Being intentional in life about what you are pursuing

Bible Verse(s):

Philippians 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

"if you aiim at nothing, you will hit it everytime." — Author Unknown

Who you become and where you end up in life is determined by what you pursue. Notice in this passage, the Apostle Paul establishes for us the highest priority when it comes to our pursuits in life. He says, “I press on toward the goal for THE PRIZE of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

His aim in life is a prize which he identifies as the ‘upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Today, I want you to understand something about life. He helps us see this in the passage.

First of all, the Apostle Paul acknowledges that he is not perfect, but he is pressing forward in the face of his imperfection. We can pursue perfection understanding that imperfection doesn’t disqualify us. So rather than judging whether or not we are perfect, we must focus on our pursuit. We must keep pressing forward, keep striving, never giving up.

Secondly, the upward call of God is centered on our ‘knowing Christ’ and becoming like Him—in His death. In other words, our call, our purpose is bigger than the moment. We understand that even when things look like a loss to others, to the world, as long as we are pursuing our divine purpose, God is going to work it out for our good. This purpose is bigger than us. Our faithfulness to it impacts others and not just ourselves.

Lastly, it is an ‘upward call.’ In other words, aim for progress. Get up each day and strive to be better than yesterday. Make your ‘floor’ today the ‘ceiling’ of yesterday. This is what matters. Keep moving forward. Keep growing. Keep improving.

Go get it. Go make greatness happen.

Prayer:
Father, I know life gets hard. We can get frustrated when life doesn’t work out like we had hoped. We can feel defeated, especially when we don’t measure up to the standards of others or the expectations we have put on ourselves. Help my children not to give up, not to give in to the lies of the enemy. Help them keep moving forward each day. Give them strength to seek You, to seek knowing You above all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.