Paul describes himself as having not attained. What message is that sending to the others, to you, and me?

It tells us that we have a long way to go. He is painting a picture of Christianity as a journey, not a box you check, think you are done, and then go about your life.

It is actually about Christ becoming your life.

Have you attained to the resurrection of the dead?

Have you laid hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of you?

The answer is no.

The call to the disciples from Jesus is "Follow me."

He said Carry your cross and follow me. He told Peter to follow, and I will make you a fisher of people (Mark 1:17).

But you say Jesus is not here, so how do I follow him?

It is the same as becoming like Christ, which we have been called to follow. We are supposed to be formed into Christ, become like Christ.

So what is Paul's tactics?

Answer: Forgetting the things that are behind.

That means what is important to you is what lies ahead of you. The point is to avoid the distractions of the past, whether good or bad. Maybe the good ones in particular.

And the idea is also that the future is different from the past, meaning, you cannot predict the future, hence it is an adventure, meaning there is no textbook to follow, except Christ and his Spirit, which is the training of faith, and a training of the eyes to set on Christ.

That means it is a relationship, not an agenda; it is a life shift, not a passing feeling.

Forgetting the past also means that this is not a social affair. I cannot forget the past when I think I should be like the other person, or live like the other person.

Is it not a race set before you (Hebrews 12:1) when you are motivated by human approval? If it is to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of you, it is highly personal.

It is also a constant call for repentance, which we can regard as a course correction. It was for course correction that Christ called the churches in Revelation to repent. Somehow they had gone off the right course and had been on it for a while before they were called to repent.

So it is wrong to think that everything is OK if you have been getting away with things, or that God is cool with specific patterns and attitudes just because it is you.

It is also a constant call to reject the lust of the world and the pride of life, and to train the heart to seek the approval of the Father rather than that of men (1 John 2:15-17).

It is also essential to have the attitude of not considering yourself to have attained it, not sitting on your laurels, but reaching out, which means you are being stretched or stretching yourself.

You are tired, but you are still pressing; you are busy, but you are still pressing; you are beaten, but you are still pressing.

There is no giving up. Look at Jesus as He carried His cross, after he was beaten and battered.

Paul said forgetting the past and reaching forth for the things that are ahead.

That tells you some things are ahead. It may not appear that there are things that are ahead as you go about the seeming monotony of life, as one year rolls into another, and they all seem the same.

Don't let that lull you into complacency, and you reduce the intensity of your pursuit, and you start loving the world and the things in the world, pursuing the desires of the flesh and not of the Spirit.

And this focus verse is directed to brothers and sisters, not just pastors and teachers, or just men, but men and women, boys and girls.

Everyone is called to pursue Christ. This is the way Jesus said it:

And all means all. Not some, but all.

But first, how are you considering yourself? Paul said he is not considering himself to have attained.

That is an example of humility. Paul is not presenting himself as the perfect person; rather, Christ is the perfect person. That is also an example of humility, a trait of Christ we are supposed to pursue.

Pau said I am single-minded, are you?

From Addiction to Freedom by Favour Oyinloye

Nature Song

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Daily Episodes of 5-minute Truth Broadcast on Youtube

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This book lays out the case for the Sufficiency of Scripture, arguing that it is enough to define the life and practice of Christians and the church. It pushes back against both subtle and blatant violations of this tenet, including Tradition, Imagination, Divination, Emotion, Revelations, and Visions (TIDER).
Join the author as he explains:
Passages that prohibit adding to or removing from God’s word.
Scripture has a special quality that sets it apart from anything else that has ever been written or will ever be written.
The need for humility so that we can separate our biases from the truth.
There are consequences for either adding to or removing from God’s word.
How Jesus and Paul argued for the Sufficiency of Scripture.
How the devil is the enemy of the Sufficiency of Scripture, and humans willingly cooperate with him for different reasons.
How, “The Scriptures, as a fixed set of documents, is a shared body of agreed reference that defines the contours of truth,” and not the preacher’s charisma or eloquence.
Holding to the Sufficiency of Scripture one day doesn’t mean the preacher will always do so, hence the call for carefulness.
Why it’s wrong to pit one passage of Scripture against another.
That “humans have been building up reasonings apart from and against the light of God’s truth for centuries.”
Take the journey to deepen your understanding and appreciation for the Sufficiency of Scripture.

The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved