The Most Valuable Thing in Life

Transcript:

Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What is the most important thing in your life? What is the one thing that you possess that would bring you the most sorrow if lost? If you were forced to give up everything in your life except one thing, what would it be? Think hard. What would you say?

For the Apostle Paul there was no question. It was “knowing Christ.” Being in relationship with Jesus mattered more to him than anything else. Listen to what he says of himself in Philippians 3:7-8: 

But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ…

Paul considered knowing Jesus Christ not merely a necessity, though it is, but also the most desirable of all pursuits. Why wouldn’t this be the case? Jesus is the fullness of God come to us for our good—for our salvation (Colossians 2:9-10). In Jesus are hidden all the riches of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Jesus is all the goodness of heaven poured out for us and on us.

Can you say with the Apostle Paul that knowing Christ is the most valuable, the most desirable thing in life? If not, perhaps, you need to take another look at Jesus?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

~Philippians 3:4-11 (NASB)