Philippians 3:12-4:1

Choose Joy
Part 8

Paul here is addressing the church about sprirtual maturity.

The Pursuit of Maturity

Paul is saying that maturity is a pursuit - like a sprinter racing towards their goal. With every fibre of his being Paul is determined to find the goal of fully knowing Christ. He ever looks forward, trusting in Christ and what He has done.

Be careful - Paul is not straining to achieve! He is straining to take full advantage of what has already been achieved for him. Christ gives us the opportunity to know him and grow to be more like Him, and so we should strive to take that opportunity and work at being more like Jesus. We are already saved without working, but we are called for the kingdom's sake to move ever closer to Christ.

It's easy to look back, to see how far we have come. But that will not move us further forward! Only turning, repenting of the past and looking forward to trust in Jesus' righteousness alone will bring us closer to Him.

Determined to be Discipled

Verse 17 is so clear in this - we must follow those who are striving to Christ. We work as a team. Keep looking around you for those Christians in your church who are living like Paul. Find those and learn and grow in their footsteps.

If you determine to be discipled, nothing will stand in your way. The impact on the church and community if even half of us determined to be discipled would be massive! And remember not to just be a consumer - you too can be the one to disciple and mentor another Christian, leading them as you move together towards Christ-like maturity.

Live looking forward

We are defined by the cross. And as such we are no longer citizens of this world. We are not bound by the consumerism and destruction in this world. Our heavenly citizenship means that we eagerly await our saviour to come and lift us through the destruction to our place beside Him with our Father.

The way to escape the charms and temptations of today is to live looking forward to that day, eyes fixed on Christ and His glory. That is not to say we ignore those around us who need Jesus in their life - but as we move forward to Him, we can pick them up and lead them alongside us. Guide their gaze to Christ so that they might escape the destruction their life will bring.