Christ’s Worth
Rubbish doesn’t quite cover it
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More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!—that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8 (NET)
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I know a lot of translations of this verse use rubbish instead of dung.
I think dung gives you a better picture of exactly how valuable — or rather worthless — Paul considered all things to be.
Which leaves a big question for us:
How valuable do I think all things are compared to knowing Christ?
I admit, I’m not at the level where I can consider these things as dung. There are many things I still consider valuable, probably too valuable.
I suppose Paul could be using some hyperbolic language to emphasize his point. But I think he was being serious here. I think he really did have this eternal perspective on everything and it helped drive his life.
How can I gain this perspective?
I wish I had an easy answer.
I suspect the life Paul lived, the ministry that Jesus called him to, the reality of his conversion, all these things probably added to his rather radical viewpoint.
But it didn’t happen overnight. His relationship with Christ grew more and more over the years.
Spiritual growth is almost always gradual, God slowly drawing us higher to Him.
Little by little the things of this world slowly fade away.
One day maybe we can look around and see that the only shining light is Christ.
The greatest beauty of all.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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