“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14 ESV
Reflection: what are your personal goals as a Christian?
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between those who achieve something in life versus those who don’t is the ability to set goals. Of course, to reach any goal, one must typically build a plan and, of course, execute. But it all starts with having a goal. Without it, we just aimlessly drift around with the wind, following whatever comes our way. Setting goals is critical for achieving big things in life, such as education and career, but also important for things like how we manage our health, which includes food, exercise, sleep and so on.
Let’s think of a simple example. We all know the temptations of walking through a grocery store, especially when we are hungry. A lot of things look pretty good, right? And of course, the products in the store has been arranged and presented in a way that there is a chance that you will buy more than you need. Now, if you are very goal focused, you can much easier say no when you meet a “temptation” in the store, as opposed to grabbing whatever looks good at the moment. You can decide whether something fits in your meal plan, budget, even your health goals.
In our focus verses today, we see that Paul talks about a goal, stating “I press on toward the goal”. What goal is he talking about? You might think he was referring to the mission goal he had of bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth. But the goal he was talking about here might surprise you. We have to look back to the previous section, to what we studied yesterday. If you recall, Paul talked about how his focus was to know and “gain” Christ, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Philippians 3:10 ESV. In order words, it was a very personal goal that he had set. To know, to gain, to “die to self”; therefore to be like Christ in as many ways as possible. And Paul realized that this was the ultimate goal, a life long pursuit, as he stated “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”Philippians 3:12 ESV
And as he is looking at his own journey as a follower of Christ, he is also encouraging the believers in Philippi, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” Philippians 3:17 ESV. At first glance, it is interesting that Paul is telling them to imitate him and not Christ, right? But Paul is not saying to “worship” him, but just to pursue maturity as a Christian, like him. To imitate his pursuit of Christ. And he is also warning them that some are following “in name only”, perhaps calling themselves Christians but not willing to pay the price in this world for that commitment “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” Philippians 3:18-19 ESV
So where are you at on this, personally? Do you have goals for your Christian life, so that you can turn down the temptations of the world? To gain the price of God? Let’s remind each other “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21 ESV
