The second half of this equation is that we need to be looking forward to what lies ahead. It is not just enough to exist in the present and be satisfied. We have too many "right now" Christians, lacking spiritual vision. Let's be honest. Sometimes we get tired and sometimes we get sloppy. When we were first saved we were probably on fire for God and were constantly seeking out the things of God. Through the course of years and dealing with the politics of church, that fire has begun to fizzle. Maybe we do not pray as much. Perhaps our personal Bible reading or devotional time has withered away under the demands of the world. We know we are saved and we kind of sit down in our salvation. We get comfortable. We attend church regularly, tithe, serve in ministry and maybe even share the Gospel if someone asks. We are working out our salvation in the present and according to the seeker friendly models of churchianity, we are doing what we were "purposed" to do. Of course this is not what we were purposed to do at all. These may have been some of the things God will use to spur us on towards the prize but it is not enough to forget the past and serve in the present. We must be pressing on towards what God has for us in the future. The truth is that God always has another level for us to go to if we are willing to pursue it. Paul did not have to write his letters. He had no idea God would use them to complete the Bible. We have no idea what our future works will result in. God always provides the increase. But pressing on towards what lies ahead keeps the Christian constantly looking to God and constantly focused on what is yet to come.
Humbly pursuing Christlike perfection. Neither wallowing in the past nor basking in it. Pressing on towards the future God has for us, realizing it always is all about Him. That is what we need to be taking into the new year. I love the final three points Paul makes in the key verses.
Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.
If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.
But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
The first is a lesson I need to remember more. Not everyone is on the same level when it comes to being spiritually mature. All we can do is rely on the Word of God in presenting our case and use the Word of God to explain what is right. Sometimes we seek agreement with people who are disagreeable by nature. That is within the church! What is even more bizarre is when the church screams at the world because they disagree when the Bible tells us the things of God are foolishness to them!
This letter of course was written to believers and the follow up point Paul makes is that he believes God will make everything plain to those who currently disagree. It is not our job to necessarily convince anyone of anything. We are simply to say what sayeth the Lord and trust that His Word will not return void and that He will make things plain to everyone in their own time. I know if I think hard enough I can come up with plenty of examples of things I disagreed with years ago that God has shown me to be true through the course of my spiritual development. These truisms are of course based upon the Christian who is humbly pursuing Christlike perfection by living for the future instead of in the past.
The final point is something God had to show me personally several years ago. The Bible says that the devil is looking to steal and one of the things he loves to steal is our progress. It took the Apostle Paul 25 years to get to the point where he wrote the Philippians letter and the key verses. Our walk is perpetual. Our pressing on is always a process. It is a work in progress. A failure on the 365 th day of the year does not wipe out whatever progress in Christ we might have made the 364 previous days. Sin and failure requires confession to God and repentance, not self-flagellation. The devil wants us to beat ourselves up. Less work for him. Jesus already took our beating. He took our chastisement. He took our punishment. The last thing He wants then is for us to beat, chastise, and punish ourselves. That does not lead towards Christlikeness. Confess, repent, learn, and move on.
