Holidays galore.

As my freshmen year in college is almost halfway done, I sit on my bed trying to unravel the thoughts in my mind. As I sit here unraveling my thoughts and emotions, the more clearly I begin to see. While reading Phillipians 3:7-14 God's faithfulness and truth becomes illuminated in my life. I think of Paul and the continual hardships that he went through for the glory of God. Paul refused to lose sight of what the ultimate goal was for his life. His goal was to bring glory to God, not just an earthly glory, but a heavenly glory as well. In Phillipians 3:7-14 Paul writes to the Phillipians:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

In Philippians chapter 3, Paul warns the Phillipians to beware those who are "mutilators of the flesh." (verse 2). The mutilators of the flesh referred to in verse 2 are Jewish Christians who would teach that salvation is attained by the observance of the Jewish law such as circumcision, the laws of the sabbath, and dietary observance in addition to faith. Paul proceeds to say in verse 3 to put no confidence in the flesh. Paul uses the word flesh here to refer to human credential that one would try to use in order to gain righeousness. Human credential is anything that provides the basis for confidence, belief, or credit. Human credential is also the evidence of authority, status, rights, privledges, etc. Paul argues that if human credential brings righteousness then he has even more reason than many to put his confidence in his credentials. Paul refers to his credentials as being his legitimate birth, his circumcision, being an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, and having extreme zeal for God's law. It's ironic then, even shocking, what Paul says in the verses 7-14. Paul says that whatever was to his profit, he now considers as loss for the sake of Christ. The terms profit and loss are financial terms. Paul is saying that what once benefited him has now hurt him. That's ironic as well because usually one man's loss is another man's gain. But, Paul is saying the exact opposite. The credentials that Paul had gave the deceiving appearance of highlighting his authority and confidence. Also, his credentials falsely acted as a channel to attain righteousness. Paul realized that his credentials, his rights, and status are all a loss compared to knowing Christ. Paul understood the freedom that comes from having a righteousness that comes from faith rather than by credentials or zeal alone. Not only did Paul consider his credentials as loss compared to having a righteousness by faith. But, he considered anything that appeared to prove the basis for confidence, belief, and credit as loss compared to knowing Christ. Paul is not satisfied with solely knowing that Christ came to Earth, died, and rose again. But, Paul receives a revelation from God showing that everything is loss compared to having a personal and intimate relationship with Christ.

Paul does not settle for a life of mediocrity because each day he is driven by the vision of going onward toward heaven. Each and everyday Paul is trying to seek after Christ the way that Christ saught after him (verse 12). Paul cannot settle for mediocrity because he realizes each day that he has only scratched the surface of the intimacy of Christ. Paul's vision is firmly and fully focused on his heavenly reward. Paul realizes that when he finally goes to heaven, he will finally be one with Christ. In verse 14, Paul says that he presses on toward the goal to win the prize, it is to be visualized as an athletic arena. Each runner would fix their eyes upon the point that marked the end of the race, where the winners would receive their prize. The author of the Letter of Aristeas says is best, "life is rightly guided when the pilot knows the goal toward which he must make his way."

Have we lost sight of the goal? Instead of fixing our eyes toward what is ahead are we focusing on what is hundreds of yards short of the finish line?
How do we lost sight of our goal? How do we keep the eternal into perspective more than the temporal?
For me, one thing is, not settling for where we are in our relationship with Christ. Paul says it best, it is reaching out for Christ who has first reached out for us. Are we reaching out for Christ the same way He has reached out for us? Do we pursue an intimate relationship with Christ more than we pursue our earthly credentials?
Doesn't it hurt that when you go out of your way for a person and give your best effort to support them, encourage them, and give to them in return they make very little effort during a time when you may need the support or the encouragement?
The same is of God, doesn't it hurt Him that when we gave his beloved and only Son to us when he has gone the hours, days, and years to draw us closer to him how we have given him a small portion of us. We tend to at times to only give him some of our time and only some portions of our life. Do we really consider all as loss in comparison to having a deeper and intimate relationship with Christ? Instead, are we doing what Paul once did, trying to gain righteousness by our own ephermal credentials?

As I sit here pondering guilt arises in me. I want to live in the fullness of God's will for my life. I want to follow Paul's example each and everyday of my life. Paul did not look at his credentials to be the goal post of his life. Rather, he fixed his life and his ministry toward striving each and every day to have a deep and intimate relationship with Christ until the time came to be embraced by his eternal and heavenly home.