Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
Pauls uses the analogy of a runner running a race to describe the Christian’s spiritual growth. The believer has not reached their goal of Christlikeness in this life, but like all participates in a race, have determined to give everything they have to finish in a way that will continue their pursuit of it. This is the goal of all of us who are Christians today. We’ve entered in our race when we asked Jesus to forgive us of our sins, and now with the help of the Holy Spirit that is in us, we are being conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Now the race toward Christlikeness begins with a sense of honesty and dissatifaction. Being honest before God our Father is to be in agreement with His Word that our human sinful nature is opposed to His Spirit in us (Galatians 5:17), therefore we must discipline ourselves to not allow our old self, our sinful nature to dominate our thoughts, or our words, and our actions. All these bring opposition to running an effective race for Christ. The dissatisfaction must come from not compromising our purity. Whether in success or in times of suffering, our obedience to the Word of God must be settled, that first, God’s Word must be obeyed, and second, God’s Word must not be compromised by my own interpretation when it comes to holiness and purity of heart. These are both commands from God for every believer. Paul here in our text, used a sprinter, and refers to aggressive , energetic action. Paul pursued sanctification with all his might, straining every spiritual muscle to win the prize (Hebrews 12:1). lay hold…laid hold of me. —“Lay hold” means to make one’s own possession. Christ chose Paul for the ultimate purpose of conforming Paul to His glorious image (Romans 8:29) and that is the very goal Paul pursued. The goal—Christlikeness here and now in this life. Upward call of God—When our race is over, God calls each believer up to heaven and into His presence. The prize—Christlikeness in heaven, which is where we receive the prize which has been an unattainable goal in our earthly life.
Beloved friend, “One thing I do” remember these words in your walk with Christ, forgetting what is behind, important for us because the discouragement from our past failures, but always look ahead to your future in Christ. Press toward your upward call in Christ, remember as I have said before in this blog post, it’s not how we start out in our race that counts, but it is how we finish that is important. Finish well, my faithful friends.
May the Lord bless your walk!
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