Philippians 3:13, 14 - JESUS - The Clear Objective!
Philippians 3:13, 14 (NLT) No, dear brothers
and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but
I am focusing all my energies on this one
thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to
what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the
race and receive the prize for which God, through
Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
Philippians 3:13, 14 (CWR) I certainly don't
consider myself as having reached perfection.
However, this one thing I do: I forget the things of
the past and press toward the goal to win the
heavenly prize God is calling me to receive through
Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION
Our most important goal should be getting to
know Christ better. Paul says that his goal is to
know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all
Christ has in mind for him. This goal absorbs all
Paul's energy. This is a helpful example for us. We
should not let anything take our eyes off our
goal--knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an
athlete in training, we must lay aside everything
harmful and forsake anything that may distract us
from being effective Christians. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Off and Running
Are you satisfied with where you are in
your spiritual growth?
We need to remember that the good is
often the enemy of the best.
For example, some people give up after
theyve tried to lose weight and get in shape. They
think, Im already overweight. I might as well
be more overweight. They stop exercising and
trying to control their food intake. They say,
Just forget it. Theres nothing I can do.
We can have the same attitude toward
spiritual growth. We might tell ourselves that were
not as spiritual as we ought to be, but there
are a lot of people who are even worse than we
are.
Even so, do we really want that as our
standard of measure? Why not say, I want to grow
even more?
The apostle Paul summed it up perfectly
when he wrote, I dont mean to say that I
have already achieved these things or that I have
already reached perfection. But I press on to
possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first
possessed me (Philippians 3:12 NLT).
Or, as The Message puts it, Im not
saying that I have this all together, that I have
it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out
for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out
for me Ive got my eye on the goal, where
God is beckoning us onward"to Jesus. Im off
and running, and Im not turning back
(verses 12"14).
We want to make Jesus Christ our focus -
not a person, not a pastor, and not a church.
The Bible tells us, For no one can lay any
foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus
Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT).
Jesus is the only foundation that will
sustain us as Christians. So lets build our lives
on Jesus Christ. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
The Scriptures plainly show that the work of
sanctification is progressive. When in conversion the
sinner finds peace with God through the blood of
the atonement, the Christian life has but just
begun. Now he is to "go on unto perfection;" to
grow up "unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ." Says the apostle Paul: "This one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13, 14. And Peter sets before us the steps
by which Bible sanctification is to be
attained: "Giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity If ye do these things,
ye shall never fall." 2 Peter 1:5-10. {GC
470.1}
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Philippians 3:13, 14 - JESUS - The Clear
Objective!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220504-0906.html
Philippians 3:13, 14 - Is It a Wing or a
Weight?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220503-0915.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
