and justify why Jesus would think like we do. Surely Jesus would want us to put our own creature comforts first, or keep our money in our pockets instead of using it to help others. Surely he would admire who we admire, and hate who we hate. Surely he would want us to place loyalty to a nation or a political party so high that it borders upon worship.
To be a citizen of heaven is to stop making excuses, and stop assuming Jesus wants us to conform to the attitudes we see around us. It means forgetting what lies behind: trying to shed a lifetime of cultural assumptions about what a good person is. It means straining forward to what lies ahead: asking Jesus each new morning, who do you want me to be?
Prayer: Jesus, renew my citizenship in your Reign. Help me to be your subject, an ambassador for your way in the world. Amen.
Don't you think Paul was a culmination of his life-with-God...learning the scripture, following the rules of good living, praying the prayers. Was it this life-training that made him ka perfect candidate to understand the magnificence of Christ?
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