“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.” Philippians 3:8

I’ll be honest. When I read that Bible passage it sounds great: I consider everything else rubbish so that I may gain Christ. It’s a great verse to highlight in my Bible. It is a great verse to print onto a memory card. It is a great verse to write a devotion about.

However, it is a challenging, endless, dangerous, scandalous, life-reorienting, transformative, redemptive verse to actually live.

Paul says, I consider everything a loss because of knowing Jesus. I may be willing to give up smoking, or drinking alcohol, or pornography, or lying, or gossiping or other bad habits “for Jesus.” But, do I live as if EVERYTHING is rubbish when compared to Jesus? Am I really willing to lose all things for him?

I lost my iPad two weeks ago. It has been frustrating. My daily habits of reading the Bible, my podcasts, my routines have been disrupted because of it. So I bought a new one yesterday. So let’s be real…am I really willing to lose all things for his sake?

My paycheck, my family, my marriage, my health, my life…my dignity?

Most of us live with one hand open to God, while the other one is desperately clutching onto these idols–that are often good things–with the other hand. However, what if Christ called me to let go of it for his sake? Would I?

G.K. Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”

If you feel like your Christian life is unfulfilled, what if it is not because Christianity is a farce but because there is something else you are holding onto? Living a “God Plus” type of life. God+My Paycheck (with an annual COL raise); God+An Adoring Wife; God+Obedient Children; God+My Physical Health; God+My reputation; God+My sexuality; God+My political preference; God+My favorite Netflix show. What is your God+?

When I read through Philippians 3 and got to the process of creating an action step, I was at a loss. How would you fill in that blank: In order to be willing to lose all things for Jesus my next small step is _____________________.