"I don’t 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.”
I like what Paul is sharing, see he has been at the pinnacle of following the law and he has seen Jesus, yet he desires to know more. We need to open our hearts and minds daily to fill up with what the word has for us. The Holy Spirit living in us will open that understanding to His word when we take the time to read it and pray. Paul said that he wanted to posses that perfection of Christ because He has possessed us. We can love Him because He first loved us.
In verses 13-14 it goes on to say, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” None of us has been so bad that we have to look back. Look ahead and believe that Jesus not only loves you but wants to use you for reaching the lost that don't know Him. At the end of this life we all win the prize. The world tries and tells us that we're not good enough but God sent us His one and only Son to say, run with purpose and diligence because there is a price of eternal life through Jesus.
In Luke chapter 9 verse 62 Jesus says, “But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” The excitement of what God has given us should out shine anything we could've ever been stuck in before. We can't let family or friends or our past dictate what we have in our future. Paul lays it out very clear on how we need to direct or focus in verse 20, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.” My prayer is that we all have that eagerness in this area and continue to shine bright for the Lord and remember that we all win when we know and belong to Jesus. Amen