and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Philippians 3:9
We all played hide and seek as kids. Some of us were better at it than others. I wasn’t very good at all because I always wanted to be on the move. I really didn’t like being still. I liked being quiet even less. As a matter of fact, I haven’t changed all that much.
In high school we played a more mature and challenging version of hide and seek called Blackout. All the lights in the building were turned out and the shades were closed, making the entire building dark. One team was sent out and given five minutes to hide. The finders were then released and given 30 minutes to scrounge around in the dark for everyone who was hiding.
But it was a little bit more involved than just finding them. There was a piece of tape on their wrist that you had to remove in order to find and capture them. Some people were very clever and had creative solutions that made removal of the tape very challenging. One friend wore a winter coat and held the end of the sleeve in their clenched fist. This made it doubly hard to capture them.
Paul doesn’t want to play hide and seek with his faith. Just the opposite. He wants to play see and find. He’s not in the business of covering up the fact that Jesus transformed his life. He wants to live a life where everyone, and I mean everyone, can see Christ in his life. But this seeing Jesus is more than just for information. It’s for them to be attracted to Jesus for themselves.
When Paul says that he wants to be found in him, he wants his life to be seen as energized and motivated by Jesus. Paul’s deep desire is for his life to be filled with Christ so that it bubbles over and is visible to others. And just so you know, being found in Christ doesn’t happen by following some list of rules or checklist. You don’t change your eating habits to be found in Christ. You don’t join an organization to be in Christ. You don’t read a book, follow some speaker or spiritual leader in order to be found in Christ either.
The secret to being found in Christ is really very simple, but it’s not natural. It’s not the normal way we do things. We think that we need to do something. We’ve got to sign up. Get in line. Fill out a form. Earn it. Actually, it’s more simple than all that. Here’s how: we need to receive who he is and what he’s done. Period. That’s it. We need to accept the fact that in Christ we are new. A new creature, a new creation[1]. This lets us see our own goodness and what we think are good actions for what they really are. Filthy rags[2].
Paul looked at his life and came to that same conclusion. There was nothing about his background or accomplishments that God would look at and say, “My, that Paul guy certainly is a good guy. He’s someone that’s earned my love.”
As Paul lives his life, his top priority is to please the one who’s loved him with an everlasting love. A love so deep that Jesus was willing to come and die for him. And by living in the shadow of God’s loving grace, Paul’s life was pleasing to God and attractive to others.
When we get ahold of this idea that God loves us, it changes everything. Instead of looking at God like a mean and angry boss, we discover what’s been right in front of us the whole time. We’ve overlooked it. Or just ignored it. And now, we’ll give all we have to get it.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44
Now I don’t know what Paul thought when he woke up each day. I don’t know his daily morning routine. But in my minds eye, I imagine that he doesn’t just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Or that he drifts back to sleep.
I picture Paul as the kind of person who opens his eyes and jumps out of bed every morning. His feet hit the floor and then he falls to his knees in prayer.
Thank you, God, for another day. I want to be with you all day today. I want you to be seen and heard in and through my words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. I want my life to be the kind of life that people look at and say, “He’s got something that I don’t have, and I want it. I need it.”
Can’t you see his life as being very interesting and attractive to the people he runs into? I imagine that people looked at his life and the way he lived and said, “I want what he’s got. I need what he’s got.”
Just for a moment, do you think your life is anything like that? When people see how you accept disappointment, frustration, pain, and failure, what do they see? Is it a life that’s found Jesus? Is it a life that they want to find? Is this the life you need to find?
Noodling Questions
What works best today for when we want to hide from someone?
How do we decide what’s top priority? And how do we keep it there?
Describe your first thoughts when get ready for each new day.
[1] 2 Corinthians 5:15
[2] Isaiah 64:6