I Press On

“Not that I have already obtained all this,

or have already arrived at my goal,

but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Philippians 3:12

 

 

Beware the ‘already obtained’ person.

They may not speak those exact words but their attitude is such that there is an uncomfortable state between you when you are around them.

I am not speaking of the wonderful conviction of the Holy Spirit that can be evident when you rub shoulders with a mature believer in Christ.

Rather, we can sometimes be around others who look down on ‘sinners’ and less mature saints alike as if they alone were responsible for their position in Christ.

It is a dangerous thing to proudly claim for ourselves the work Christ wrought for us.

We received His grace.

 And we continue to grow in that grace.

“…and so let a man examine himself…”

It is a good thing to examine our attitudes toward others.

Do we exude a spiritual pride that dishonors God or is our life a sweet fragrance of humble service to Him and others?

When Paul penned the words above he was certainly not a new believer.

Yet he recognized the inestimable wisdom of God and that he was, and would continue to be, on a journey of growth and maturity.

Have you already arrived or are you still pressing on?