This inspires me to work and learn. Paul says, “…he is not perfect but he presses on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” We are not perfect but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to why we mess up, we should press on to be perfect. Studying God’s word and praying for transformation which keeps us from feeling satisfied. We see how Paul says he forgets the past and he looks at what lies ahead. What are we holding onto that keeps us stuck in the same spot? I say give it to God and move on learning to be better and different.
There will never be a day that we can coast in our walk, we must be willing to learn and grow seeking God’s will and living it out. Verse 14 says, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
To me press on doesn’t mean sit back it means keep working actively pursuing Him always. Don’t get caught up in the world, focus on what we have in Christ and focus on our new home. Then continue to build on what we know so we always are moving towards Him.
I want to end with verses 19-20 and I want us to really think about these verses as we read them. “They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only of this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.”
Where are we focused? What is appealing to us? We must know that we are citizens of heaven and we must live a way that shows it. Amen