Wednesday, June 17, 2026 | Into the Wilderness, Week 3

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Philippians 3:7–8, NLT

Devotional Thought

Right before this, Paul lists his résumé, and it’s a good one. Circumcised on the eighth day. Pure-blooded Israelite, tribe of Benjamin. A Pharisee — the elite of the religious world. Zealous. Blameless under the law. If anyone could build an identity on credentials and achievement, it was Paul. He had the pedigree, the performance, and the platform.

And then he does the math on all of it, and look at the word he uses. Worthless. Actually, the word Paul uses is stronger than most translations let on — it’s the word for garbage, refuse, what you scrape off your shoe. He took the entire stack of things he’d built his life and his self-worth on, and he threw it in the trash. Not because those things were evil. Because compared to knowing Christ, they weren’t even in the same universe of value.

This is letting go at the level of identity. Paul isn’t just surrendering an outcome or a possession. He’s surrendering the whole self he constructed — the achiever, the credentialed insider, the man whose worth was measured by his performance. For most of us, that’s the deepest grip there is. We’ll let go of a lot of things before we let go of being the impressive one, the competent one, the one with the track record.

But notice it’s not loss for the sake of loss. Paul isn’t being a martyr. He throws the résumé away to gain Christ — “that I may know him.” It’s a trade, and he’s ecstatic about it, because he’s discovered that all the credential-stacking was actually keeping him from the one thing worth having. You can’t hold a full résumé and Christ at the same time. Your hands only fit one.

So the question for a Wednesday in the wilderness: what’s on your résumé that you’ve quietly made your worth? The career, the role, the reputation, the religious track record? Paul says you don’t have to defend it anymore. You can put it in the trash and pick up something infinitely better. That’s not a downgrade. That’s the best deal anyone ever made.

Going Deeper

Scripture Reading

Philippians 3:7–10, NLT

Historical Context

Paul wrote Philippians from prison, to a church he loved deeply. In chapter 3 he’s warning them against people who insisted Gentile Christians had to take on Jewish religious credentials — circumcision, law-keeping — to be truly accepted. Paul’s response is to put his own credentials on the table first. Nobody could out-credential him. And then he declares the whole pile worthless, dismantling the entire credential-based approach to identity and acceptance before God.

Literary Context

Verses 4–6 are the résumé; verses 7–11 are the accounting that follows. Paul uses the language of profit and loss, like a ledger: what he once counted as “profit” he now counts as “loss.” The progression intensifies — from “worthless” to literal “garbage” (v. 8) — and lands on the goal: “that I may know Christ and experience the power of his resurrection.” Even sharing in Christ’s sufferings is part of the gain. The math only makes sense if Christ is worth more than everything.

Theological Context

This is the gospel’s reordering of identity. The false self builds worth on achievement, pedigree, and performance — exactly the things on Paul’s list. Paul doesn’t reform that self; he renounces it as the basis of his standing, and receives a righteousness “that comes from God” through faith (v. 9) rather than one he earns. Letting go of the résumé isn’t asceticism for its own sake; it clears the hands to grasp Christ. The deepest layer of the false self — being justified by what we accomplish — is precisely what’s surrendered here.

Key Insights

1. Paul had the best résumé in the room — pedigree, performance, religious standing — and called the whole stack garbage compared to Christ.
2. This is surrender at the level of identity, not just possessions or outcomes. He let go of being the impressive one.
3. It’s a trade, not just a loss. He throws the résumé away to gain Christ — and he’s thrilled about the exchange.
4. The deepest grip is being justified by what we achieve. Paul receives a righteousness from God instead of one he earns.

Looking In the Mirror

1. What’s on your résumé that you’ve quietly turned into your worth — the career, the role, the reputation, the religious track record?
2. Paul called it garbage not because it was evil but because it was keeping him from Christ. What good thing might be functioning that way in your life?
3. He made the trade gladly. Does letting go of your credentials feel like loss or gain to you right now — and what does your honest answer reveal about where your worth actually sits?

Guided Prayer

Jesus, I’ve built a résumé too, and I’ve leaned on it more than I’d admit. The things I’ve accomplished, the role I play, the track record I can point to — I’ve made them my worth, my proof that I matter. Paul looked at his and called it garbage next to knowing you. Help me do the same math. Not because any of it is evil, but because it’s been taking up the space in my hands that you’re supposed to fill. So here it is. I’m putting the résumé in the trash and reaching for you instead. Let me know you — that’s the trade, and it’s the best one I’ll ever make. Amen.