This year on Summer Training Project we arrived and met up to welcome each other to our home for the summer and to discuss our verse and theme for the year. Gain. This theme is surrounding Philippians 3:7-8 which says
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
This is the main verse that the leaders chose to have us reflect on throughout our time here as well as dive into the book of Philippians. This is a sentimental verse and there is a lot to unpack in those 2 verses. Paul the Apostle wrote Philippians as a letter to the church of Philippi about 62 AD. That all sounds normal, but he actually wrote this during his time in prison. That fact gives a whole new perspective on this verse and letter overall. When he was put in prison for his faith, it would have been easy for him to have a negative outlook and question God for why he was in this situation. I think that is what most of us would do in a natural response. However, Paul sets a good example in verse 7 of no matter what accomplishments, or whatever you have ‘gained’ in life, nothing is more valuable than the knowledge of the Lord and having a relationship with Christ. Paul goes on to make a bold statement and say that everything else he has been given in life is a loss and meaningless compared Christ. This reflects how important knowing Christ is.
In verse 8, Paul continues to talk about gaining Christ. There is a shift from worldly gains to gaining Christ. Paul is saying that he has gained all worldly possessions and suffered the loss all of them, but nevertheless he gained Christ which is far more fulfilling and substantial than anything else. There is something comforting about God being so consistent in our lives that we always have the opportunity to know and love him.
What an encouraging verse to hear and base our summer on as we learn to prioritize God in our lives! Our goal as students throughout the summer is to really focus on what our own individual gains are, whether they are birth given rights, accomplishments, leadership titles, etc. and really think about the impact they play in our life and to work towards focusing on how we can use those to glorify God. Also, our primary focus is to understand that it is one think to see the goodness of God in others lives and read the words on a page, but it is another thing to individually gain a relationship with him and give in him wholeheartedly. This summer, I am looking forward to all of us gaining a deeper and meaning full connection with not only one another but Christ as well.
