I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.
Philippians 3:7 (NLT)
How can you say you love Christ and still hold on to what separates you from Him? Before you knew Him, you probably had everything the world had to offer. Yet, unsatisfied, you were looking for the true happiness and peace that the world could not give you; you were lost and hopeless in a failing world. While your possessions or relationships made you happy, they could not grant you God’s salvation.
This is a reality that Paul understood from the moment he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. For him, he was where he needed to be to please God; he was a Jew, he respected their ceremony, he knew the laws of Moses well. He killed and delivered several of his brothers to prison in the name of the law. Yet he did not know that he too was living far from the grace of God that he could find only in Jesus. When he knew this, he gave up everything to follow Him.
What are you willing to give up to follow Jesus? Are you willing to give up your job or your circle of friends to follow Jesus? This is a question you should ask yourself often. For Paul, the encounter with Christ was far more important than his place among the scribes; his knowledge of the law was worthless in his eyes compared to that of Christ. That is why he chose to consider everything he had as loss. Like Paul, today it is your turn: turn away from what distances you from Christ and draw closer to Him.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
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