Daily Devo
Was it a Loss or a Gain?
By: Kim Garrett
Friday, May 16, 2025
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... Philippians 3:8
What is dear to your heart? What stirs you up so much you will abruptly interrupt the mundane and redirect your thoughts? Paul had a passion for God, and it burned inside him intensely. No one recognized the flickering embers of Paul's past in his current words. His passion was only present tense, and it was always perched on the tip of his tongue. Paul constantly looked for opportunities to express his passion about God, and he didn't waste words on trivial matters. In a crowd, he was quick to throw out words about God. Paul took a bold stand for what he valued most: Jesus Christ. Paul's passion is evident in his letter to the church in Philippi, as he describes everything in his "pre-Jesus" life as garbage. Paul's attitude for Christ was “all in”, and it permeates his writings.
You and I might struggle with using Paul's approach… In Western culture, we tend to focus on potential losses instead of gains. In fact, we may even go to great lengths to protect what we consider to be ours. If Paul were here today, he'd strongly urge us to shift our focus upward. He'd probably even challenge us by saying; "Earthly loss is heavenly gain."
We also tend to minimize anything that doesn’t advance our personal agenda or fulfill our desires. After all, we've worked hard for our possessions, haven't we? Possessions aren't all bad, but from Paul's perspective, having too much "stuff" can easily take our eyes off Jesus. Paul's opinion about this concept of more is clear: know Christ more, love Christ more, proclaim Christ more! That singular mindset fueled and directed Paul's footsteps. For Paul, gaining Christ meant possessing the mind and attitude of Christ. Anything short of that was settling for less. That's why Paul boldly labeled anything that took his gaze off Jesus as garbage!
Here's a few questions we must ask ourselves if we want our relationship with God to grow.
- What is the main thing I'm passionate about?
- What do I spend most of my time thinking about?
- Is my relationship with Jesus of utmost importance?
- Does anything my life come between me and Jesus?
- Is my personal agenda aligned with God's kingdom agenda?
When we value our relationship with Christ above everything else, anything we lose by following Him is a gain!
Read: 1 John 2:3-4, 1 John 5:20, John 17:3