Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, 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 in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. (Philippians 3:12-15)
As Christians, we are always growing, but as long as we are on this earth, we will never “arrive.”
Paul certainly never thought of himself as having “arrived.” But each day he sought to know Jesus more and to become more like him in every way.
But even in his “reaching forward” and “pursuing,” Paul remembered two things.
First, he was accepted by God not because of his own righteousness, but because of Christ’s. By Paul putting his faith in Jesus and His work on the cross, Christ’s record of righteousness became Paul’s record of righteousness (9).
Put another way, his “report card of righteousness” showed all “A”s .
And because of that, he was not striving to attain God’s love and acceptance. He already had it.
Rather, he was overjoyed that God had taken hold of him and had a plan for his life. And out of that joy, he wanted to take hold of everything in life God had prepared for him.
Second, he remembered all his efforts would not be in vain. That though he would never attain perfection in this world, the day would come when he would become just like the Lord he loved. (21)
Paul lived each day in that hope.
Let us all live in with that same hope as well, living in his grace each day, growing to be more like Jesus, and taking hold of the good plan for which he took hold of us.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 