I found myself in a very familiar place this AM in Philippians 3:12-15
“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. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. 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. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” (Philippians 3:12–15 ESV)
- We continue to press on – literally ‘pursue’ this
- This is our work to take hold of what God has worked in Jesus
- We strain forward – literally ‘stretch forward’ like a runner for the finish
- The goal is God himself – finding all our satisfaction, purpose, identity, worship in Him
- This is maturity – we need to be speaking to our own selves that this is truth, resist the enemy and to this. Confirm this word in our lives (Deut 27:26; James 1:22-25)
As I prayed thru this verse, and iChatted with my wife (Hey, I’m a multi-tasker…)- she encouraged my soul, as the good, Godly woman that she is with Zechariah 2:5 where God promises Israel that he himself will be their wall of protection – as the Piper post she forwarded me said –
And it gets better. Inside that fiery wall of protection he says, “And I will be the glory in her midst.” God is never content to give us the protection of his fire; he will give us pleasure of his presence.
God gives us strength and endurance, but he also gives us HIMSELF in Jesus. This is the end of it all – the true worship of our Creator with our entire lives. May we all have strength and maturity to pursue that today, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus!
Mike Ruel 