A powerful statement by Paul exists in 3:7-11. According to Paul everything else in life is like garbage compared to knowing Christ. In the context of the time, Paul is referring to a place outside the city where all the garbage and refuse was dumped. It was a stench! Paul says that everything in life, when compared to Christ, is like this…rubbish and a stench. Paul is willing to lose everything for Christ and he did. He eventually would give up his own life for the faith.
I wonder how we compare in our value of Christ. For Paul it surpassed everything else. To know Christ and the power of his resurrection AND the sharing of his suffering was what Paul wanted more than anything else.
Verse 12-16 he recognizes that he has not attained but is pressing on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. It is like a race for Paul and all his time and energy are going into winning this race. Everything that gets in the way of following Christ is set aside, everything that he needs to follow Christ he holds onto.
This is a daily routine for all of us if we are to be like Christ—of the same mind as chapter two tells us to be. Daily we have to examine what we do and say and determine if it helps us press toward being more like Jesus or if it is getting in the way. Oh that we had a well developed olfactory sense so that we could “smell” what is getting in the way like we smell garbage!