Christ Is The Prize

Now, we see Jesus dimly, but then we will see him face to face and know him fully.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Knowing Jesus is the greatest treasure in the entire universe. I have often made the mistake of presenting Jesus as a means to an end. It grieves me. The Lord Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is not a guide on our quest for truth. He is not even a means to gain another “thing” called eternal life — He is eternal life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Pearl of great value worth selling everything we have, with joy, to have. 

We were made to find our all in Jesus. He is The Bread of Life. He is the one our hearts hunger for, whether we realize it or not. In Him, we live and move and have our beings. We were created for him, through him, and by him. To know God through Jesus Christ is eternal life. And by grace through faith, we have freely received this precious gift. Jesus triumphed over evil, sin, and death forever so that we might become God’s children, and so we are. He has made us his own. The true joy and worthiest pursuit of love is growing in knowing and glorifying Jesus with one another through the Holy Spirit.

Brothers and sisters, let us eagerly wait for the day when, at last, we will be able to behold the fullness of his magnificence. Every fiber of our beings will truly know, taste, and see His surpassing worth. Yes, we look forward to the new creation. We rejoice in the day we receive resurrected and glorified bodies and be free from sin, sorrow, and pain. But this is not the ultimate prize. The permeating presence and Glory of the Triune God is why there will be such fullness of joy. God himself is the Prize. Now, we see Jesus dimly, but then we will see him face to face and know him fully. What a hope! What an inheritance!