Philippians 3:8 (NIV) “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…”
There comes a point in life (hopefully) that each of us must face—the reality that knowing Christ is everything. In our younger years we discover our natural talents and spiritual gifts, we engage life with energy, and we run the race with gusto. But when the first trials come our way, we lose a little gusto and learn to pace ourselves. As time goes by, we begin to recognize our weaknesses and fruitless default tendencies. We face losses, disappointments and must find our way through those experiences. All along the way a spiritual dawning becomes brighter and brighter as we begin to discover that knowing Jesus is the highest goal, the wisest endeavor, the pre-eminent truth. Paul realized that his primo education and relational connections and natural strengths were like rubbish when compared with the revelation of Jesus Christ. Have you discovered this, too? We are empty apart from divine life. God fills the empty with Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith (Heb. 12:2).