Too Busy Climbing the Ladder

My church is currently in the middle of a sermon series focused only on the Scriptures. It’s aptly named, “Sola Scriptura.” The first two weeks have been extremely informative at to how the Bible was inspired, written, and then collected into what we have today. As we’ve been discussing in our small group these ideas the past few weeks, we’ve had some great conversations. One of which involved why we don’t treasure God’s Word as much as we should. I was reminded of that conversation as I worked through this passage in Philippians this week. Too many of us are so wrapped up with who we are as defined by society and less concerned by how we’re defined through Christ.

Paul was the man in his day. I imagine him being a mix between Steve Jobs and Brad Pitt. In any circle of society, he could trump the others in the room. When others pulled out their tired flip phone, he would’ve certainly had an iPhone. When ladies entered the picture, his Pittness would’ve made the other guys look like Bill Gates. No matter where he was, he was better than the people around him, part by birth and part because he wanted to be head of the class. And Paul was very successful in doing so.

But one day it all changed. The ladder he was climbing had nearly reached the top, but then came crashing down. His eyes, rather, his heart, had finally been opened. He realized what was of true value, and he simply didn’t care about the rest. I wish I could be more like that. I still get caught up in the “other” stuff. As we talked in small group, we discovered we didn’t spend as much time with God because we were too busy. Too busy to spend time with the Creator of the universe? Sounds ridiculous to even write that, but it’s reality. Which is why this week’s lesson is focused on getting an upgrade. Our current system is flawed and needs an overhaul. For many of us, the following questions may be difficult to answer:

Whose opinion of you carries the most weight? Why do you make the choices you do? Why is your Bible in the same spot where you put it last week? Why do you only pray at mealtime? Why don’t you talk more openly about your faith?

These are real questions, and the answers aren’t easy. Philippians 3:8 speaks loudly to me this week: “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Spend some time and honestly think through how well you know Jesus and how much you’re willing to do to know Him better. Join me in asking God to show the areas that aren’t important and how to improve the ones that are.