A testimony

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, ... (Philippians 3:8a)

In this verse Paul tells his view of life and its things. He says that gaining the things of life, posessions, successes, people, is actually a loss when compared with something of much greater value. What is this treasure? Knowing Jesus Christ. And I want to testify with Paul that all things are loss indeed, in light of knowing Jesus Christ.

As a family, we attended church and so I was exposed to the Bible and the Gospel from a very early age. However, my heart did not have a natural affection toward God; just the opposite, I didn't really care about Him, had no affection toward Him and, in reality, hated Him. It showed in my childhood and teenage outbursts of anger toward my parents and my sister. It showed in my love for the world and its lusts as well.

Then God brought me to His word, the Bible. It was at a winter Christian youth retreat in my junior year of high school. I only went with the church because my high school friends were going; and I only started reading the Bible because I wanted to be better than all the other kids. I started reading in the book of Hebrews, I still remember because at one point it started to snow and the pages of my Bible are still ruffled in that section.

I came home a different person. I didn't fight with my parents, or sister, I didn't need to. I didn't love my sin anymore, I would rather read the Bible and be close to God. He had changed my heart that February and I wouldn't be the same person again. Because of His work, I finally understood what it meant that,

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

It meant that I was condemned because of my wicked rebellion against God and that my just punishment would be an eternity of suffering. It meant that God, in His love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place. That I am saved not through anything that I do, but through believing that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died and rose again on my behalf.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)