June 28
“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.
The apostle Paul is describing the Christian life as being one of continuous struggling. As Christians, like other people, we set up goals for ourselves. Many of the goals deal only with things for this life. We set up goals for our occupation, our career, and our education. Some of our goals are very personal. Other goals involve family, friends, and neighbors.
Reaching some of our goals requires extensive planning and hard work. It is also very expensive to attain certain goals, such as acquiring a certain degree through education, or preparing yourself for a new position at work. To attain certain goals, it is good to follow the philosophy, “Think big and be bold”!
On the other hand, some of our goals may be of little significance, and it might not matter whether or not we continue to pursue to fulfill them or whether we ever attain them.
God has set up a goal for you and me. He wants us to live a God-pleasing life. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior said, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect,” Matthew 5:48. Will we ever reach the point of perfection in this life? Never! But we press on and go forward in our struggle to live the Christian life. With the power of God’s Word, we battle and struggle against our own sinful flesh, against the sinful world in which we live, and against the temptations of the devil.
Led by the Holy Spirit, we have been brought to repentance and faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a gift from God, and the goal or the prize is the promise of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior.
The apostle Paul is speaking of the eternal goal in the glories of heaven. For him, that lay in the future, but he kept his eyes of faith focused on the goal. For us who are still living, the goal of the glories of heaven is also in the future. However, presently, we have eternal life abiding in us by faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote, “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.” The past is past, and we cannot change the past. By faith in Christ, we accept His forgiveness for the past, we trust His promises for the future, and we boldly go forward in faith! We will never live the perfect life on earth, but we go forward living the forgiven life through faith in Christ Jesus.
The eternal goal is not attained by our works or our struggling. Scripture speaks clearly: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any should boast,” Ephesians 2:8-9.
“My walk is heavenward all the way;
Await, my soul, the morrow,
When thou shalt find release for aye
From all thy sin and sorrow.
All worldly pomp, be gone!
To heaven I now press on.
For all the world I would not stay;
My walk is heavenward all the way.” Amen.