A Heart Health Assessment

This morning I woke up thinking about Paul's statement in Philippians 3, where he is talking about how he considers everything else so much garbage compared to Christ Jesus, and how he essentially left all that behind.

Here are the verses - Philippians 3:7-16 NIV:

[7] "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] 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 [9] 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 on the basis of faith. [10] I want to know Christ---yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

[12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

[15] "All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. [16] Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

The reason this has been bouncing around in my mind and heart lately, is that the Lord asked the question as to whether or not I would be willing to leave everything for the sake of Him?  The question actually is meant to be considered on many levels.  Where I have been focused lately is around things that I have come to enjoy, things that I prefer, things that I consider part of who I am.  The question is whether there is anything I don't want to release or lose, given the invitation from the Lord to do so?  If there is, then I have a case of idolatry in my heart, for I am worshipping that thing, that idea or way of being more than I am worshipping Christ Jesus. 

I don't have a strong sense that the Lord is going to ask me to lose all things, but that He is asking me to conduct a heart health assessment.  What is in my heart?  What do I treasure?  Have those treasures become a sort of idol? 

Good questions, and deep questions.

I know my desire, deep down, is to be able to say what Paul said, but I think the reality is that I can't, at this point.  I am living out verse 15 at present, where I think the Lord is making clear to me things that need to change.  Notice, its always an invitation to greater intimacy, to deeper relationship, to greater participation in the things of God.  My deep heart says yes!  My flesh, not so much!

Lord, I pray that You will help me to see those things that are limiting my hearts response to you.  Help me to put things in their proper place, that You might the only exalted and worshipped person in my life!  I pray that one day I will be able to say that which Paul said in these few encouraging verses, that I might live up to what I have already attained in Christ Jesus.

Amen!