In Philippians 3:4–9, Paul unveils the heart of a disciple. Once proud of his pedigree, his many achievements, and religious fervor, he now counts them as loss, not because they were worthless in themselves, but because they could never measure up to the surpassing worth of knowing Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.

Paul writes, “For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Messiah.”

This is no small exchange. Paul relinquishes his identity, his status, and his self-righteousness, not in despair, but in joyful surrender to something greater. He stops striving to be found righteous by religious observance or human credentials, and instead rests in the righteousness that comes by faith.

The challenge for us today is to examine the things we hold as gain — our titles, traditions, successes — and ask whether they draw us closer to Messiah or distract us from Him.

When our worth is rooted in our achievements, we miss the liberating grace found in what Jesus has already done. But when we let go of what had defined us, when we lose to gain, we find the richness of a relationship not earned but freely given (Eph. 2:8-10).

May we, like Paul, be found in Yeshua, pressing on, not because we are perfect, but because we are loved by the One who is, as the Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). 

Maranatha. Shalom.