Knowing the Value
- The Narrow Path
- Sep 22, 2023
- 3 min read
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-9, NLT).
A few weekends ago I was helping my Mom babysit my nieces and nephew while their parents had a night out. My nephew, who turned 2 this summer, was playing with a little cash register toy. He pushed a button and the money drawer popped open. Inside were two dollar bills.
He pulled out the money, walked over to me and said, “Here is the money, Aunt Katie.” I smiled as I thought about how upset his sisters, who are 6 and 8, would be that he just simply gave it away. (Of course, I wasn’t going to keep the $2.)
Immediately, the Lord brought to mind a simple, but powerful thought: He gave the money away because he doesn’t understand the value. Knowing the value is all about perspective.
To the 2 year old, the money didn’t mean anything. To his sisters, that $2 is a lot of money! And to me, though I wouldn’t throw it away, the $2 didn’t seem all that valuable because I know it won’t get you very far in the current state of our economy. Ha!
When we take this variable view of the $2 and apply it to the spiritual realm, it draws to mind what Paul says in the book of Philippians about knowing the value of Christ.
Paul writes in chapter 3, verses 7-9: I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.
If we go back to the example I opened with, if someone were to offer my 2 year old nephew the single dollar bills OR a credit card with unlimited credit, there’s a good chance he would still take the dollar bills simply because he doesn’t understand the difference.
If we offer my 6 and 8 year old nieces the same opportunity, they would immediately know to take the credit card! However, neither of them is equipped to properly harness the power of the credit card.
Lastly, if I were given the same opportunity, I would definitely accept the credit card. The difference for me is that, because I have been exposed to and understand the power of a credit card, I would be able to harness that power for good.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to do the very same thing.
When we come to know the infinite value of Jesus we can begin to discard the limited value of everything else in the world. Just as we harness the power of a credit card, we must do the same with our knowledge of Jesus.
The father of lies, the devil, knew Scripture extremely well; however, he used it as a way to manipulate and bring harm. As followers of Jesus, we are called to use the Truth in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord.
Spend some time in Scripture this week, but ask the Lord how He may want you to apply His truth in order to honor, glorify, and share the love of Jesus to others.
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