Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of May 15, 2022

Weekly reading: Philippians 3; Exodus 33-36; Psalm 115-116
passages referenced: philippians 3:7-8

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 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. – Philippians 3:7-8

Think about the things you currently value. How much do you value each of the things that came to mind? One way to measure the amount of value you place on something is to consider how you would respond if this item was taken away or you could no longer experience this thing. In Philippians 3:7, Paul gives us an inside look at how his values had shifted. He shares his resume, and it is quite impressive by worldly standards. But Paul wants us to know that anything the world has to offer pales in comparison to a relationship with Christ where you actually know Him because of the time you have spent with Him. You might be thinking, “how can I actually spend time with Jesus as He is in heaven currently with his Father?” Every person who has placed their faith in Jesus’ saving work has been given access via God’s spirit, more commonly referred to as the Holy Spirit. God’s spirit is with us wherever we are; however, when we focus our hearts and minds on Christ through prayer, reading the Bible, or just thinking about Jesus, we are actually spending time with Him.

In our fast-paced, information-overloaded culture, it can be challenging to take the time to focus on Jesus and get to know Him better. As I was re-reading these verses to write this devotional, I was encouraged and challenged by Paul’s conclusion: “everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” I know this is the right perspective to hold, but I so easily let other things take the place of my pursuit of getting to know Jesus better. That’s one of the many reasons we need to continually be reading God’s Word, so we can have our current ways of going about life tested by the values and truths set forth in the Bible.

So how about you? Have you allowed things in your life to push aside your walk with God? One way to quickly assess if this has happened is to ask yourself these questions:

• How much time do I set aside in a week to focus on getting to know Jesus better?
• When I have free time, what are my typical go-to options – TV, recreation, social media, friends, extra time with God, etc.? (This one is very convicting for me personally!)
• What would make it hard for me to scale back on or stop doing to create more time for my relationship with God?

If you are feeling challenged or convicted, that’s God’s spirit working in you. God’s desire for every follower of Christ is not just to claim allegiance but actually get to know Him just as you would a good friend. Good news, you can hit the reset button today and start shifting your focus and time to invest more in what matters most: knowing Christ Jesus! – Scott Nieveen