Tricked By Trophies

The trunk of my car doubles as a portable library.  And so, lots of books are there, including a book I read at least twice a year:  Never Good Enough.  It's a secular book, so I don't necessary commend it to you, but it has helped me over the years, get in touch with a life-long wound:  inadequacy.

Recently, I bumped into the theme of inadequacy/adequacy as I preached through Philippians 3.   In the early verses of Philippians 3, Paul goes to great lengths to document the fact that he is adequate by 'lining up' all his Jewish 'trophies'/accomplishments: “You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.”  (Philippians 3:5-6, The Message).  Wow; now those are some trophies! 

In all candor Paul’s trophies had to be there, ‘lined up,’ for Paul’s standing in the eyes of Paul’s Jewish peers depended on Paul’s accomplishments.  Translated:  Paul was not worthy – Paul was not good – if Paul was not accomplished; very accomplished.  

   

Frankly a lot of us feel that way; we’re not worthy, unless we have trophies: outward indicators that we’re accomplished – worthy – mighty good!    Oh, it might not be items on a hefty resume; it could be a bunch of ribbons from a county fair -- multiple academic degrees proudly framed – or a stash of cash in an investment portfolio that we look at ten times a day. 

Go ahead: ‘bust your bottom’; strive to accomplish more and more and more.  But no amount of trophies – no amount of ribbons – no amount of degrees – no amount of cash – will ever bring a sense of abiding worthiness. Translated:  you will never feel good about yourself, if you based your worth on what you’ve done, or accomplished.  

But that’s a sure-fire formula for misery and futility. To be blunt:  you will only feel good about yourself, if you base on your worth on what God has accomplished through the greatest accomplishment of all: the redeeming sacrifice, the resurrection power of Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Paul goes on to trumpets this truth elsewhere in Philippians 3.  In fact, after he lines up all his trophies in Philippians 3:5-6 – he knocks them all down in Philippians 3:7-11.  In fact he now considers his trophies worthless, mere rubbish, garbage – “…compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord….”  (Philippians 3:8).

Though its an unsettling, odd, counter-cultural word, Paul's assertion is true:  only the things of Christ will last; everything else will pass.  Frankly such truth is startling, for it leads to only one conclusion:  everything else is a waste; so much garbage.

But better to be warned now, than to end up life knowing you 'wasted it all,' tricked by the trophies of this world.