Count all things loss

Philippians 3:7-10 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”

What have you counted loss for Christ’s sake? For Paul he had many things going for him. He had a resume that could not be beat and a lineage that was superb. He could have had tremendous confidence by the world’s standard; however, that was not the fulfilling his needed. When Paul became a Christ-follower he became impassioned with Jesus. He had set out on a life long journey of faith that would consume his entire being. He had found fulfillment in following the “way, the truth, and the life” which is Jesus. Paul’s motivation was shifted from the world’s standards of success of education and upbringing to a Christ-centered, passion-filled pursuit of the Holy.

Paul wrote that all of the things that he once relied on and put his faith in were now considered rubbish to him. The priorities of his life were shifted to something that was beyond himself. For the Christ-follower today we need the same passion-filled pursuit that Paul had. Are we relying on our careers, education and even upbringing to give us a false sense of security? Are you trying to fill the emptiness in your heart with things of this world? The cry of Paul was, “that I may know Him”. That Him was and still is Jesus. Paul wanted to grow more in his relationship with Jesus. He let go of those things that were getting in the way of his growth so that he could gain Christ.

Are we willing to let go of the world’s definition of success and embrace God’s definition? We can never be truly happy chasing after things that we were never meant to have. Let the world be satisfied with its own accomplishments, and let us strive for a better way.

Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Isaiah 39-40 New Testament Philippians 4