"CHRISTLIKENESS: UNRESERVED DEVOTION"

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Philippians 3:8

What is the most important thing to you? Is it your family? Or is it your name? Is it your legacy? Or is it your relationship with Christ?

The Bible presents God as a jealous God—not in the sense that He desires something that belongs to others, but He demands something that rightfully belongs to Him. He does not want to be an “add-on” to our lives, like how some of us squeeze an hour or two every Sunday on our busy schedules fulfill our religious duties.

Paul understood this truth and therefore made a firm decision to make Jesus the top priority of his life. His dedication to the Lord led him to leave his family, religion, and reputation behind and follow Christ unreservedly.

In today’s verse, Paul reiterates his statement of counting his past achievements as insignificant compared to his walk with the Lord. The word “knowing” does not mean knowledge about Christ or an intellectual understanding of who He is. 

It’s one thing to know Auston Matthews as a hockey fan, but to know him as a close friend or family is different. Likewise, having mere historical information about Christ isn’t enough. To know Him is to have a personal relationship with Him that leads to a life-long devotion and faithful, loving obedience.

Not only does Paul consider his past loss, but he also counts it as rubbish. This may sound casual to a 21st-century reader like you and me, but to a person who lived in Paul’s time, the use of the word “rubbish” is very strong and graphic. The word comes from the Greek “skubalon”, which is used only here in the entire New Testament and refers to excrement. To use “garbage” to translate the original Greek word is an understatement.

Cities from two thousand years ago had a large, ever-burning pile of waste beyond the community where waste, filth, and garbage were thrown away. Extra-biblical sources say that the word is almost exclusively used for feces. That’s how strong Paul's language is, and by implication, that’s how he regarded his human achievements and relationships when compared to his privilege of knowing Jesus Christ.

Paul is the epitome of someone who lived out the Lord’s command:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

Our God is a jealous God; He will never take second place, and rightfully so. It’s saddening to see self-proclaimed Christians who take their relationship with God for granted, thinking of Him as no more than a genie who grants their wishes. Jesus is God, the Creator, and Sustainer of the universe. He demands absolute obedience, undivided worship, and faithful service. Anything less is utterly unacceptable to Him. Paul knew this. I hope we do, too.

Pursue the Saviour today!