A Sign of Maturity July 28, 2016

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Philippians 3:12-15 ESV 

When I googled Christian maturity I came across many different descriptors.  These ranged from freedom from deception to the ability to speak the truth in love to maintaining a "childlike sense of wonder and awe".  But none of the lists I read mentioned what Paul addresses in today's verses--a realization that we are indeed not "there" yet in regard to perfection in Christ.  

Paul freely admitted his imperfection in Christ.  He recognized that after all he had been through, all the time spent in study, the countless hours of prayers and meditation had not completed his Christian growth.  But rather than allowing that fact to discourage him, Paul used that knowledge to spur him on.  It became a catalyst for him to "strain forward" and "press on toward the goal".   

Each of us will make mistakes today.  We will commit the same sin we have fought for years.  That spiteful word will slip out of our mouth.  Our thought life will be impure.  Perhaps that bottle will come out of its hiding place this evening.  These stumbles can either discourage us or be the fire that lights anew in us the desire to grow closer to God and renew our relationship with him.

One of the greatest football coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi, must have had today's verse in mind when he said, "Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

Let excellence be our goal today, not perfection.