Philippians 3:8

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,

A good shot is only beneficial if it puts you in the right position in relation to the hole. You can hit a good shot, but in an impossible angle to the green or in a bad place on the putting surface.

We have to put ourselves in the right position to grow and serve Christ. The key to spiritual positioning is to have a right relationship with Christ. Just as we are not partake of the Lord’s supper with unconfessed sin, we are not capable of spiritual work for Christ with sin hindering our efforts. Secondly, we must discern the proper place where God has led us spiritually. We can be around the wrong people or even be in the wrong church. These wrong positions can thwart our growth and work through Christ.

Paul in Philippians 3:8 preached about his change of position which caused a change in his perspective. Our pastor often reminds us that Paul was a terrorist in the worst sense. Not only did he oppose Christianity in general, he desired their elimination.

Paul’s spiritual transformation made all the difference. His new position made him recognize a relationship with Christ was everything. Nothing else in his life mattered. He lost everything but had absolutely no regrets. He realized it was necessary. We have to sell off all our current positions in order to perfectly see the cross. Many of our positions hinder our spiritual closeness with Christ. We work too much because of our debts, we play too much because we work too much, and we complain too much because our local church isn’t offering enough excitement. Our position becomes one of emotion and we then begin to desire a perspective of fulfillment.

Loss has a way of changing our perspective. I grew in the poor coal fields of Southwest Virginia. Both my grandfathers were coal miners in the 1930’s and 40’s. When I mentioned the Great Depression to them both, neither realized the financial condition of the country because all they knew was being poor. Nothing had changed for them or their families. However, when we are used to a standard of life and if it either improves or falls off, we have a different perspective because we know what it feels like to be poor in the pocket. When we invite Christ in our life and desire a closer and stronger relationship with Christ, we realize that none of that “pocket stuff” matters. We in turn find ourselves “doubtless” in our position and perspective.