Jun 5, 2019

Skubala



What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.                      
~ Philippians 3:8-9 


I have a friend who has an interesting tradition. Every time he harvests a big game animal, pulls his knife out and carves a notch in his old hunting rifle. I thought defacing his rifle after each successful hunt was an interesting habit. But now I understand. 
Men keep score. It’s part of our innate composition. We count wins, and mourn losses. We live in a Participation Trophy culture where everyone gets a prize just for showing up. But this is isn’t reality and it’s far for a man’s core passion to complete, conquer, and to be victorious.
The problem is when a man pursues the wrong trophies. And any trophy that won't cross into eternity is only temporary at best and must be sought with the Holy Spirit’s discernment.
        The greatest trophy of them all is a man’s great pursuit for God (Matthew 6:33). Jeremiah 29:13 states, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” In other words, “IF you seek Me with ALL your heart, I will LET you find me.”
After recalling the notches in the belt (Philippians 3:8-9), Paul adds that none of it matters. It’s worthless compared to his relationship with Christ. No financial portfolio, material possession, or worldly accomplishment compares to having a relationship with Christ. Nothing compares to Him for the man who is pursuing the right trophy in right order. 
Paul called these accomplishments “rubbish”, skubala in the Greek. Skubala is the Greek word for human feces or dog dung. You can imagine the true meaning of the word. Paul didn’t revel in his wins, but focused all his energy on the greatest trophy of all—pursuing Jesus Christ. 
The apex of manhood is relentless pursuit of Jesus Christ.
Everything else isn’t worth a pot to skubala in! Everything else is crap. Pursue that which is worth more than anything. Hunt for a deep relationship with God. 
Everything else is skubala