What Are You Living For?
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself perfect, but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me.
Image text paraphrased from Philippians 3:13-14
What are you living for?
What is the first thing that comes to your mind?
Bob Dylan hit the nail on the head with his song “Gotta Serve Somebody”.
“You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody”
I am confident that if you were to ask Paul, "What do you live for?" while he was still a Pharisee, he would have said the Law.
In the beginning of Philippians 3, Paul reminds us of the ineffectiveness of relying on our works for spiritual cleanliness. If we did, we would be prone to a prideful and boastful heart. This humbling truth points us to the need for a deeper, more genuine relationship with God.
In fact, if it were works, then Paul would be the most spectacular Christian of our time. He considered himself to be the most Hebrew out of all Hebrews. He diligently kept the Law and zealously sought out those who did not. Yet, Paul now views these things as losses, whereas he once considered them gains. Everything that was once of importance to Paul is now considered rubbish to him, evidence of the transformative power of faith.
For Paul, the true gain was in knowing Jesus. This was not just a mere change in belief, but a profound transformation that brought him joy and fulfilment, a depth of spiritual growth that he could not have found in the Law alone.
Having a relationship with Jesus was more important to Paul than pleasing himself. Paul wanted a deeper relationship with God (Phil 3:10); the one he had before as a Pharisee was governed by the Law and works. It was cold and clinical. Paul was not living for the Law anymore; he was living for Christ.
Philippians 3:12
12 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.
Paul wants us to understand that although he was a great Pharisee, he was imperfect and still is. He still sins and has not overcome his spiritual difficulties. But Paul says, "I press on". To mature spiritually, we should "press on" and fix our eyes on God and our heavenly future.
"Just as a little child is a perfect human being but still is far from perfect in all his development as man, so the true child of God is also perfect in all parts, although not yet perfect in all the stages of his development in faith." George Muller
If you are mature, you will realise you are not. Instead, we realise how much we still need to grow. Paul does not understand everything but is confident in his walk with God. We must put in the effort and run the race (1 Cor 9:24-27). To "press on", we forget what lies behind us and focus on the goal ahead.
Goal is defined as "the object of one's ambition". Our object of ambition must be:
To see God's Kingdom expand
To become more like Jesus
Those who "live as enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil 3:18) have a different goal. Their minds are set on earthly things. God is not their centre; they constantly commit idolatry, making money and fame the centre of their world. Ask yourself, "Is what you are living for worth Christ dying for?"
Paul contrasts an earthly mindset, which seeks temporary pleasure, with a heavenly mindset, which is focused on eternal perspective. The call is clear: Shift your focus from worldly things to your true citizenship in Heaven.
We must be willing to chase after God despite losing what we once thought valuable. Earthly things are pleasurable to the flesh, yet they are temporary and fleeting. We must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. This is considered blessed in God's eyes (Matt 5:6).
Mark 8:34-36
34 Then he (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
What are you living for?
