Philippians 3:12 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. 13 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, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Paul had just shared the change he had experienced in his life: moving from trusting in his self-righteousness to the righteousness of Christ. He had chosen to follow the humble example of Christ, Who had laid aside all the manifestations of His glory to come and carry out God's plan for man's redemption. If Christ did this, we should be willing to submit ourselves to God's will and see Him work through us in every and any situation. In today's passage he goes on to say that this is not just another self-righteous trip he is bragging about. He had not and would not reach spiritual perfection. It was not that he had grabbed ahold of Christ, but that Christ had grabbed ahold of him. Paul's pursuit was to follow Christ as closely as possible, and he challenged these believers at Philippi (and us) to follow that same path faithfully. No matter what the struggle or situation, keep running together toward Christ and the path will get clearer.
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