WHAT KEPT PAUL GOING?
Philippians 3:12-14 NKJ
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
What kept Paul going year after year? What kept Paul going despite the personal pain and trauma he experienced in preaching the gospel? How did Paul not quit when he was persecuted in virtually every city? Was Paul a glutton for punishment or was there something greater driving Paul?
Obviously, I did not know Paul personally. But from his writings, we get glimpses into his character and motivation. Our verses for today are some of the motivation that spurred Paul on despite the suffering he endured. I believe Paul was a mentally and physically tough individual. I also believe Paul had a deep solid relationship with the Lord Jesus. Paul declared himself to be a servant of Christ with no desire to please men. Paul had a strong sense of purpose and mission in life. Jesus spoke to him personally on the road to Damascus and revealed to Paul that he would carry the gospel to the Gentiles.
All of these factors were instrumental in keeping Paul going. And there is one more. Paul had a goal. The goal did not involve more money. Nor did the goal involve fame and notoriety. Paul’s goal was to obtain the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul wanted to experience the reason for God’s calling on his life. He knew God had called him or invited him into a place that was Christlike. There was something available in God’s calling in Christ that kept Paul in the game. The attractiveness of God’s invitation was something that enabled Paul to push beyond the pain and suffering.
And Paul acknowledged that he had not gotten there. He was not perfected. But he was forgetting what was in the past so he could pursue what was in front of him. One of the most difficult obstacles in reaching a goal is looking back. Paul had a life that before Christ did not look good at all. He had believers committed to prison. He destroyed families. He struck fear into the church and opposed the people who loved the Lord. So Paul could not afford to look back at all the problems he caused. Looking back would have severely limited Paul’s ability to move forward. So he had to forget. That has to be a work of God’s grace to not have the faces of those you sent to prison haunting you in the night. Paul did not focus on the past but kept moving forward.
Paul wanted to know Jesus in a more meaningful way. He wanted to approach God’s kingdom as one who had a rightstanding with God totally based on what Jesus had done and not his own efforts. Paul knew that Jesus had touched his life for a reason and he wanted to know the fullness of that reason. That goal, that desire kept Paul going even thought the opposition he faced was fierce.
APPLICATION
What has Jesus called you to? What does the prize of the upward call of God in Christ look like in your life? This is a goal worth pursuing. If the promise of this goal kept Paul moving forward imagine what it can do for you.
PRAYER
Lord, I do want to know what You have called me to. You touched my life on purpose, and I desire to know what that purpose is. I desire the upward call of God on my life in Christ.