Habits of a Thankful HeartSample

Reorienting Your Priorities

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8)

We suffer disappointment when we can’t get something we think we need. And while that is natural, it’s also an opportunity for us to ask: “What am I really living for?" 

How we answer this question shows our true priorities. Most Christians will say that they are living for Christ. But if we honestly examine our hearts we may find that, while Christ is part of our lives, we are actually living for something else. Tim Keller defines an idol as any good thing that has become an ultimate thing—when we take something other than God and make it our reason for being. If the prospect of losing that thing fills you with anger or anxiety, you may be guilty of idolatry.

Philippians 3:7-11 is the heart of the letter and the key to Paul’s entire ministry. Paul knows that even if everything else is taken away from him—liberty, health, life itself—nothing can take away what Christ has done for him. And nothing in the world can compare with what Jesus has given Paul. This knowledge has penetrated the apostle to his core and fills him with joy.

The Christian life is about getting to the point where we can echo Paul’s words: everything else is nothing, compared with knowing Christ. When Jesus is truly the center of our lives, all other desires take second place.

Reflect: Is something that you want more real to you than the love of Jesus Christ?