Lenten Devotional - Tuesday, Mar. 23

Day 30 - Tuesday 

March 23

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.  Philippians 3:7-9

Before he became a follower of Jesus, Paul was a highly regarded religious leader of Israel - a Pharisee. He knew the scriptures, taught them to others, and was respected by the people. All of this he gave up when he gave his life to Christ. Not only was he willing to give up his achievements and respect in the eyes of others, but he considered these things to be "rubbish" (the original Greek word actually means refuse or dung.) Paul considered everything in his life to be rubbish compared to knowing Jesus Christ. The important thing to note here is that Paul is making a comparison. He doesn't mean that we shouldn't consider anything in life important or that we should never try to achieve anything. He is saying that compared to knowing Christ, everything else pales in significance. 

To Do 

Reflect: What are the achievements or possessions in your life that you consider to be valuable? Ask God that your love for Jesus would grow even stronger than your love for these other things.