Monday, January 20th

My wife tends to save things. I tend to throw things out. Every now and then when she’s out of the house, I go into cleaning mode. I usually start in the garage, that’s where everything ends up in our house. I begin by going through the clutter of articles and boxes. Then comes the decision-making time. I have to assign a value to everything and then decide what things stay and what things go. Some things will become trash, and others will be kept.

The same thing is true when it comes to spiritual growth, once and a while we should do some cleaning out. We should take inventory and assign a value to the persons, animals or things that have become part of our lives. In our Bible reading today, that is precisely what we find the Apostle Paul doing…putting a “trash” label on anything that didn’t help him grow in his relationship with the Lord. Paul wasn’t concerned with losing material things or even his reputation. His main concern was knowing Christ.
Is there anything in your life that has become a hindrance for your spiritual growth? Maybe it’s time for a spiritual inventory.

Bible reading
Philippians 3:7-14 NLV

But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ. Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ. I want to be as one with Him. I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ. I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death. Then I may be raised up from among the dead.
I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own. No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.

Heavenly Father, help me to take a spiritual inventory of my life. Teach me to prioritize according to your values.