Understanding the goal of our spiritual journey is the first step to running well. After we understand the goal we need to be honest about our current situation. In Philippians 3:12 Paul writes: “Not that I have already attained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” These are interesting words for the apostle Paul to write. Philippians is one of the last letters Paul wrote. He was in a prison in Rome awaiting his death. During those days of reflection, as he looked back over his life, there was much he could have been satisfied with. He had planted many churches and influenced countless numbers of people. Yet, as he reflects on his life what does he say? I haven’t arrived. I have not yet attained the goal.
We have all met “him” or “her” in one form or another. We’re going to call “him” Steve. Steve is the best at everything… in his own mind. You know who I’m referring to. Steve is the person who, as soon as you say something, has to come up with something better. You buy a new HP Pavilion laptop that you are really excited about. You show it to Steve, but he’s not impressed. Instead he tells you all about the features of his new MacBook Pro. You comment that you finally ran a mile in 6 minutes. He counters with, “That’s nothing. I routinely run the mile in 5 minutes, and I don’t even break a sweat.” At that point you are ready to strangle Steve. No matter what you do, he can do it better. The problem with Steve is that when you put him to the test, he fails every time. Steve suffers from a lack of an accurate understanding of who he really is. Now before we get too hard on Steve, take a look in the mirror. There are times when we all have inflated views of who we are and what we have accomplished.
Paul was realistic about his own performance. He had no false illusions about his life. He was unwilling to rest on his past successes. Instead he was fully aware that the race was not yet over. He had not yet attained the goal.
Paul had good reason to be proud of his life. He had all the right credentials. In Philippians 3:4-6 Paul boldly lays out his credentials for all to examine. “If anyone else thinks he has reason to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in regard to the law of Pharisee, as for zeal persecuting the church, as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” Paul’s papers were in order. He was the top of his class. At this point in his life, he could have retired. He could have kicked back, put his feet up and said, I’ve done everything I can do and it’s time to rest.
Instead of resting on his past Paul was very honest that he was still a work in progress. He knew that God wasn’t done with him yet. He had set high standards for himself and he had no false illusion that he had reached those standards. The ultimate goal was still out in front of him. Rather than pull back, he continued to press forward with everything he had. Paul was motivated to keep running the race. There is excitement in Paul’s words. I can almost see him bouncing as he dictates them. The race is not done yet, it isn’t over, there’s more ahead.
Paul set for himself what the business world calls BHAGs; Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Most of us tend to set manageable goals. No one likes to fail, so we set goals we know we can accomplish. After a while those goals no longer motivate us. Instead of striving for something greater we start coasting. That was not Paul’s approach to life. He always had a greater goal before him. Paul was excited about striving for the next level of his service for Christ. There was much more to learn about Christ. There were parts of his spiritual journey that were still underdeveloped. Rather than pulling back, he was excited that there was still much to do.
Picture yourself sitting at Starbucks with a Bold Pick of the Day in your hand, talking with the Apostle Paul. You and a few of your friends have gathered to spend an hour with Paul. You hold your cup up to your face, breathing in the rich aroma of the coffee, as Paul talks about his spiritual race. As you sip your coffee Paul looks you in the eyes and says, beware of getting side-tracked in the race. “For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with a measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has been given one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in the proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve. If it is teaching, let him teach. If it is encouraging, let him encourage. If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. If it is leadership, let him govern diligently. If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:3-8 Paul scans your small group and you can see excitement in his eyes. “Each of you has been gifted by God in different ways. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the thrill of using your gifts to the maximum. Don’t settle for something less. Don’t get side-tracked.”
There are two extremes that need to be avoided as we run this race of the Christian life. The first extreme is the Super Christian syndrome. This is characterized by an inflated view of a person’s spirituality. Super Christian believes that she has arrived spiritually and she wants everyone to know it. Any faults or failures are ignored or rationalized away. Super Christian looks down on those who have not yet figured out the Christian life. She feigns pity for those lesser mortals who still struggle with sin, failure and a lack of knowledge. This person believes that the race is already over and they won.
The other extreme is the “I’m a Worm” syndrome. This is characterized by a total lack of self-worth. This person sees themselves as having nothing to offer to the Kingdom of God. When they look in the mirror all they see is a failure. They are unable to see the gifts and talents that God has given them. This is the person who is so self-defeated they never even try to run the race.
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