Wednesday, July 29, 2026 — Philippians 3:7-9
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
We all have things that we value. Family, friendships, political loyalties, religious loyalties, gold, jewelry, record and CD collections, books, and baseball card collections, stamps, clothes, cars, and other things — we’ve all lived with these collections and connections to our lives at one time or another, placing a value on them that makes them difficult for us to release. In some ways we’ve grown attached to those things, making them precious to us — priceless even — priceless to the point of believing that we could never and would never set an amount we’d be willing to accept in lieu of letting those things go. But for Paul, it was different. Whatever privileges he had because of his heritage, whatever benefits he received from living in a community that was set apart, whatever he had and considered priceless, he was willing to let go of to embrace this kingdom of heaven hiding within him. Everything — even his racial and ethnic heritage and background as a Jew, he let go of in order to embrace this kingdom of heaven he’d found in his relationship with Jesus Christ.
When we think or talk about things of priceless value to us, we don’t often think of anything so valuable or important that we’d get rid of. Our mind often considers first the things we won’t get rid of. But I’m not certain we’d be willing to let go of everything we have — everything that’s important to us so that we could have it — this kingdom of heaven; to possess it; to keep it forever without fear of ever losing it. And yet, Jesus, Paul, and others of the faith have said that this “Kingdom of heaven” — this invisible place that’s as close as your hand that offers shelter and a shade from the heat of the day — this kingdom of God is so valuable — so crucial for life itself, that it’s worth getting rid of everything. And yet, that is the immeasurable value of the kingdom of heaven once realized. It’s important and valuable enough that a person would and should be willing to give up everything they have to possess it.
- What would it mean for you to give up whatever value your race, gender, privilege, religion, or politics have just to fully live in the kingdom of God?
- What do you currently have that you’re willing to call garbage in order to share in this Kingdom of God as Paul describes it?
Todays Prayer
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to let go of everything I believe to valuable in my life that I may take hold of that which is invisible and priceless — realizing the kingdom of heaven within me that only Christ can reveal.
