PhilippiansSample

This is, in my opinion, one of the most simple and beautiful pictures in all of scripture that gets to the heart of what our faith is all about. Paul is an accomplished leader, church planter, and wrote a good portion of the New Testament—he was considered a spiritual giant. He came from an incredible heritage, he had all the religious pedigree (Pharisee actually means “The Separated Ones” because of their level of commitment), and he was the most passionate in his zeal of keeping the law.

But something happened. He actually met Jesus (you can read more about this in Acts 9:1-9). And from that moment forward, everything changed. The accomplishments, status, and family lineage that used to mean everything didn’t mean so much anymore. The greek word for “garbage” in this passage that he refers to is actually translated as excrement. There’s not much stronger language for how he actually felt about those things!

Paul writes this passage of scripture from a prison cell, approximately 30 years after this conversion experience. During that 30 years, he had experienced much heartache, pain, persecution, prison, and near death experiences. Life wasn’t easy for Paul. But even after all of that experience, he sums up the new mission and legacy of his life in verse 10 when he says, “I want to know Christ...” Not in his head, but his heart. Not in a surface way, but in an intimate way. Not just for a season, but for a lifetime.

Life can feel very complicated sometimes, and often feels like you have to be a professional plate spinner to make it all happen...family commitments, hobbies, health, scheduling all the busy demands of life, marriage, kids, church, making sure you’re successful in your career or education, personal development, friendships and family relationships, and somehow trying to enjoy life and have fun in the middle of it all. I am so challenged by these words of Paul because they cut through ALL of that to give us the highest goal, priority, and most fulfilling goal of our lives with the most simple language: “I want to know Christ...” That’s it. That’s the ultimate goal. If anything else gets in the way or out of priority (as it so easily does), these words are a true north for our lives.

Prayer points:

• Ask God to show you any areas of your life where things may be out of priority or where you’ve lost sight of the true purpose of life.
• Ask God to help you re-prioritize him in those areas.
• Ask God for new passion in your relationship with Him. Ask Him to show you ways to know Him better.