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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Knowing God Is What Matters Most

In review of Philippians 3:8 it reminds me that, “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” (NLT).

Today's verse from Paul says, 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.

I need to value my relationship with Christ as more important than anything else. To know Christ should be my ultimate goal. I know him better by; (1) studying the life of Christ in the Gospels. See how Christ lived and responded to people. (2) studying all the New Testament references to Christ. (3) Letting the Holy Spirit remind me of Christ's word as I worship and pray. (4) Take up Christ's mission to preach the gospel and learn from his sufferings. To do this means making major changes in my thinking and in my lifestyle. Am I willing to change my values in order to know Christ better? Will I fix or rearrange my crowded schedule in order to set aside a few minutes each day for prayer and Bible study? Will I change some of my plans, goals and desires in order to confirm with what I learn about Christ? Whatever I must change or give up, having Christ and becoming one with him will be more than worth the sacrifice.

I’ll never become a friend of God in my spare time. I have to make knowing God my number one priority in life.

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).

I’m as close to God as I choose to be. I’m going to become a friend of God when I want to become a friend of God.

I can’t blame anybody else. I’m as close to God as I want to be. And if I feel far from God, it was me who moved, not him. I didn’t make him the number one priority of my life.

Knowing and loving God is my greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is my greatest pleasure.

I 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. In my own life, I will brag about what I 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).

This is what life is all about. Knowing God is what matters most. The God of the universe loves me and wants to have a relationship with me. Getting close to God will give me peace and perspective.

Bottom Line:
Knowing Christ is the most important thing in life.

What this means to me:
My goal should be to know Christ and learn from him on how I should I should live my life.

In summary, I can consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake it is worth losing all things. I need to value my relationship with Christ as more important than anything else. To know Chris should be my ultimate goal. To do so means making major changes in my thinking and in my lifestyle. I make knowing God my number one priority in my life. I must remember, that I'm as close to God as I choose to be. Knowing Christ is what life is all about. The God of the universe loves and wants to have a relationship with me.

Today’s study is a great reminder of the highest priority of my life, getting to know and have a relationship with God and Jesus. Second to this is loving those around me. I pray this morning Father for reminders throughout the day of how you desire to have a close relationship with me. I also ask you for wisdom and guidance as I go about handling my tasks, leading my team and interacting with others. This I pray through your Son Jesus name, amen.

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