Pour It Out

“I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God.” (Philippians 2:17 NLT)

Have you been around young children who receive gifts that are beyond their ability to appreciate? For example, if you give a two-year-old a large box with a tricycle that is yet to be assembled, he will most likely just play with the packaging. He may admire the shiny wrapping paper, pop the bubble wrap, make a large fort with the box, etc. In a few years, when he understands the value of a tricycle, he may be able to understand that the packaging was worthless.

Even as adults, many of us fall for a similar paradigm. We imagine that the purpose of life is to maximize pleasure and comfort. We pursue accomplishments and seek the validation of others. We measure the quality of our lives based on what feels good and gives us emotional satisfaction. Like toddlers playing with packaging, we amuse ourselves with trivialities because we can’t understand the value of higher things.

St. Paul was willing to pour out his life to God. If you have a container with something in it, you won’t pour it out unless you know that you can fill it with something better. St. Paul emptied himself for something much more precious than earthly comforts.

“Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For HIS sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8 NLT)

St. Paul had figured out what matters: Knowing God and making Him known. Everything else was packaging. Beauty, love, purity, service, kindness, virtue, excitement, and adventure were all packaging that carried the opportunity to know Christ. Sickness, rejection, betrayal, suffering, persecution, and scarcity were also wrapped boxes that contained the possibility of intimacy with Christ.

We can spend a lifetime distracting ourselves with objects, relationships, experiences, and emotions--imagining these are the main things. But this is a false paradigm. Look past the wrapping paper. It’s worthless. The gift of knowing Christ Jesus is better. This gift points to a greater truth: the love of the Giver. Our Father in Heaven is pleased when we find joy in communion with Jesus. Know this! Make it known!