Most of us probably think that we haven’t lost anything by choosing to be a Christian. Most of all, Paul has lost his freedom as he was imprisoned more than once. He had been beaten and run out of town more than once. For most of us, this is not an issue. Yes, some will lose friends, especially if they want us to participate in immoral or illegal activities. If this causes a person to stop being in your life, they are not friends. True friends only want the best for a friend. Paul has chosen to have faith in Christ to “attain” the resurrection of the dead. Paul was more concerned with his eternal life than his earthly life and encouraged his followers to do the same. He is also enabling us to do the same. What is there on earth that we can bring with us into eternity? We can’t get money or the latest electronic toy. We can’t bring the latest model of our favourite car, or our house or anything else. What we can get is a heart full of love. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he talks about the three things that last: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. God is love, and the more we love, the more we know God. Once we die, we no longer need faith because we will know all we need to know. We will no longer need hope because we have attained what we had hoped for. What we do bring with us into heaven is love. The righteousness we desire is born of the love we have for Jesus and is witnessed by the love we have for others.
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