Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — Philippians 3:4b–14
Devotional Thought
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
Philippians 3:7, New Living Translation (NLT)
Paul had a résumé most people in his world would have envied, and he spells it out. Born into the right family, from the tribe of Benjamin. Circumcised on the eighth day, exactly as the religious law required. Trained as a Pharisee, one of the strictest religious groups of his time. So zealous he hunted down the first Christians. And by the standard of keeping the law, he says, he was without fault.
Then he writes, “I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
A verse later he uses a rougher word. The NLT translates it “garbage,” and that’s the polite version.
Paul didn’t stop caring about doing right. What changed is that he met Jesus, and he found out that everything on that list had been an attempt to prove he belonged to God. Jesus had already settled that.
A résumé is useful when you’re applying for a job. Carry it into the rest of your life and it wears you out. When you need your record to prove you’re worth something, a small correction feels like an attack. A coworker’s promotion feels like a verdict on you. Even your prayers start sounding like a performance review.
Paul put the list down, and he kept working. Look at the end of the passage. He’s running, straining, pressing toward the finish line. He’s running because, in his words, Christ Jesus “first possessed me,” and he wants to know Jesus better. The place is already his.
You can do good work today without needing it to prove anything. Own the mistake before anyone finds it. Help somebody who can’t pay you back. The place you keep trying to earn is already yours.
Going Deeper
Scripture Reading
Philippians 3:4b–14, New Living Translation (NLT)
Historical Context
Paul writes from custody to the Christians in Philippi. Some teachers were telling non-Jewish believers they had to take on Jewish religious markers, especially circumcision, to truly belong to God. Paul answers with his own credentials, which were better than theirs, to show that even the best record can’t take the place of knowing Jesus.
Literary Context
The passage reads like an accounting ledger. Paul lists his assets (4–6), moves all of them to the loss column (7–8), then describes a new kind of standing with God that comes through faith (9–11). He finishes with a runner leaning toward the finish line (12–14). It’s personal testimony, told so a whole community can see itself in it.
Theological Context
Righteousness, in Paul’s letters, means being in the right with God. Paul says it can’t be built out of our own record. It comes “through faith in Christ,” as a gift (v. 9). That doesn’t make him passive. Because Jesus has taken hold of him, he keeps moving toward Jesus. The Wesleyan tradition has always paid special attention to that second half. Grace is where the Christian life starts, and grace is what keeps it going.
Key Insights
Even Paul’s record couldn’t do what Jesus did.
Once you stop needing to prove your worth, somebody else’s success stops feeling like your loss.
Grace is how Paul got started, and it’s also what kept him running.
Looking In the Mirror
Which accomplishment do you quietly reach for when you need to feel like you belong?
When did someone else’s success last feel like a verdict on you?
What good thing could you do today if you didn’t need anyone to notice?
Guided Prayer
Jesus, you know the list I carry and how often I reach for it. Thank you for taking hold of me before I had anything to show you. Loosen my grip on praise, on comparing myself to other people, and on the fear of being ordinary. Give me the nerve to admit when I’m wrong and keep moving toward you. I want to do today’s work for you, not for the applause. Amen.