Grab Hold of God!

Achieving goals and reaching high levels of accomplishment in our lives is very gratifying. We may have felt or still feel the need to strive against a set of odds to make sure our lives have significance and long-lasting meaning. Looking inwardly, we should discover ways that we seek to make our lives meaningful in this present climate of uncertainty, discord, and dissatisfaction. As we search our souls, let's consider this question: "How can we be sure that our lives have importance and long-term meaning from God's point of view?"

Do the things that give us meaning align with what God determines as meaningful? One online search for what is most meaningful in people's lives lists happiness, working at a great job, attending a great school, being independently wealthy, having great personal relationships, and achieving great personal accomplishments as some of its' top entries. These online results have a measure of importance in most of our lives, but the things that are meaningful according to the Bible, God's inspired word, will produce humility, contentment, unity, inclusivity, unselfish generosity, and joy as their byproducts.

How would you rank making every effort to know Christ and to live in Christ's unconditional love and spiritual capacity on your personal top ten list of meaningful pursuits in your life? Not just when challenging things happen in our lives, but as an indicator of our life having the greatest meaning overall?

Read Philippians 3:4b-14 in the Bible. Paul writes this letter while he is in prison to the followers of Jesus the Christ living in the city of Philippi. As you read it, note what is most important to Paul who was a prisoner because of his belief in Jesus and his desire to preach about his belief to others.

Then, after reading this passage, list out what makes your life meaningful in the light of Paul's list of what is meaningful in his life as he wrote this part of his letter.