THE JOY OF LOSING TO WIN

By: Pastor Flávio Macieira - 2025 | Day 3 of the series "THE JOY MINDSET"

There’s a growing trend in our culture of "decluttering." People empty their closets and garages, following a simple rule: if something no longer brings you joy or serves a purpose, it’s time to let it go. The result, for many, is a surprising feeling of lightness and freedom. By getting rid of the excess, they don't feel like they've lost anything; instead, they feel they've gained space, peace, and clarity. They discover that the accumulation of stuff, which once seemed like a source of security, had actually become a burden.

This physical experience of re-evaluating the worth of things is a faint echo of the radical spiritual decluttering the Apostle Paul invites us to. He had the most impressive résumé a person of his time could want—impeccable lineage, elite education, unquestionable religious zeal. Yet he went through a process of re-evaluating his values that led him to a shocking conclusion. He took all his trophies, all his sources of pride and identity, and put them in the trash.

The third key to the joy mindset is a form of heavenly accounting:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 (NLT)

Let’s be honest about the depth of what he’s saying. Paul isn't discarding worthless things. His reputation, his righteousness under the law, his status—these were gold medals in his culture. They were the profit from a lifetime of striving. And he uses the strongest possible word to describe them now: skubalon in Greek. Garbage. Rubbish. Sewage. Why? Because he had found a treasure of infinite value, and next to that treasure, the gold looked like dust.

The passion that ignites Paul's heart isn't an ascetic disdain for the world; it's an all-consuming adoration for a Person. His joy doesn't come from the act of losing, but from the Person he is gaining. Notice the intimacy in his words: "knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord." This isn't theoretical knowledge; it's a living, breathing, transformative relationship. Paul's joy is the joy of the merchant who finds the pearl of great price and, without hesitation, sells everything he owns to acquire it. The sale isn't the point; the pearl is.

This mindset frees us from the performance treadmill. We spend our lives trying to build a résumé that makes us feel valuable in the eyes of God and others. But the joy of the gospel isn't found in adding "Jesus" as another line item on our list of accomplishments. It's in throwing the whole résumé away to embrace Christ alone. Joy isn't found in being good enough; it's found in belonging to the One who is perfect. It's ceasing to be the hero of your own story and discovering the joy of having a Savior.

How about we take a quick inventory of our own hearts?

Take a piece of paper and draw two columns. In the first, label it "My Profits." List 3-4 things where you find your identity and worth (your career, your role as a parent, your reputation, your financial security). In the second column, label it "Infinite Value." In it, write just one phrase: "Knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Spend a few minutes in prayer, looking at these two columns. Honestly ask God to reorient the accounting of your soul and give you the grace to see Christ as the treasure worth losing everything else for.

To make the value of Christ more real to you, reflect on these questions:

• What "profit" in your life are you most afraid of "losing"? What does that reveal about where your heart truly finds its value?

• Paul uses the strong word "garbage." How does that extreme language challenge the way you value your own achievements and "righteousness"?

• What does it practically mean to "gain Christ" in a decision you have to make this week?

Let's bring this new accounting to God in prayer.

Lord, I confess my accounting is all wrong. I look for my value and my joy in profits that are losses compared to Your glory. I cling to my résumé, my accomplishments, and I call them treasure. Forgive me. Open my eyes to the infinite value of knowing You. May the beauty and worth of Christ Jesus my Lord outshine everything else. Help me empty my hands of all the garbage so that I can joyfully gain You. Amen.

Joy isn't found in having the perfect résumé, but in having the perfect Savior.

Did this message speak to you? ✨

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