Count It All Loss
“But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.” — Philippians 3:7-9 BSB
If we were asked, ‘What is the highest priority for a Christian?’ most of us would confidently answer, ‘God.’ But how often do we truly live as if everything else is loss compared to knowing Him?
I love Paul’s message throughout this passage in Philippians. It’s a powerful look at religion versus relationship. Before the verses above, he says he was deeply steeped in the law, born and raised as a Pharisee, blameless and righteous according to the law. Yet when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was totally set free from the bondage and weight of a life of measuring up. What he thought was his duty and relationship with God was really a burden he alone was carrying—there was no rest in rule-keeping. He expressed this loudly in Galatians 5:1 when he said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!”
There are so many weighty and burdensome things in our lives that we place above our relationship with the Lord. Often, it’s about our desire to stay in control, refusing to let Him truly be God in us. You know—the King and His Kingdom kind of life! In Paul’s case, he even put the religious practice above his relationship with God. He thought he was walking with and in the presence of God, yet all the while he was working against that very thing.
This is the heart of the religion-versus-relationship problem. When your relationship with the Lord is your priority, it transforms your life from the inside out. But when religion, rule-keeping, and being good enough become the focus, they weigh you down. They leave you spiritually broken and empty.
Please don’t misunderstand me—there’s nothing wrong with learning, knowing, and living out God’s Word. In fact, I’d highly recommend it! The problem comes when anything—even good things—takes priority over our relationship with the Father. As Solomon cautioned in Proverbs 25:16, “If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it will make you sick.” When this happens, the things become idols and ultimately leave us spiritually destitute and disconnected or out of joint with the Father. Many times, I’ve taken God’s Word and tried to control Him with it. That’s like trying to operate the Kingdom without the King. I’m not too sure I ought to be the one in charge—are you?
If we are completely honest with ourselves, what is it that we have as a series of priorities that are above and before our relationship with the Lord? Is it our family, then career? Maybe our stuff or money. Could it even be a hobby or something we do in life that we believe is really our identity in the world? No matter what it is, it is all, as Paul said, to be counted as dung that we may KNOW Christ. There is a very profound truth in Matthew 6:33, which teaches us that all the other STUFF (the things we fixate on and tend to idolize) is added to us in our pursuit of Him.
When everything, and I do mean everything, becomes secondary to our pursuit of intimacy with Him, we truly find the place of contentment. It is the place of true peace and prosperity that our souls long for. It is the King of Kings ruling well within His creation that brings a fulfillment of promise and power to our lives. It changes the dynamic of all the other things according to His gift and goodness in us.
As you consider this, ask yourself: What “gains” in my life need to be counted as loss? Have good things—even spiritual habits, relationships, career, money, stuff, or even hobbies—taken the place of simply knowing Jesus? Let’s invite Him to reorder our hearts, making Him our true priority.
May we find the courage to count all things loss, so that Christ alone remains our greatest treasure. For it is in our relentless pursuit of Him that all things are added to us, and not the other way around!
In the passionate pursuit of His Kingdom,
Pastor Jason
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