“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ.” – Philippians 3:8

What is your goal when you read your Bible, or go to church, or start a daily devotion, or join a Bible study? I think many of us would say the goal is to better ourselves. We want to become more and more like Jesus Christ. That is an excellent answer. However, we are always in danger of going about it the wrong way. We often go about it by focusing on ourselves. We want to know more about “me and how I can improve.” The problem with this is that Christianity can quickly become just another self-help program.

Selwyn Hughes said, “In today’s church, we seem more interested in knowing about ourselves than in knowing God. The result of this is increased anxiety, depression, and a hundred other ills.” Focusing on self will always end in disaster, no matter what the activity is. It is true that you hold Scripture up like a mirror to show you who you truly are, and the Bible will convict you of all your sin and show you the right way to live. But this does not happen by focusing on “me.” Our goal should always be to know God. In the process of knowing God better, the change in me will naturally happen. Whenever the goal of our time in Scripture or our time in church is centered on us, we have missed the point. The goal is knowing Christ. Everything else is garbage compared to that.

Heavenly Father, help us to recognize all the little and subtle ways that we make everything about us. Teach us to consider everything else a waste of time compared to deepening our understanding of who You are. We desire for every activity and every moment to be about a deeper intimacy with You.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon