Phil 3:8 says, “ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
Everyone wants to win. No one wants to lose. Here is a hopeful information which is the truth: “…God our Savior… wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3-4).
Society looks well and favourably on winners and looks down on losers. But society judges the winner by standards not in line with the Bible. Winning is often materialistic or related to materialism. Winning is often when people display glory for themselves but according to the Bible the glory should be given to God. All praises must be offered up to Him.
The apostle Paul gives us a good example in Philippians 3:8. Paul considers himself a winner as he has submitted his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Paul has gained (1) knowledge of Christ; (2) righteousness of Christ and (3) the fellowship of Christ. He was an educated Pharisee and despite his position. He had a great reputation as a scholar (Acts 26:24). He was proud of his Jewish heritage.
But later as a child of God he learned not only historical information about Jesus Christ; but he then had a personal relationship with the Lord as all practicing Christians do. Paul was spiritually bankrupt as a Pharisee, though righteousness was his goal then; but submitting to Christ as his Lord, he got rid of self-righteousness as a Pharisee and got the righteousness of Christ (1 Cor. 3:9). He also got fellowship with Christ as he prayed and obeyed Jesus in his Christian Walk (Phil. 3:10-11).
So what must we do if we want to be a winner? The Bible says, ‘for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:13).’ How then being saved makes us winners and not losers? When we are saved we are winners as we have eternal life with Christ; without salvation, we are losers as we have eternal death.