"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ."
Philippians 3:8
NLT
You know the story. You know, the one that comes on a certain channel around Christmas where a boy from the city gets stuck in some small town and meets a girl from said town. They hate each other until they miraculously fall in love and solve each other's deep emotional issues. The boy then gives up everything he has ever wanted to be with the girl in the small town and they live happily ever after! Why does the boy give up everything? Because the girl is worth it! We all have a love/hate relationship with the romance stories, because while they sound nice, they aren’t very realistic.So why do we love them? I think that deep down, they touch on a longing our hearts were created with the need to fill. We were made to love so deeply and so completely, that nothing and no one else could ever compare, and no sacrifice would be too big to experience that love. However, no romantic relationship can fill this need. No created person would ever be enough to fulfill this desire we were created with. So what, or rather who, can? Philippians 3:8 tells us:
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
The answer is Jesus. Jesus is who our hearts we ultimately created to love above all else. Jesus is worth all of our desire, all of our affection, all of our devotion, all of our sacrifice, all of our efforts, all of our everything! This verse tells us that everything else is worthless compared to knowing Jesus! It might as well be garbage! How are we to achieve this kind of love for Jesus? I know that the inclination of my heart is not always to love Jesus above all things. The good news is, that God’s love for us is not dependent on our love for him. Romans 5:8 says.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God loved us so much, that He gave everything up first. When we were His enemies… When we hated Him… When we didn’t want Him, He left His home, gave up His comfort, endured the pain and agony of death on a cross, gave up His life, and raised Himself from the dead because He loved us first! He gave it all so that we could know Him! Now, we just follow Him. Why? Because He is worth it.
My Prayer For You
Father, I thank you for loving us first. Even when we didn’t want you, or even know that we need you, you gave it all for us. Help us to love you! Reveal to us your infinite worth, and give us joy as we pursue you above all other things. Amen
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