Run That You May Obtain

I happened upon a video a while ago, which was actually a collection of videos of people who had begun to celebrate too early before they had finished something. In some of the videos a runner would be at the very end of a marathon, and when the finish line was about a hundred feet away they would lift up their hands above their head in celebration, believing that they had won. When they did this they would begin to slow down a bit, but what they didn’t see was another runner right behind them running as fast as they could and eventually pass them to win the race. That moment of slowing down cost them the win.

In another video, someone would be playing a game such as soccer, and they would have blocked a shot from going into the net, immediately celebrating, but what they failed to notice is that the ball had bounced off of something else and was rolling back towards the net once again. By the time that they realized what had happened it was too late to stop the goal from scoring. They celebrated way too early, and it cost them.

People can “celebrate” too early in regards to their Christian faith as well. What I mean is that some people may begin to think that they have salvation “all locked up” and that they are guaranteed to go to Heaven, but when they feel this way they may not continue to live their faith to the fullest that they can. They may start to slack off, because to them they have already attained salvation. They feel that they have done all that they need to do, and that they have nothing else that requires more improvement.

But the Apostle Paul didn’t feel this way. He was a man who had accomplished many things over the course of his life, but he never let those things slow him down so that he stopped trying to improve even more.

Philippians 3:4-15  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Look at all of the merits and achievements that Paul had accomplished in his life. A Pharisee. A member of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin. A keeper of the Law.  All things which someone as a Jew might have felt made them accomplished, but not Paul. All of those things he considered “dung.” Meaningless. Unimportant. He was certainly very zealous as a Pharisee, but when he became a Christian he then turned that zealousness towards the things of Christ. He started churches everywhere, preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ. He did many wonderful things for the name of Jesus, but he never once got to a point where he stopped. He never allowed himself to think that he had attained perfection and salvation, but he continued to press on each day.

If a beaver stopped building it’s dam before it was actually complete then it would eventually just fall apart. The water would eventually just wear it down until it broke apartment, but they continuously build and make it better. Adding some mud here, some branches there, always improving.

We need to treat our faith as a race, and every day we need to act like we are in that race to win. Never looking back behind us at what we have accomplished, but always looking forward to what still lies in front of us. We aren’t in the Kingdom of Heaven yet. We haven’t received eyer life yet. We still have more that we can do. The race isn’t over until it is over, and we haven’t crossed that finish line yet. So run, run that you may obtain!

In Christ

Andrew