I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
The life of the apostle Paul was not straight-forward by any stretch of the imagination and he endured a lot of physical pain as he shared the truth of the gospel. Even so, his confession was this: “I have suffered the loss of all things… in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (v8,9). Paul acknowledged that he was far from perfect, but also that he would not stop striving toward the perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus. In order to achieve that, he would not let his mind dwell on all the things that had happened in the past. Instead, he would ‘strain forward to what lies ahead.’
Paul was explaining all this to the Philippians because not everyone in the church was as focused on the kingdom to come. Some remained seduced by the pleasures of the here and now, all of which were (and are) fruitless pursuits.
As mature Christians, we need to see beyond the lure of temporary satisfaction. We will never be immune to temptation, but in understanding what it is – a tool of the devil – we will be less inclined to pursue it. The difficulty comes when we are tempted with ‘good’ things. This is why discernment is so important, because the devil will try to tempt us to pursue things that appear to be good but are, in fact, not part of God’s will and plan for us. In letting the Holy Spirit guide our feet, we will find the right path which keeps us moving forward in Him.
Ask yourself, ‘what am I pursuing?’ Then, let the Spirit show you what is right for you. It is probably not going to be just one thing, but whatever the answer is, bring it before God and ask Him to confirm His will.
‘For if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.’ (v15)
God has called you for His good purpose. Pursue His calling and press on toward the goal of the perfect righteousness of Christ.
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