Discovery Journal

Guest Blogger Kelli F. – June 13, 2011

Scripture:

Philippians 3:7-9 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in [a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Observation:

Paul is saying that what he thought was important (his tribe, his heritage, his abiding of the law and his works) was not at all important; in fact, it was meaningless. He goes on to say that his relationship with Jesus was of such value that everything he had once placed importance on, he now considered worthless. Through this relationship, Paul realized that righteousness could never be accomplished on his own but only through his faith in Christ Jesus.

Application:

Before I became a Christian, my focus was the same as most of my friends, largely centered on what I had, what I could get and how that compared with everyone else. I spent years trying to fill up a God-size hole with “stuff“ but nothing I bought, thought or was blessed with was ever enough. In truth, what I thought was important never brought me any real or lasting happiness. The day I accepted Jesus as my Savior, that God-size hole disappeared. The stuff I had been chasing for years no longer mattered. My greatest possession now is my relationship with Him. His presence makes me complete. In Him, there is nothing I want for or need.

Prayer:

Father God~ I love You. I am so thankful that through Your Son, You did what I could never do; You made me righteous in Your sight. Lord. Show me what is important to You and remove from my life everything that’s not. Show me how to use what You have provided to bring honor and glory to You. Lord, let it never be about me but always about You. In Jesus' name~ Amen.