Pegged

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. ⏤ Philippians 3:7-8a

The value of an art piece is determined at auction. What will someone pay for it today? Currencies can be valued at auction or pegged to a standard, like gold. Paul judged the value of everything by the standard of knowing Jesus, which is eternal life. By comparison, his basket of achievements, qualifications, merits, and possessions was a loss. Garbage. Dung.

Meeting The Moment

There's a tension in ministry. On the one hand, we need to communicate God's message in ways the world can understand. On the other hand, we must resist conforming to the world. We should always feel this tension. It's not helpful to seek a 'sweet spot' on some godly-worldly scale. Instead, we should imagine what it looks like to be a holy, distinct, worshiping, Jesus-like community in our corner of the world, in our moment. Not in some abstract location. Not in the first century. Not in the 1600s. Not in the 1950s. Here, today.

Shaken, Not Stirred

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. — 1 Timothy 2:3-4

What is so good? Paul says, peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness (v2). Too often, depictions of God are designed to make us cower, to shake. These only reinforce a natural response to God's greatness. But the Father's words to us are, "Do not be afraid." He would rather that we be stirred by his goodness and love, that we would know reality and experience peace and quiet in his presence.