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Philippians 3:8 - Knowing God - The Supreme Goal.Philippians 3:8 (NLT) Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.Philippians 3:8 (AMP) I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege - the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth and supreme advantage - of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, of perceiving and recognizing and understanding him more fully and clearly. WORD STUDY To "know" Christ is not simply to have intellectual knowledge about Him. Paul used the Greek verb that means to know "experientially" or "personally" (John 10:27; 17:3; 2 Cor. 4:6; 1 John 5:20). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] INTRODUCTION After Paul considered everything he had accomplished in his life, he said that it was all "a loss" when compared with the greatness of knowing Christ. This is a profound statement about values: a person's relationship with Christ is more important than anything else. To know Christ should be our ultimate goal. Consider your values. Do you place anything above your relationship with Christ? If your priorities are wrong, how will you reorder them? [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL A Surpassing Greatness What is sitting on the throne of your heart right now? What do you consider most important? In other words, what do you spend the majority of your time and energy pursuing? There are a lot of things in life that vie for our attention and affection. Work, relationships, even hobbies and goals. It's not wrong to work hard, love your friends and family, and enjoy some fun moments along the way. Rather, in this text, Paul was encouraging us to consider our heart's priorities and ponder the why behind the what. It's easy to make an idol out of earthly "treasures" - but Paul knew that if these good things sat down and got comfortable on your heart's throne, then your worship would become distorted, and your heart would be led off track. To shift your focus away from earthly idols to the heavenly and holy, consider the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus. Only when you see His unrivaled value can you truly allow Him to claim the throne of your heart. Dear Lord, help me to focus on the right things, that I would gain Christ in my pursuit of You. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] COMMENTARY Knowing God Is What Matters Most You're never going to become a friend of God in your spare time. To become his friend, you have to make knowing him your number one priority. Paul says it like this: "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). Are you doing that? Are you seeking God with all your heart every day? Remember: You are as close to God as you choose to be. You're going to become a friend of God only when you decide you want to become a friend of God. If you feel far from God, guess who moved? You did. You can't blame anyone else. You can't blame your spouse, your parents, or your kids. It's you who didn't make him the number one priority of your life. Knowing and loving God is humanity's greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is our greatest pleasure. I've noticed that you can tell what's important to people by what they brag about. If their kids are most important, they brag about their kids. If their job is the most important thing in their life, they brag about their job. If travel and having experiences is most important, that's what they talk about. If partying or buying new clothes is what you talk about most, guess what you value most? You brag about what you value most. God says in Jeremiah 9:23-24, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth. If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me" (GNT). Knowing God is what matters most - it's what life is all about. The God of the universe loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. And getting close to him will give you peace and perspective. That's good news! [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] CLOSING THOUGHT Real piety begins when all compromise with sin is at an end. Then the language of the heart will be that of the apostle Paul: "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Philippians 3:13, 14, 8. But when the eye is blinded by the love of self, there is only darkness. "If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." It was this fearful darkness that wrapped the Jews in stubborn unbelief, making it impossible for them to appreciate the character and mission of Him who came to save them from their sins. Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness. When we make any reserve we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our vision, so that the eye of faith cannot see God, there will be no barrier against sin. MB 91-92 LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Philippians 3:8 - Knowing God The Supreme Goal. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220807-0730.html Philippians 3:8 - Knowing God Is What Matters Most. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190429-0959.html Philippians 3:8-10 - All is worthless compared to knowing Christ. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080327-1224.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20141106-2224.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |