Daily Bible Verses for 11/28/2016
Bible Verse
Yes, 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 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
Reading Notes
It’s hard not to be caught up with the cares of this world that we live in and not to be consumed with providing for our families and ourselves. However, we must never forget we are children of God and followers of Christ. Jesus is number one, first and always, and we need to keep eternity in mind and remember we are here only briefly. Moreover, the time we spend here on earth won’t compare to the eternity we’ll spend in heaven for those who know Jesus. And that’s what Paul is telling us here, that there is nothing we can ever gain materially that will benefit us in heaven. Not our title, not our money and not our material possessions. Only our knowledge of Jesus and what we do with that knowledge, here and now because of our love for Christ, that will benefit us in eternity. Therefore, we must always take the time to ask ourselves, “what has Jesus called us to do with the time, talents and resources He has blessed us with?” We must remember that all believers will stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ.
Like winners after a race, waiting to receive our reward, we will be judged for what we did with what God gave us. And it’s then that our hearts will truly understand, all we did in this life, not out of our love for others and not out of our love for Jesus was worthless, compared to the excellency of knowing Christ. Moreover, anything that was not done to help others or done for Christ’s sake through the guidance of the Holy Spirit was a waste of time. And that’s what Paul is reminding us here in these passages. Therefore, while there is still time, we are to strive to become one with Jesus, taking on His will for our lives, working hard for His sake, as we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our day to day lives. We should note that the word for knowing used here does not mean just knowing about Jesus, it means to have a close, personal knowledge of Christ gained through a relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior and the study of His Word. In summary, everything we do should be out of love! Love for Jesus, love for God’s word, and love for those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior.