ONE THING

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 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. 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect

If this text does nothing else, it should put an end to all dreams of sinless perfection in this life. Paul begins with an honest admission—"I’m not there yet.” Unlike so many contemporary leaders, he has no problem admitting his own personal shortcomings. He’s isn’t perfect yet and he knows it—and this becomes the place where his spiritual growth begins.

A divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress.

The work of Christ for us is perfect, and it were presumption to think of adding to it, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is not perfect, it is continually carried on from day to day, and will need to be continued throughout the whole of our lives. We are being "conformed to the image of Christ," (Ro 8:29) and that process is in operation, as we advance towards glory.

The condition in which a believer should always be found is that of progress: his motto must be,

"Onward and upward!"

Paul Billheimer in Overcomers Through The Cross, reminds us that just as God takes many years to produce an oak tree, He also takes a life time to mature a saint. Christian growth is a process that takes time. Billheimer reminds us that

An unripe apple is not fit to eat, but we should not therefore condemn it. It is not yet ready for eating because God is not done making it. It is a phase of its career and good in its place.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity.

M. R. DeHaan says "Self-satisfaction is the death of progress. Dissatisfaction with past accomplishments is the mother of invention. Because man was dissatisfied with carrying and lifting loads upon his shoulders, he invented vehicles to ride in. Pity the man who is content with his own progress and feels he has [arrived]. This is all the more true in the Christian life. Nothing here is as deadly as self-satisfaction. The most boring people I ever meet are the ones who take up my lime telling me what they have done, when they ought to be doing more."

After Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, issued his famous "I do not choose to run" statement, he was besieged by reporters wanting details. One persistent journalist kept asking, "Exactly why don't you want to be president again?" "Because," Coolidge replied, "there's no chance for advancement!"

Even though we experience letdowns in the Christian life, we never come to the place where there's no room for growth. The apostle Paul described himself as spiritually mature (Phil. 3:15), yet he also declared that he wasn't perfect (v.12). He was aiming for the goal of being like Christ in all of life's varied experiences, whether he was enjoying prosperity or enduring adversity. He knew that attaining the goal of Christ-likeness takes a lifetime.

Oh, to have that same restless contentment! Our soul's deepest longings are satisfied when we know Jesus as our Savior, but we must keep pressing on to know Him better and to become more like Him! That's the mark of a growing Christian. There's always room for advancement.

Room for improvement is the largest room in the world.

but I press on

It's difficult to go forward when you keep looking back. What is true physically, is even more true spiritually! If you think you have arrived think again.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the challenges of living for Christ? You're not alone. Even Paul felt that way.

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

In today’s text Paul again write honestly about his Christian walk, admitting that he hadn't attained perfection: "I press toward the goal for the prize." He identified this lifelong pilgrimage as "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Years ago, a group of Englishmen tried to conquer Mt. Everest. They pressed on against cold, wind, blizzards, and avalanches. When they came within 2,000 feet of the peak, they set up camp. Two men, Mallory and Irvine, eagerly pressed on, expecting to return in about 16 hours. They never came back. The official record said simply: "When last seen, they were heading toward the summit."

Whatever the obstacles, let's keep pressing on in the upward call of God, trusting in Him and not ourselves. At life's end, may it be said of us, "When last seen, they were heading toward the summit!"

to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own

Christian you have been apprehended to apprehend.

When God brings us to Himself, it is to realise some lofty ideal on which He has set His heart. In some cases, the eye beholds, as Moses did in vision, the tabernacle which it is to build, it stands in clearly defined outlines, with every knop and tassel, every curtain and fringe, every pillar and hook perfectly designed. In other cases, the pattern is only revealed step by step and day by day. Each morning the Spirit of God presents to us in the circumstances of our life, and in the impulse of our heart, some new item in the great conception, and calls on us to fulfil it,--thus the temple groweth into a dwelling place for the Eternal.

Whichever method God may adopt with you, whether in the early morning of life you stand upon the mountain and see the completed plan, or your eyes are holden so that you are permitted to see it only by piecemeal, yet be sure that there was a great thought in His heart when He drew you out of the horrible pit and from the miry clay, and set your feet upon a rock, and established your goings.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do

Paul had not arrived, but that did not deter him, for here we see his contrasting attitude. The literal Greek reads “but one thing,” which dramatically sums up Paul's Christian conduct and purpose.

Paul was a man of single purpose. Paul had one aim and one ambition.

This single minded focus of Paul is like the Olympic runner who has but one goal in mind after the gun goes off. To excel in any area of life, a person must say, “This one thing… ,” not “These 20 things.” Single-minded focus will win a great reward.

A fierce fighting for focus and concentration is implicit in Paul's declaration "One thing".

So many believers tend to feel they can try to walk the way of discipline while making daily excursions into "Egypt" to pick up a few "leeks". But the narrow way leading to fullness of life heads in one direction; i.e., the path Jesus trod. It is the course that we must take - one thing.

Before the tragedy of the Chicago fire in 1871, D. L. Moody was involved in Sunday School promotion, YMCA work, evangelistic meetings, and many other activities; but after the fire, he determined to devote himself exclusively to evangelism. "One thing I do" became a reality to him. As a result, millions of people subsequently heard the Gospel

THE STORY OF WILLIAM BORDEN: NO RESERVE. NO RETREAT. NO REGRETS.

This single minded focus is necessary if one is to be a great athlete. Totally focused people succeed in life.

A divided heart lacks the first element of strength--it is unstable. The men who leave their mark on the world are those who can say: "This one thing I do." But we need more than concentration, we need consecration. We must not only be united in ourselves, we must be united in God. Let us make the prayer of

Psalm 86:11 ESV

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

Focused concentration is clearly implied by the phrase "one thing", in context the result of first a negative action (forgetting) and then a positive one (reaching).

Forgetting did not mean obliterating the memory of the past (Paul has just recalled some of these things in Php 3:5, 6, 7), but a conscious refusal to let them absorb his attention and impede his progress. He never allowed his Jewish heritage (Php 3:5, 6, 7) nor his previous Christian attainments (Php 3:9, 10, 11, 12) to obstruct his running of the race. No present attainment could lull him into thinking he already possessed all Christ desired for him.Those inventive people, the Italians, have a custom.

Paul is saying in essence that to keep one's focus "Don't look back." How many times we've watched in dismay as a lead runner looks back over their shoulder only to get passed on the other side or to slow them just enough to allow the opponent to pass them by. Don't look back dear saint. Make a break with the past. Nothing is happening back there is relevant. Yes it's fine and biblical to make memorial stones of remembrance but avoid making the stumbling stones of past memories. To grow toward Christlikeness, face up to your failures, then focus on Christ for the future.

As midnight on New Year’s Eve approaches, the streets are dear. There is no traffic; there are no pedestrians; even the policemen take cover. Then, at the stroke of 12, the windows of the houses fly open. To the sound of laughter, music and fireworks, each member of the family pitches out old crockery, detested ornaments, hated furniture and a whole catalogue of personal possessions which remind them of something in the past year they are determined to wipe out of their minds”

When Cortez landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of Mexico with small force of 700 men, he purposely set fire to his fleet of 11 ships. His men on the shore watched their only means of retreat sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. With no means of retreat, there was only one direction to move, forward into the Mexican interior to meet whatever might come their way. In paying the price for being Christ’s disciple, you too must purposefully destroy all avenues of retreat. Resolve that whatever the price for being His follower, you will have to pay it.

In Daniel Schaeffer's book on Esther, Dancing With A Shadow, he summarizes with a single sentence the lives of each of the main characters in that wonderful Old Testament book. For Ahasuerus, the powerful warrior king of Persia, it was: "Success in life is all in the planning." For the faithful Mordecai: "The price of obedience is never too high." And for Queen Esther: "What I am is more important than what I have." She proved it when she risked her crown (and life) to intercede with Ahasuerus on her people's behalf.

How would you summarize in a single statement your purpose for living. Some might say, "My only goal in life is to catch up." For others it might be, "To have as little trouble in life as I can." Or you may say with Haman, "You can never have too much."

But as followers of Jesus Christ, we should be able to say with the apostle Paul,

"One thing I do, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"

Is that the purpose of your life?

Do you pursue a life of wealth and fame? A mocking epitaph is all you'll claim; Let God replace your vain and selfish aim With lasting goals that glorify His name.