Just One Thing

From: Michael Youssef Ministries

Philippians 3:13-15 "Just one thing: I give no thought to what is behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are spiritually mature must have this attitude. If you see it another way, God will clarify the difficulty for you." 

When the apostle Paul was in prison, he took the time to evaluate his own life. Before he became a Christian, he was a Pharisee with prestige, power, and wealth. After he began His ministry for Christ, Paul endured frequent attacks, imprisonments, and hunger as he traveled from town to town. Yet because Paul kept his focus on Christ, he found a joy that gave him a heavenly perspective on life and priorities:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:7-8)

As Paul discovered, the things we consider assets in this life can turn out to be our liabilities when they keep us from depending on God. Intelligence, financial security, social network: none of these things will bring us joy—only our relationship with Christ can bring us true and everlasting joy.