“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” (Philippians 3:12)
Goal setting and attaining goals are a priority in our culture today. We set life goals, professional goals, and goals for our children. Even the church sets and strives to achieve goals. Experts in this field say that good goals must have two characteristics. They must be measurable and attainable. They also recommend that we set intermediate goals so that we can measure how we are progressing towards our ultimate goal.
But we also have a spiritual goal. That goal is laid before us in today’s scripture. It is no less than perfection. That goal meets the measurability test. One either is perfect or one is not. But it is sorely lacking in the attainability test. We know that we will not be able to attain perfection in this life. And the goal-setting gurus tell us that setting that kind of unattainable goal only leads to discouragement and resignation to the present situation.
Yet, this is the goal God, through the apostle Paul, has set before us. Others have taken Paul’s writing quite seriously, and some have come close.
In 1744, John Wesley wrote, “[When I die] if I leave behind me ten pounds…you and all mankind [may] bear witness against me, that I have lived and died a thief and a robber.” When he died in 1791, the only money mentioned in his will was the miscellaneous coins to be found in his pockets and dresser drawers. It is estimated he had earned more than thirty thousand pounds over his lifetime but had lived on 30 pounds or less each year. He gave the rest away in order to attain his goal of being his own estate’s executor.
The goal is perfection. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:1 “Let love be your highest goal!”
IronMaker’s Daily Challenge: Today, find one step, however small, that you will take to move towards perfection in Love.
Prayer: Holy God, thank you for the gift of grace which enables us to move ever closer to you and your perfect love. Amen.
Bob Peden
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