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"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, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:13-14)
Much like the word "forward", check out the word that Paul uses in verse 14; the word "toward". Verse 14 says, "I press toward the goal." Again, these are words of forward looking, forward thinking, and passion. Paul leans forward as he anticipates finishing well and enjoying and experiencing heaven with Christ. "Press" is a present active verb, and it means to pursue. He was continually pressing ahead in hot pursuit of his goal.
Mellick writes regarding the goal: "The goal is the heavenward call of Jesus Christ. . . . The "goal" ("mark" in the KJV; skopos in the Greek) is the "goal marker" in English. It was the focus of the eye when a runner ran the race. For Paul, it was probably the model provided in Christ who demonstrated both obedience unto death and the resurrection." (Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman.)
What is your personal skopos? What is your goal, the marker that you keep ahead of you that is your true north and helps you say yes to certain things and no to other things? Gary Keller in his book, The One Thing, states that every day, all throughout his day, he asks himself this question: "What's the ONE Thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" (p. 113) The beautiful thing about Christianity is we all have the same goal: Jesus. But we all have a well-tailored plan from God for our lives which we are to find and pursue. It will look similar to others in some ways but markedly different in others, because we all differ in our gifts and abilities. As Andy Spencer likes to say, find out what you are good at and do it. It would be great if you could get paid for it and even greater if you could leverage it to serve others and expand God's Kingdom here on earth.
My race is not your race. In fact, one of the things you learn in any race is, "stay in your lane," and do what you do. You are unique and should not try and run another's race.
Like the words "forward" and "toward", check out the next closely related word: "upward". Verse 14 says, "For the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." The prize was ahead. He was straining and moving ahead with Christ, not settled with past successes, but rather, very driven to move upward. The opposite of moving upward is to move downward or backward.
One commentary on verse 14 states, "Vigorously and with concentration Paul sought to win the prize to which God had called him heavenward (v. 14). Again the Greek games must have been on his mind as he wrote of the prize. The winner in those games was called to the place where the judge sat in order to receive his prize. Paul may have referred to ultimate salvation in God's presence, or to receiving rewards at "the judgment seat of Christ' (2 Cor. 5:10)." (Lightner, R. P. (1985). Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 661). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
What are you sensing the Holy Spirit saying to you in these two verses from the Apostle Paul? I feel that He is impressing on me to not miss the positive and exciting future that awaits me. It is so easy to fall prey to the Devil's temptation to worry, back up, get overwhelmed, and not attempt anything great for God during this time of crisis. William Carey, who knew a great amount about setbacks and suffering, put it this way: "Attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God."
Go for it!
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