Title Toward the goal / Philippians 3:10-16
The apostle Paul figuratively expressed the Christian life of the saints. He was compared to a soldier who went out to battle, a farmer who sows, weeds, and sweats for the harvest in autumn, or a racer running on a playground. Today's text compared the life of faith to a runner running toward a goal. He compared the Christian life to a marathon runner running to wear a laurel wreath of victory. So, how can you win the race?
1. To win the race, you must run towards the goal.
I almost wore it “My son was terrified to think of himself still wandering somewhere in the desert. “Now, I will give you this as a gift for this trip.” The father held out his most cherished compass to his son. The goal is important. The sign is important.
What, then, is the goal of the apostle Paul? In a word, it is knowing Jesus Christ and becoming like Jesus Christ. In verses 10-11, it is clearly stated what the apostle Paul's purpose and purpose are. “I want to make known Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the sharing in his sufferings, being conformed to his death, so that I may somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead.” What the apostle Paul really hopes for is that he wants to know Christ, to experience the power of Christ's resurrection, to share Christ's sufferings, to know what the death of Christ is like, and to experience the death to the resurrection. In summary, we want to resemble the person of Jesus Christ.
In verse 13, it says, “Brothers, I do not consider myself to have caught up yet, but one thing is to do one thing: to forget what is behind and to grasp what is ahead.” The Israelites often looked back as they left Egypt and headed for the Promised Land. I missed life in Egypt. In fact, they even insisted on going back to Egypt.
Being caught up in the past prevents you from moving forward. We believers do not live a past-oriented life, but a future-oriented life. Don't get caught up in the past's successes, and don't get caught up in the shameful things of the past. Athletes lose power when they are caught up in memories of past defeats. You lose courage. However, if you are caught up in the memories of your past successes, you will become arrogant. Today is today. You have to forget everything and start the game with the mindset that you are always doing it for the first time. We must forget about the past splendid and dark careers. And you have to do your best to run while looking ahead.
God doesn't want the best, He wants the best.
Poet Douglas Marroch wrote the following impressive poem: If you can't be the pine on the mountaintop, be the pine on the valley. But be the thinnest pine in the valley. If you can't be a tree, be a bush. If you can't be a bush, be a grass. And make the highway side beautiful. If you can't be grass, be moss. But be the most lively moss in the lake. We can't all be captains. There must also be a crew. We are all useful beings. There is big work to be done. There are little things to do. What we have to do is close. If you can't be a highway, be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Do your best.
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub in the valley. The best little scrub by the side of the rill. Be a bush , if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star. It isn't by the size that you win or fail. Be the best whatever you are. by Douglous Mallock
3. In order to win the race, you must run with hope while looking at the prize. The second half of verse 14 says, “I am going after the reward of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” That's right. You have to run while looking at the reward. You must run while looking at the crown.
“From now on there is prepared for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). It means to run without regard for praise or criticism from others, only looking at the reward the Lord gives you.
4. To win the race, you must run to the end.