Philippians 3 – Pressing on toward the goal
Goals in life are very important. Goals give you direction. Goals help you identify what’s important to you. Goals help you to define what you truly think life is about. Goals also help you to prioritise things.
To achieve anything in this life, you must have a goal and then plan. If you want to travel somewhere on a holiday, you can’t get up one morning and just set out. (Well, you can, but you probably won’t get there.) If you want to holiday in Queensland, you need to think beforehand and plan on how you are going to arrive there. Will it be by plane or by car? If by plane, I need to book the tickets. If by car, I need to ensure the car is road-worthy and have sufficient funds to buy the fuel I need to get there and back.
In Philippians 3, Paul introduces us to the goal of his life. His goal is to arrive in heaven and be with Christ. He did not decide this goal or achieve this goal. It was given to him by Christ himself who intervened in his life on the road to Damascus and changed the direction of his life forever. Paul now wants to stay focused on this goal and not get distracted along the way. He says in verse 20, ‘our citizenship is in heaven’, implying that this is where his focus is, not on ‘earthly things’ as he says in verse 19.
Many in his day were focused on earthly achievements. They included religious rituals; which tribe or family you belonged to; and how well you followed cultural habits and rules. All of these were very important to the people of his day.
We, too, find some of these earthly things important. The achievements of our family; which clubs and organisations we belong to; sporting achievements for ourselves and for our team; the house we own and invest in; and where we live. But these are all earthly things.
Paul says earlier in verse 8 that these earthy goals and achievements pale in comparison with the new goal he has been given by Christ. In fact, he considers them all dung in comparison with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ and being found in him. He says he wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering and becoming like him in his death. Nothing else matters.
Paul is concerned that followers of Christ will be distracted by earthly things and goals. He encourages us in Philippians 3 to be focused on where we are heading so we don’t get distracted along the way.
So let’s take to heart the encouragement of St Paul and keep on pressing toward our heavenly destination, the only goal that really counts.
Pastor Robert Bartholomaeus
Bishop NSW, ACT and LCNZ Districts
This article was originally published in the December edition of Contact, a magazine of the NSW–ACT District.