Philippians 3:4-8 (NIV) If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 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.
The apostle Paul was the epitome of a good Hebrew. He had been born a member of God’s chosen people and had rigorously followed God’s law. But when Paul came to Christ, he realized that everything that he had been living for was taking him in the wrong direction. For that reason, he counted everything else in his life – his reputation, his achievements, his pursuits, his possessions – worthless, so that his sole pursuit would be knowing and serving Christ Jesus.
Do you, like Paul, place Christ above everything else in your life? If you are not sure, ask yourself the following questions: How do you spend your time? What dominates your thoughts? Where are your priorities? What motivates you? If the most important thing in your life is Christ Jesus, then your life will revolve around getting to know him more and more (2 Peter 3:18). You will want to spend time learning about His nature, His will, and His purposes. In short, you will quit trying to get God to get in line with your will and instead start getting your will in line with God’s. And then you will truly be able to say that you have discovered the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.