I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. —Philippians 3:8-9
During those years, in my zeal to please God, I had thought only of His holiness and how out of reach it was. Like the apostle Paul, I had come face-to-face with my sinfulness and weakness. Paul was filled with passion for Jesus as a result of seeing the glory of His personality. For the surpassing value of knowing a glorious person, Paul counted all things as rubbish that he might gain a deeper relationship with Jesus.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
God, I don't like having to face my own human weakness, but unless I do, and recognize Your glory, You cannot cause me to be more like You. Show me the things that cause me to be so weak.
When I saw my sin, I was confronted with
my inability to change my heart.