Drop…Anything that takes you away from Christ

There are quite a few definitions for this word. However, for the purpose of this post, the definition used means to release, let go of as well as discard, get rid of, and forsake, relinquish. This may seem like a daunting challenge. In speaking of his lineage, education, etc., Paul says that he counts everything as loss except for knowing Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8 – “ ⁽⁷⁾I once thought these things were valuable, but now consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. ⁽⁸⁾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.”

We have so much distracting us from the cause of Christ these days. I am surely a fan of social media for the good that can be accomplished through its use. However, staying focused for the purpose of bringing others to Christ is challenging none-the-less. Dropping anything that doesn’t draw yourself and others closer to Christ is certainly a work in process. It does require that you become very aware of what this looks like in your life. What can it look like? Too busy to pray, too busy to answer the call of helping your neighbor, too busy to read the Word just in case God has a word for you to share with another, and any number of other things that pop us to distract from the call of Christ on our lives.

God is so in the intricate details of our lives. He knows our hearts and seeks to have our hearts given to Him and not the things of this world. Not dismissing any noble causes for the poor and needy or those treated unjustly. Just a reminder that we don’t get so caught up that we lose sight of the real and true focus of Christ. If so, we need to drop those things. He asks us to drop things that have become idols in our lives, the frivolity and busyness that prevents us from being the vessel to be used for God’s glory and purpose.

Matthew 16:25 – “If you try to hang onto your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Drop in this case is a verb, a call to action. What do you need to drop for the cause of Christ? The expectation that this is an immediate process is unrealistic. However, it is a process of searching your heart with the knowledge and truth of God’s Word. It is believing God’s Word and praying for whatever is necessary to bring you to the place that Christ is your focus albeit deliverance, healing, understanding, acceptance or whatever defines your specific details.