Something new to help me... ** Reach for the prize!

Philippians 3: 12-14 

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul has declared that his one desire was to know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.

Then he says that he is not there yet…

Think about this for a moment; this man had been a missionary to much of Asia Minor… suffered beatings… shipwrecks… was stoned and left for dead…

He was chased out of town after town…

And He planted many, churches… yet he said he tells us that he had not attained it!

You see, this life is a continual process of moving in that direction, but perfection will only be reached in His (Christ’s) presence.

Paul is telling us in these verses that he presses on… he presses forward… to grasp that for which Christ Jesus took hold of him, to put Christ’s own character in him by an increasing revelation of Himself.

During Paul’s earthly ministry he continually pushed forward… in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

And he told us that he did that by forgetting the past and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

We can picture this in our mind as a prize just out of reach… or as a runner who sees the finish line and gives it their all, to successfully reach their goal… their entire focus is fixed on the goal.

And the prize at the end of the race is Christ, and knowing Him intimately!

We know but a drop in an bucket…

We see but a reflection on distorted glass.

Oh, the longing to see Him… to see our Lord Jesus Christ face to face!

If we don't have this longing to know Christ in all His fullness… we are missing a key ingredient and motivation for pressing on in the Lord.

Jesus is more beautiful than any of us can possibly imagine.

His love is more excellent than can be told.

Is this the Christ you serve, or have you settled for duty?

Do you run because you should… or because you are in love?

Are you running to Him, or to some other goal that doesn't come close in comparison?

He is the prize that is worth giving up all else for.

So, what is the prize that should spur us on?

There are many, but I’ll give you three…

1. To standing before the Father and hear… "Well Done!"

2. To having your life reviewed without any sense of regret or shame…

3. The joy, that we will have the first moment you see Jesus!

Let’s run to Him let’s reach for the prize!