“I know how to be abased,
And I know how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things I
have learned both to be full and
to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need.. (Phil 4:12).

..yet indeed I also count all
things loss for the surpassing
value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord.
(Phil 3:8)

          ——————-
 Next week, I turn 30.
It’s been a short life
but I’ve had a fair amount
of experiences
in so many years.

I’ve been totally broke,
and I’ve had some pretty good financial seasons.

I’ve driven a sports car, new cars and plenty of clunkers.
I’ve had friends, and I’ve had times of lonliness.
I’ve been single and I’ve been married.
I’ve had adventure and monotony.
I have had the opportunity to experience the life of a
musician — playing concerts, recording, writing.
I’ve also had the pleasure of artistic creativity.
I’ve been carefree and I’ve been burdened with responsiblity.
I’ve had complete freedom in my vocation,
and I’ve had complete
confinement.
I’ve rented and I’ve owned.
I’ve done volunteer ministry, part-time ministry and
for a couple of sweet years –full time ministry —
and then back again to nothing at all.
I’ve supervised others, and I’ve been supervised by others.
I’ve held a dead child in my hands,
and I’ve held the hand of my living child.

All these experiences — sometimes abounding,
and sometimes abasing — have pretty
much covered the range of human experiences.

Pleasure and pain.
Death and life.
Success and failure.

During the “abounding” times — the circumstances of life
do not make life perfect.  You can “have it all” and
still have problems.

And during the “abasing” times — the circumstances of life
have not crushed me. You can have nothing,
and still have fun and even better, real joy.

There is a surpassing value in knowing Christ–
which makes any amount of success, pleasure or
wealth inadequate in the light of who Jesus is.
While those things in themselves do not satisfy–
there is freedom to enjoy them as long as
One is satisfied in Christ.

And the circumstances of life that are humbling,
difficult and press hard do not destroy,
because as Hebrews 6:19-20 says:

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul…
Jesus.