Summer 1998
Seeking the Highest
Wade E Taylor

Paul said he was a "Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" Phil 3:5b-6.

When Paul was apprehended by Jesus, he began to function in his new life with the same determined zeal that had motivated him to persecute the Church.

In the light of his new experience, he came to understand that the things which he once considered as having great value, no longer had that value. Rather, Paul said that he not only "counted" his former position and possessions as loss, but that he had, in life experience, willingly suffered the loss of these things, that he might gain a heavenly, eternal reward.

He had made a choice between two opposite realms of life experience. The spiritual principle that underlies these two realms of life-experience and the choice that Paul made can be seen through the two trees that were in the center of the Garden of Eden; "the tree of life" and "the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

The "tree of life" speaks of a total dependence upon the Lord. The "tree of knowledge" represents our making choices independent of the Lord.

We recognize the "evil" aspect of the tree of knowledge, but this tree also presented to Adam and Eve that which was good. However, this "good" was apart from their total dependance upon the Lord. There are many things that may appear to be good, but do not relate to the will and purpose of the Lord.

Jesus said that the words which He spoke were "spirit and life." Thus, it is not just sin or evil that the Lord seeks to deal with, but the "good" which we seek, apart from our submission to Him. Any attainment that is apart from the Lord will rob us of His purpose and will for us.

Thus, there is a higher dimension of relationship and communion that the Lord desires to bring His people into, which requires our unconditional submission to Him, as represented in the tree of life. The enemy is quick to point us to that which appears as good, but is apart from our submission to the Lord. He would have us to seek these things on our own, apart from any dependance upon the Lord.

This unconditional submission of our lives to the Lord does not come easy. Paul said that he "suffered" the loss of those things which he had considered as gain. The root of our problem in this area of submission is the "law of self preservation" which powerfully works within each of us. The enemy of our spirituality will quickly appeal to this, by causing us to see that what we want, apart from the Lord, is "good."

This "law of self preservation," if feed from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, will lock us into the temporal earthly realm of life. It is important for us to realize that the natural man will not accept this message of unconditional submission to the Lord. Thus, the only way to victory in this area is the cross. The natural man must be crucified. Paul understood this, for he said,

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave Himself for me" Gal 2:20.

Jesus set forth this overcoming principle in His ministry, when he said,

"... if any man will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:
and whosoever will lose his life for My sake
shall find it.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall
a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt 16:24-26.

When Paul said that he "suffered" the loss of those things which he had considered gain, he was confirming that he had applied these things to death upon the cross. This is a necessary death, but it is always painful. It is not easy to enter this process, but the reward is worth it all.

As Paul began to partake of the reward - a life totally yielded and resting in total dependance upon the Lord, he realized that he had been created for this, and then he cried out for yet more. He expressed his desire for this fulfillment in a prayer that is recorded for our benefit.

"That I may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made conformable unto His
death; if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead.

"Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect: but I follow after, if
that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus" Phil 3:10-12.

In this prayer, Paul said, "That I might know Him."

On the surface, this speaks of information about the Lord. But there is much more; the Lord, as a person, seeks an active, personal relationship with us, and Paul was responding to this desire of the Lord.

Only then will we find the higher satisfaction and fulfillment for which we were created. Only when we are free to choose, and then choose the Lord rather than our own pleasure, will we find the satisfaction we seek.