Week 11: The Cost of Following Jesus
In today’s reading, Paul says that everything he once thought was important, he now considers a loss compared to the joy of knowing Jesus. All the things that used to define him (his achievements, his reputation, his comfort) didn’t hold the same weight anymore. Why? Because knowing Jesus changed everything.
Paul’s words gently invite us to reflect: Are there things in my life that quietly pull my heart away from Jesus? We all have them. But this passage isn’t about guilt, it’s about perspective. It’s a reminder that the more we come to know Jesus, the more we realize just how worthy He is. He’s not asking us to give things up to be cruel; He’s inviting us into something better: into deeper joy, deeper freedom, and a love that lasts.
Read Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Reflection:
What does it look like to truly value Christ above all worldly things?
Why is knowing Jesus more valuable than anything else?