Dilapidated buildings are being removed in communities nearby. These were once large, bustling business locations. Resources were utilized to build them, and an untold amount of effort made them what they were. As I drove past the cleanup yesterday, the Apostle Paul’s words came to mind.

After writing about all the things that could have caused him to have confidence in the flesh, he arrived at this conclusion.

Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.

For Paul, nothing could compare to the value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. The words used in various translations, dung or rubbish, are nicer words than the original one used. The original word literally meant excrement. The intent was not to be crude, but it was a strong comparison intended to make a point. Many cities of old had large, continuously burning waste piles outside of the cities for garbage. Jesus used a similar analogy in his reference to Gehenna.

Compared to the value of knowing Christ and following Him, everything else is excrement. Many things we work so hard to accomplish in this life will end up in a garbage pile, like in the photo of the demolished buildings nearby. Make sure you are spending your time on things that will last. Spend time on your relationship with God, relationships with those you love, and in reaching those who do not yet know Jesus. Don’t waste your days on something that will end up in a pile of rubbish!