Reading: Philippians 3:8-11

Be Still And Know:

“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.” // Philippians 3:8-9

Drink Deep From The Well:

The Kingdom of God is upside-down from this world. As believers, we die to ourselves in order to live. We lose everything in order to gain one thing – eternal life in Jesus. The humble are lifted up. The weak are made strong. The poor are made rich. God loves to flip us upside-down so we can live right-side up for Him. Ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, we have had it all wrong. Instead of living for His glory, we live for our own fame. Eve desired to be like God, and her desire led her to disobey Him (Genesis 3:6). Instead of enjoying the gifts God had given, Eve indulged in what could never satisfy her soul. The moment sin entered the world, God began working all of time and history for our redemption. He has never left us. He faithfully pursues His children in this upside-down world to renew our vision of what is right, pure, and everlasting. 

Like Adam and Eve, we, too, have sinned and fallen short of God’s matchless glory. We need the redemption of Jesus Christ to wash over our souls and make us white as snow! Paul knew of his deep need for gospel redemption in his soul. He longed to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection and to share in his sufferings. The resurrection of Christ sets Christianity apart from any other religion. Not only did Jesus die on a cross for us, He also conquered sin and death and rose from the dead. He is alive and He is able to save us. Everything else in this world is loss when compared to Christ. Literally, Paul describes our worldly gain as “rubbish.” (verse 8) Even on our best days, we are not worthy to stand in front of Jesus aside from His blood that flowed from the cross and washed us white as snow.

Elyse Fitzpatrick said in her book Because He Loves Me, “Take yourself to Calvary and stand there until all your good works seem to you as they really are: vile sludge purified only by his cleansing flow.” We must stand in front of the cross and gaze upon its beauty. The cross calls us to trade our rubbish for the immeasurable treasures of Christ. Fix your mind on knowing the “power of his resurrection” and living the gospel each day. It is your hope when everything goes wrong. It is your peace when chaos surrounds you. It is your joy when suffering is around you. The resurrection is meant to be lived out every single day.

Bathe yourself in the crimson flow of the gospel. Let’s trade our trash for His treasure. 

Ask and Apply:

1. How does the resurrection of Jesus affect our everyday life?
2. What rubbish do you hold onto and need to lay at the feet of Jesus? Trade Him your trash for His treasure.

Today I Learned:

Christ traded my trash for His treasure when He died for me on the cross and rose from the dead to give me new life!

Today I Will:

Today I will live knowing that Jesus resurrected from the dead and He resurrects my life, too.

Pray BIG:

Jesus, You are our greatest gain. We trade our rubbish that we cling to for the treasure You freely give us. Today we stand at the foot of the cross in awe of Your love. Thank You, Jesus, for the cross. Amen.