What’s In Your Portfolio?

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.   Philippians 3:8

The apostle Paul was saying, “For the sake of Christ, I’ve lost everything in my portfolio, but I don’t care about that now.” Paul was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had studied at the ancient equivalent of Harvard, and he prided himself on living a highly disciplined moral life as a Pharisee. But none of that mattered now.

While he was on a journey to Damascus, the risen Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. A light from heaven flashed around him, and he fell to the ground. He knew he was in the presence of overwhelming power: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5, NIV)

The voice answered, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” (Acts 9:5). God’s presence left Paul in the sand, overwhelmed by his holiness. After assembling an impressive portfolio, all Paul could do was fall prostrate before the risen Lord, whose claims and cause he’d pledged to destroy. He saw Jesus and thought, If that’s righteousness, I’ll never make it.

At that moment, his whole life changed completely. He caught a glimpse of what it would be like to stand in the presence of God on the last day and realized that his life portfolio was filled with the wrong stock.

His position, achievement, and power were of no use to him on the Damascus road, and they’d be of no use to him when he slipped through death into the immediate presence of almighty God. He discovered that what finally matters is not how we do against a system of rules, but how we relate to the person of Jesus Christ.

Thirty years later, Paul looked back on that remarkable day and reflected on his gains and losses, saying, “Let me tell you about my portfolio now. I’ve been disowned by my people. I once had a brilliant career, but I’ve spent the last three decades building tents. I once had the authority to put other people in prison, but now I’m chained like a criminal. All this happened, but I don’t care!”

As you look back on your own life, reflect on your losses and gains. What’s in your portfolio that will matter on the last day?

For further reading, see Acts 9