The Apostle Paul went through a lot of trials. In 2 Corinthians 11 he gives an exposition of the hardships that he endured. I often wonder when I read this if it ever crossed Paul's mind that he made a mistake by forsaking his status amongst the Jews. Here is a man who spent his life working to become a respected Jewish leader describing how he received 40 lashes minus one by the very people who used to laud him. And he received the 40 lashes minus one not just once, but five times. That had to hurt, and I'm sure that  in a fleeting moment the notion did cross his mind, but Paul was obviously determined to follow Christ no matter what, as he was also beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, and chased by Jews, Gentiles, and bandits. Basically, Paul become a bit of an outlaw and was despised by a great deal of the population because of his faith. And after accepting this Jesus guy, nothing seemed to go right for Paul. But the keyword is seemed .

 I imagine Paul  questioning God's purpose and facing his doubts  as waves violently tossed his ship around the sea and as he felt his flesh torn by whips. Paul was one to freely speak his mind and I'm sure that he battled it out with God on a few occasions. I wonder exactly where Paul was and what he was enduring when he wrote Philippians 4:13? Was he in prison or was he being chased? Was he hungry and thirsty or well fed? Cold and naked?  On a ship en route to share the Gospel to masses of people or alone, sun-scorched, and shipwrecked on an island? I'm guessing that whatever circumstances surrounded him while writing it, that he reminded himself of it often. I'm assuming that as he was exposed to death time and time again, that he quoted " I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" to help keep his mind focused on Jesus and not his circumstances.

Here is the thing- there is a pattern in the Bible of God using trials, temptation, and time to prepare people for His purposes. Often in our human nature we want to run  quickly from any trial, but James 1:2-4 instructs us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Romans 5:3-5 further drills in the concept that God uses trials for His glory and our benefit. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Notice there is a process- first we suffer and then we persevere through it. Then  character is built, and that character produces hope.

I don't think that Paul could have or would have written Philippians 3:8 if once he accepted Jesus his life became all comfy and cozy. He probably would have returned to being a sanctimonious religious leader. Like most of us, Paul needed to experience failures so that God might become more and he might become less. In our moments of weakness and need, we turn to God, and in those moments He is glorified and begins the spiritual process of transforming us. Through the spiritual, physical, and emotional hardships that Paul endured, God was able to speak to his heart and Paul was able to gain an eternal perspective that otherwise he would have missed. Paul's lifelong trials were instrumental in God building Paul's character. If Paul had not faced the temptation to desert God that he experienced by being persecuted, if Paul had not repeatedly experienced trials and tribulations, and if results were immediate and Paul didn't have to patiently wait on God and His timing, then Paul would have missed out on the many blessings that arose. Though it seemed like little was working out in Paul's favor, God was using every circumstance  for His glory and to make Paul more like Christ.

Paul could honestly say that nothing compared to Christ and that he considered everything of this world rubbish compared to knowing Jesus. The Greek word that Paul used was (cover your eyes if you're a prude) skubala. Skubala is the English equivalent of the word shit. Paul didn't use a euphemism. Knowing what a great orator he was, I'm certain that was intentional. Did he do it for shock value? I don't think so. I simply think that he chose a vulgar, foul word to make his point very clear.  What was his point? Nothing can stand in comparison to the glory of knowing Christ.  No amount of power, or title, or authority that he gave up competes with the truth that he found in Jesus. No amount of money and no storehouse of possessions could make him consider turning back to his old life. And as he explained in 2 Corinthians 11, not even the most atrocious treatment could make him denounce his Savior. Yeah, I guess when you're that radical for Christ, everything else does kind of look like crap.

Paul begins the book of Philippians by assuring us that the God who has began a good work in us will see it through to completion. Does that mean that we won't struggle to understand God's purpose during tough times? Not at all. Even Jesus cried out from the cross "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).  When trials come, approach them confidently, knowing that you won't always be able to see what God is doing through them, but He has promised that for those who love Him, all things work together for their good (Romans 8:28).