About two weekends ago, I went on a retreat with other women and we attended some inspiring speeches on personal leadership. We learned to motivate ourselves from within, see ourselves with different paradigms, have a balance with work-life. There were some inspiring speeches. Some motivational. Some thought provoking. Although all these were great motivators and speeches to lead from within, they are short lived. Now what do I mean by that? They are for the here and now. Focused to as far as we can see with our eyes. These goals are alive as long as we are. They are buried with us when we die. They do not carry forward to the next generation or generations to come with a grand vision. In that sense, they are quite limited in scope and potential. Unless, we learn, as Paul did, and raise our vision to something beyond what we see. Now that is the kind of faith that is expected of us as mature believers in Christ. How do we set goals as mature believers? Paul explains very clearly in Philippians 3 on what mature Christian goal setting looks like. So, let’s dig into that passage and glean from Paul’s wisdom.
Paul, as most of us know, used to be called ‘Saul’. He was a zealous Pharisee (teacher of law) who had a very influential position in the synagogue. He was actively involved in the killing of the early believers of Christ and personally witnessed the stoning of one of Jesus’ disciples, Stephen. Paul was zealous about what he did and thought he was doing the right thing, by fiercely guarding the laws from the Jewish faith and cleansing it by getting rid of these Jesus ‘fanatics’ by approving of large-scale massacres where Jesus’ disciples were tortured and killed. Saul had an encounter with Jesus when he was on the way to one of his killing missions. He came to his senses and his life turned around completely. Saul was no longer going about with pride and arrogance, inciting people to kill Jesus’ disciples. He became a humble disciple of Jesus and went around evangelizing about the Gospel! Imagine the many people he would have had to face whose loved ones he had killed during his pre-Jesus’ encounter days. Saul got a new name: Paul. Paul wrote many books of the Bible that largely constitute the New Testament.
The Bible records that Paul was ‘perfect’ according to the world’s standards: he had the highest level of education, was an Israelite (according to the Bible, these were a chosen people by God), he was a devout Pharisee (teacher of the law) and perfectly blameless and pure according to the law. In other words, he kept all the commandments in the Old Testament and was a ‘good man’. Paul says in Philippians 3: 7-9: But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ- the righteousness from God based on faith.”
Paul says that everything that he had previously considered a gain- a great education, an influential position, royal blue blood etc were a loss because of Christ!! Why a loss, you may ask? Paul was implying that these were shortsighted. Imagine focusing on something that has such a short-term value that in light of eternity, it is worthless. An encounter with Jesus had raised Paul’s personal vision and mission to a goal that was far greater than his limited human vision could see before he knew Christ. Jesus had expanded his vision. Jesus had given him a purpose that far exceeded his personal mission.
Paul not only was willing to give up the things he held close, those goals that were short lived. But he also considered them filth!! As offensive. As wasting away. Paul recognized that he was not going to take his education with him after his death. He was not going to take his mission of ‘doing a good cause’ with him after his death. His ‘being a good person’ was also short lived. It lasted as long as he was alive. A high education, being a good person, doing a good act- are things the world talks about and regards highly. Paul says these strong words about them: I consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ.
So, what is wrong with these goals that the world chases after? In verses 18 and 19, we learn more about these things: they are focused on earthly things. Paul says in verse 18 that many professed Christians live as enemies of the cross of Christ- by pursuing after these short-lived pleasures.
Hebrews chapters 11 and 12, go into great detail about the various stories of heroes of faith that lived lives with goals that were beyond what they could see. Hebrews 11:39 says, “All these were approved for their faith, but they did not receive what was promised”
Here were people who endured much, suffered, gave up short-lived pleasures, persevered, left behind luxuries, chose to suffer…Their focus was “concerning things to come” (Hebrews 11:20)
In Hebrews 12:1-2, we read what is expected of us as mature believers in Christ: Therefore, since we also have such a large crowd of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.
There are a few instructions that Paul gives us that can help us to raise our focus:
- Observe, learn, look and emanate the witnesses we have before us- heroes of faith from Hebrews 11, for example. Emanate the life of Jesus.
- Lay aside: every weight and sin that ensnares. Lay aside your focus on things that are earthly and short-lived. Those distract you from the higher vision that God has for you.
- Run with endurance: run even when it is hard. Even when it hurts. Even with suffering. Even with pain. Endure. Persevere.
- Keep your eyes on Jesus: our focus ought not to be on the things and worries in this world that we lose sight of our eternal calling in Christ Jesus. Ask Jesus to raise your sight upward.
- Know HIM!! It is a great goal to know Jesus. Who was He? What was He like? How did He live? What did He do during His time on earth? How did He use His time? Jesus lived His life with purpose. He prepared for 30 years for a 3-year mission that was to have eternal impact. Jesus was crucified when He was about 33. But the Gospel lives on even thousands of years later and continues to powerful impact many lives. The Bible is a timeless treasure guide with lessons for life. Dig into it. Spend time seeking wisdom that is timeless and powerful.
- Know the POWER of His resurrection: What is the power of resurrection like? In Philippians 3:21 we read, “He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.” Everything on earth and in Heaven is subjected to Christ’s power. Even death. Nothing is exempted. In Christ, you have so much more than the eye can see.
- Know the fellowship of His sufferings: Jesus knew very clearly that He would suffer but that His dying on the cross was for eternal value- so that we all may gain! His death was so that we would be set free from the bondage of physical death and live for eternity with Him. He saves us not just from the power of death but from the power of sin. Now that brings hope- for we KNOW that our suffering is not in vain. Yes, we go through suffering. But it is short lived in light of eternity. It is short lived in light of the eternal value it will have. It is temporary.
When we focus on earthly things, we become like those that focus on them. We are limited in our focus, limited in the goals we set, we limit the power of God from working in us and doing His complete work in us. We essentially sit at the driver’s seat of our own lives and do not allow God to nudge us and redirect us when we are distracted so we can continue to keep our focus on Him.
It is my earnest desire that we learn from God’s Word to raise our vision and to live beyond what the world does.
In the words of Johnathan Edwards, a well-known theologian, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs”. So, everything I do and see has eternal value.
Prayer
Father I see that far too often I am so focused on the here and now that I lose sight of the eternity before me. Help me see beyond my earthly mission and vision. Raise my focus upward. Help me to really KNOW You Jesus, to KNOW the power of Your resurrection, to KNOW the fellowship of Your suffering, to consider the witnesses of faith around me and to run this race with endurance with Christ as my goal.
I ask this in Your precious Name, Jesus, amen.
Bible Passage:
My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s Heavenly call I Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way…For I have told you, and now saw again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:10-15, 18-20)