What Really Matters (Philippians 3:2-12)
- Oreon Trickey
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
A Reflection for Thursday, March 13 by Rev. Oreon K. Trickey
Lectionary Reading for 3/13/25 Psalm 27; Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18; Philippians 3:2-12
Selected passage for reflection: Philippians 3:2-12
Read
Philippians 3:2-12 NRSVUE
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.
If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me.
Reflect
What really matters? When it comes to our faith, relationship with Jesus, journey with God, what are the main things, the non-negotiables of our communion with The Divine?
Of course, it depends on who you ask, right?
In a time when credentials, doctrines, politics, and cultural preferences cry out that they are what should define us as “Christians”, we are refreshed and encouraged by Paul’s bold and blunt proclamation that none of these things are the core and center of our faith. And Paul had ALL of the credentials, so he’s in a good position to discount them in favor of knowing Jesus, being found in Him, receiving the holy righteousness that only God can graciously plant in us.
Paul takes it all to an even deeper level here, saying that he wants to know and experience Christ’s sufferings, death, and resurrection. He doesn’t want to merely know about Christ or stay in the realm of positivity and triumph, he wants to be united with Jesus fully and completely.
He then concludes this portion of his letter to Philippians, by humbly stating, “Let me be clear. I’m not there yet. I’m still healing, learning, and growing into what it means to be a child of God and a follower of Jesus. But I’m focused and determined to know Christ as deeply as I can.”
Amen, Paul, we’re with you.
Respond .
Get comfortable and take some deep centering breaths.
Take a few moments to consider what is distracting you from fully knowing and following Jesus. What are those voices in social media, in the news, even in church, that seem to impose on you standards and priorities that you know aren’t core to who you are in Christ and that cause you to feel inadequate, stressed, and fearful?
Do a few breath prayers:
Breathe in God’s love, and breathe out your feelings of inadequacy
Breathe in Jesus’s life, and breathe out your stress
Breathe in the Spirit's presence, and breathe out your fear.
Feel free to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Amen.
Rest
Take a few quiet moments to listen to Audrey Assad sing “Open the Eyes of My Heart”
on your preferred music platform or here:
About the Author
A long-time resident of Chicago, Oreon is a seasoned urban ministry practitioner, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and Enneagram consultant. She currently lives and serves with the Jesus People community in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Oreon plays a mean blues guitar, loves to laugh deeply, and appreciates a serious cup of coffee. @oreont
This reflection is part of a series called Prayerful Reflections: A Daily Devotional for Lent 2025. Join us on the blog each day for a new reflection from a different writer, or download the pdf of the entire devotional by clicking the link.
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