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“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, ...” NIV
For the past few years, my husband and I have been searching for a new house. Our real estate agent tried to meet our needs. She took us out on several occasions, but each time we walked away empty.
Then one night while I was searching on the internet, I stumbled across the listing for a move-in ready spec house. Under the picture, it stated there was an open house the very next day. Since it seemed to be just what we were looking for, we decided to stop in and check it out.
As we pulled into the drive, I was almost speechless, “I think we found it,” I exclaimed…” With not even a step through the door, my husband said the exact same thing. Once over the threshold, we both stopped in amazement. It was perfect. Colors, décor, and even the layout of the home was exactly what we wanted.
You see, just as the real-estate agent thought that she knew what we wanted – each house came short of our expectation. Well, the enemy thinks he knows what we need also. He throws many things our way. He tricks us into believing that the things of this world will give us pleasure and meet our needs. But God created each of us with a vacuum that only He can fill. We try to fill it with all the things of this world that we think will make us happy, but the truth is, nothing will sustain us until we find Him.
I love what Paul shares with us in Philippians,
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ ...” -9 NIV
How true. Just as Paul was willing to give up everything, he knew that nothing could ever surpass what he found in Christ. In 2 Corinthians, Paul also reminds us,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” NIV
What a freeing feeling that is! To know that once we accept Christ, the old is gone and we become a new creation in Him. The things that were important to us before, will never bring the same satisfaction again.
Just like trying to find the right house, although we searched and searched, we always came up empty. Life is the same. We can spend our entire lives searching for love, for happiness, and for all the things that we think will bring us fulfillment. Only when we understand that the things of this world are a false pretense of what true happiness is, will we be able, to proclaim as Paul, “I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” NIV
What are you searching for? What are you doing/using, to find fulfillment and acceptance in your life? Maybe today is the day to lay it all down, and try Jesus. Take a second to search your soul and ask the Lord Jesus to come in and take residence to fill that empty spot that only He can fill. Let go. Let go and try Jesus; what do you have to lose, but to be like Paul who says, “for whose sake I have lost all things that I may gain Christ!”
Prayer: Dear God, I have tried all the things of this world to satisfy myself. Although they lasted for a time, I always just felt empty inside. Thank you for providing Your Son, Jesus to bring me the peace, the love and the joy I can only find in Him.
Copyright © 2017 Del Bates. Excerpt from Daily Seeds/Seeds of Grace, where you can find this devotional and many more. Used by permission.
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