What Makes Life Weighty

Daily Reflection: Philippians 3:7 — 12/13/2023

"But whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." — Philippians 3:7

In the fifth chapter of Daniel, lived a foolish king named Belshazzar. One day, he threw a party and, like an insecure child, desired to show off to his friends. He commanded that the sacred vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought so they could get drunk using them. It was a way of puffing himself up while mocking the Jewish exiles and their God.

No sooner did the glasses touch their lips than a finger appeared and began writing on a wall:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

While the definitions of all the words were important for Belshazzar, the word TEKEL is one that we all must heed. It means, "you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting" (Daniel 5:27).

This means Belshazzar, with all his pomposity, could not measure up. His life was vapor-like, insubstantial. This would have been a surprising discovery for everyone in the palace that day. After all, it was his palace; he was the king, the ruler, the one in charge of the most powerful nation on earth at that time. If anyone had a life of worth, it would have been him. But, TEKEL.

This should remind us that the common human valuation system is deeply flawed. As God said to Samuel when he was looking to anoint one of David’s statuesque brothers as king, “The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Since the Lord looks at the heart, it is there that we must become people of worth, not the stuff we place on our resume.

The apostle Paul, a man who had an impressive curriculum vitae, discovered this truth. When he met Jesus and began walking with him, he began to see that knowing Christ and being a recipient of his life mattered more than all his accomplishments.

This was the discovery he made when he wrote, “Whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”

What were those gains? A wonderful reputation. Status. Privilege. Roman Citizenship. Jewish Heritage. When stacked on the scale opposite Christ, all of those much-desired things go up. Paul realized this and saw that wisdom lay in clinging to the Savior who was reaching out for him. It was then and there that his life became substantial. The same can be true of us.

Father, in the beginning, human beings were lifeless forms lying in the dust. Then you came and breathed into them your breath of life, and they were animated. So now, we still look to you to be our Life, our Substance, our Glory. By your Spirit, enable us to see the emptiness of our worldly pursuits and help us discover that Christ is our lives. That way, we can live to the praise and glory of your Name. Amen.

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