The most blessed man on Earth

Whether or not anyone would be willing to agree me, I would have to say that I am the most blessed man on the face of the Earth. Am I wealthy? No. Do I have an extensive financial portfolio? No. Do I have fancy cars? No. Am I a model? Definitely not. Do I even live in my own house? No. Yet, I still consider myself to be the most blessed man on Earth.
Now, you may be asking yourself, where is this guy going? Will he now list what he considers to be a blessing in either an attempt to convince me that he thinks he's blessed or even worse, in an attempt to actually convince himself? Actually, neither option is correct. I'm not going to give you a short list. Why? Because frankly, the Lord could take absolutely everything and everybody that I know and love away from me and I would still stand by my statement. Why? Because I know what can be called a secret...
How counter-cultural is that last statement? Unfortunately, quite. But see, my blessing lies in that which isn't directly seen, but by that which can be directly manifested in my life. This means that you might not be able physically see what or where my blessing lies, but you should be able to discern it from the type of life I strive to live.
"I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need" (Philippians 4:12, NRSV). What kind of verse is this? It's either a bit of pure enlightenment from the Holy Spirit or the basis of a baseless best-seller, thanks so much, Oprah.
First, the Greek that is being used here "to have little" is more along the lines of being humbled. Even more emphatically stated, Paul knew what it was like to humiliated. So, this statement made by Paul is more a statement of humility than of material want. How ironic is that? Those of us who live in America live in the most affluent and possibly materialistic country on earth. Due to this fact, our views of statements like Phil. 4:12 tend to lean towards the materialistic. That aside, regardless of culture, few people strive to be humbled. If there is any one thing that people seek to avoid, it is being humbled. Yet, in all honesty, one of the most cathartic and growth-inspiring events in our lives can be those that have caused us to be humbled or humiliated.
Second, Paul speaks of also knowing what it is like to have and have plenty. This seems to be the part of the verse that most people want to identify with. When we seek to be blessed, we usually pray not only for provision but for bounty. If only..., I'll be happy seems to be our mantra. Is this why our Christian bookstores are bursting at the seams with books that will show us how to be blessed, how to live our best life now or how to learn kingdom principles. As if these things are the true "secret" that Paul was speaking about in Phil. 4:12.
Taking this one step further, what exactly is this secret that Paul mentions here? Secret, here, really means to be initiated into mysteries. This is Paul's metaphor for understanding something that few either seek or get the opportunity to encounter. The most interesting part of this verse is that the "secret" of verse 12 isn't so secret.
Paul reveals the identity of the secret earlier in Philippians, in chapter 3. "More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8a, NRSV). This means that everything that Paul had done, as great as it was, wasn't enough. Everything that he had owned wasn't enough. All of that paled in comparison to the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. This is the secret to being blessed. In fact, it is the secret, period.
I believe that I am the most blessed man on the face of the earth because I have had the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ. Ironically, it is this wonderful relationship that has caused me to be at times humbled, humiliated but at other times lauded and given credit for things or statements that frankly, don't entirely belong to me. "Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ" (Phil. 3:7, NRSV).
Pursuing the things of this earth can't bring true blessing. Trying to pursue happiness can't bring true blessing. Not even having the love of a faithful spouse or healthy children can bring true blessing. While all of these things are wonderful and make life more enjoyable, all of them fall short of providing that one true answer to the ultimate question of "what's this life for?"
So then, the secret of life, the source of all blessings is knowing Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life. It's as simple and as difficult as that. It's free and it's costly all at the same time. It requires no activation fee, yet it will cost you everything that you formerly held as dear. yet, if you were to try to reject it, you would ultimately find yourself drowning in a sea of sorrows.
Being the most blessed man on earth isn't about reciting a mantra or some manifestation of self-actualization or even the power of positive thinking. It is about finding the indescribable joy of knowing that Jesus is Lord. He has changed priorities, taken away stresses and given me my raison d'etre. This is the true nature of blessing. It's not material wealth or accumulation thereof. It's not in prestige or power. The true nature of blessing is found in losing yourself in the one true source. The rest of my life, that "pursuit of happiness" falls short in comparison. My life isn't the be all, end all. It's only here for a short time anyway. My true source of blessing isn't found in me, anyway. I surely am not happy being consumed by self and I am not truly blessed by focusing on "me, first".
If you find yourself living a life of "if only" or if you have been attempting to find yourself in the identity of another, I urge you to make a change. I'm not saying that having a great marriage isn't a worthy goal. I am saying that it's not enough. I'm not saying that raising healthy and happy kids isn't worthy, it's just simply not enough. The true SECRET to being the most BLESSED PERSON ON EARTH lies in knowing JESUS CHRIST as the LORD of your LIFE. I urge you to make that your top priority today.