Read

Philippians 3:7-11English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Reflect

• As you read this passage, what stands out to you?
• What did Paul count as his greatest treasure?
• How did this affect his willingness to suffer?

Apply

Get real with yourself today. What are your “anything’s?” Those things in your life that are most important and you are terrified to lose or let go? (See Project One in Week 5 of the study guide if you need help getting started.) Now, ask yourself, what if they were gone? Would God still be enough? Spend some time not dwelling in fear (because His perfect love casts out fear – 1 John 4:18) but in prayerful surrender and faith. Ask God to give you the courage to pray “anything,” and take one step toward that surrender. What does that look like in your life?

Study Help

As you read the Word and come across words that seem important in the text or are speaking to your current circumstances or with which you are unfamiliar, take this opportunity to go deeper in your studies. Look up the words for added clarification/meaning. Many Bibles will have dictionaries in the back for certain key words, as well as other places in scripture where the word is used. BibleHub (http://biblehub.com/) is good place to go to look up the original Greek and Hebrew word and its meaning, but I find something as simple as the Merriam-Webster dictionary (I have the free app on my phone) helpful!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6 ESV

Study

Choose one or two favorite verses from our study to examine further. Write out the verse, and then highlight or underline key words. Look them up in a dictionary, and write down the definitions. What new truth or added clarity do you discover? How does this help you apply the verse to your life?

Here’s what mine looked like:

 

In Part 2 of our Scripture Study this week, we will come back to this verse and illustrate how to do some Verse Mapping!