Tuesday, May 14 | Philippians 3:12-16 | Alvin Pelton
Paul writes this letter in the middle of the Greco-Roman world and those people were striving for perfection through intellectual and spiritual enlightenment. Our writer had encountered that false teaching before and here he is saying, “I’ve not obtained this perfection and I’m not already perfect.” Even with all his accomplishments he was still striving for a higher goal and he knew flawless perfection could only be found in one place and that was “in Christ and in His righteousness.”
All through our Mountain Brook hills and curves we see runners among us and even in the dead of winter they are faithfully pounding the ground. In the Isthmian games, which were held every two years in Corinth, the runners fixed their eyes on the post marking the end-point of the race and the winner was awarded a crown of dried celery. Paul runs a race also and he says, “…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” In Philippians 2:16 he admonishes us to run for something worthwhile - “…don’t run for nothing.” Run a race that has lasting value and focus all your energy and strain heavenward on a goal that lies ahead…a goal with a heavenly finish and a prize that is imperishable.
While the work of Christ for us may be a perfected work, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is still growing and developing. Paul wants to “catch hold of” and “pull down” all that God has for him and he encourages us to do the same. “Join with others and follow the pattern we give you.”
“Life is rightly guided when the pilot knows the goal toward which he must make his way.” Third-century BC letter by Aristeas
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