One of the authors of the New Testament writes about his friendship with God. In his letter to the christians in the city of Philippi, Paul shares a startling admission: For much of his life he’d believed that attaining spiritual perfection was the key to happiness. Fortunately at some point in his personal journey, Paul’s whole perspective changed. Listen to him talk about it in Philippians 3:7,8 (NLT): "I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done."
Think about that statement. Paul's referring to his pursuit of religious perfection, but it could equally be applied to a pursuit of wealth, fame, pleasure or power. He’s come to the conclusion that life can’t be defined or measured by ones possessions, or power, or even one’s ability at keeping all the religious rules. All of those things had lost their appeal with this man. Something else now drives him. In verse eight Paul shares what it is: "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ."
For the apostle Paul, connecting with Jesus Christ on a personal level had become the most important experience in his life. It’s where he found his purpose and his passion. In fact, enjoying God had become so important for this founding leader of the early church that he refers to every other endeavor as “garbage” by comparison. How does your relationship with God stack up with all the other priorities in your life?
