We could compare Christ to a grand piano. A person could have a grand piano in his house for fifty years and not be able to play one composition on it. With a good teacher and several hours of practice each day he could become a fairly proficient performer before many years had passed.

So it is with Christ, We can make a profession of Christ for fifty years and still remain unchanged in personality. With the help of our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, we can become a conquering saint, a prophet of God, if we give ourselves wholly to the things of Christ.

Paul turned away from all competing interests and affections, goals and ambitions, and devoted himself to coming to know the fullness of the Glory of Christ. As a result, Paul was changed into the image of Christ. Paul's Epistles have borne an incalculable amount of fruit over the face of the whole world since the first century.

Truly, there is a reward for seeking the Lord!

We can agree with Paul that his temporal desires and ambition, prevented by his circumstances during his lifetime, indeed were rubbish in comparison with the spiritual fruit that has been borne as the direct result of his Epistles. We need to stop and realize that this also is true of each of us. Who will be able to measure the fruit of our own life if we give ourselves wholly to gaining Christ?

In what state did Paul desire to be found?

Paul wanted to be found in Christ and Christ in him. Paul wanted to have God's approval on himself and his actions such that God viewed him as a righteous person.

Paul did not want one drop of God's approval to result from his keeping any aspect of the Law of Moses. He wanted God's approval to result from the fact that he had become an eternally inseparable part of the Lord Jesus. Paul wanted Christ's own righteousness to be his righteousness. Paul desired to have a faith and trust that Christ's righteousness had become his own righteousness apart from the observance of any part of the Law.

To be continued.