Paul is right. I count it all as loss too.

He wrote a letter from prison to his friends in modern day Greece telling them that everything he use to see as valuable he now counts as garbage compared to having a relationship with Jesus Christ and knowing he belongs to him. 

I’m convicted myself and probably most definitely in tears.

Here’s a picture that just formed in my mind:

In our lives do we have a pyramid, say, a scale, or a stacking of the things we value in life? I mean, I think it’s safe to say most of us do. But where is Jesus in the balancing act? Where is the one who surrendered his life so that we could live ours in abundance? 

I think when we hear and receive the gospel we might think “Jesus now gets to sit on top of all my stuff. yay! He’s God so of course, he’s 1st. *Now let me go put it in my Instagram bio*”.... no! He surrendered his life so that we could live ours in abundance. yeah. you already read that. But life in abundance means surrendering. it means giving up to God all the things we’ve carefully considered and placed thoughtfully on our pyramid of value TO God and saying “here. I surrender this to you. this love and need for money, the worlds idea of success, my social media and real appearance to people, the clothes on my back and the food in my stomach, my popularity, intelligence, social status, this need to know the future, or obsession with the past, next to you they fade. because you know what? You’ve given me the greatest gift of all. Yourself. And none these things even come close in value to you. Lord of my life. you are greater than it all. These things mean nothing to me when they sit beside and even under The Most High. All I want is to be with you. I want to do what you do and say what you say, God. This is where I find true and never fading life. In Your Presence.”

Is Jesus 1st? Or is Jesus everything? (put that in the bio!) Is he just along for the ride? Or is he driving? I’ll tell you what, when you sit in shotgun the view is a lot better and the anxiety is so much..gone. So much less to worry about when the peace of Christ is what rules our thoughts. (preaching to myself) let’s go through our pyramids today and see where priorities need to shift. Garbage belongs in the trash. Jesus belongs and IS on the throne. But is he on the throne of your heart? As for me, I count it all as loss compared to knowing Jesus and knowing i belong to him. Forever.

Really truly, if all else fades away, I will not be let down if it is only God who stands among me. I will be lifted up. 

-- Hope Born