Pressing for the Prize

Going for the Goal

12 - Pressing for the Goal - KJV says "I follow after" means "To press on." to chase, to pursue, in military terms it's like one army chasing after another.

Paul has not obtained perfection - but he presses for it Reaching out (grasping laying hold of ) the one who laid hold of him (Christ Jesus) I like how Dr. John Knight put it, "Paul is saying: “I am pursuing the prize, namely, Christ, in order that I may lay hold on Him, or fully possess Him, and thus fulfill the purposes in my life for which He first laid hold on me, and possessed me.” John Knight (2011-01-01). Beacon Bible Commentary, Volume 9: Galatians Through Philemon (Kindle Locations 5606-5607). Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.

Perfection

Paul is probably referring to the goal he has pictured in verses 8-11

8 - To Win Christ 9 - Found in righteousness of God by faith

10 - That I may know Him The power of his resurrection The fellowship of his sufferings (notice the plural) Being made conformable unto his death

11 - that by any means - whatever means necessary - to attain unto the resurrection of the dead - do whatever it takes to make it in. Paul is painting a picture using the metaphor of a runner, the words as I said earlier mean an "intense endeavor." the picture is of a runner going after the goal every muscle staining to make it.

I read a story recently of Kayla Montgomery who is diagnosed with MS and yet is one of the fastest young runners in the USA. She told her parents that she wanted to run, to run fast and not stop her, she didn't know how long she would be able to. The interesting thing is that even though she is on medication, while she runs and her temperature rises, the feeling leaves her legs. Because of that she cannot come to a coordinated stop and her coach has to catch her at the finish line. When she cools down her feeling returns. It's a cost of making the goal. There are costs for us to make our goal as well. Paul gives us a few things we need to do in order to press for the goal -

13 - 14 Focusing on the Goal KJV says "But This One Things I Do…" (Clearing the blurred vision - you'll see it yet! MSG)

Focus on one thing - single minded

Keep your eyes on the ball

One time when Michigan State was playing UCLA in football, the score was tied at 14 with only seconds to play. Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State’s coach, sent in place kicker Dave Kaiser who booted a field goal that won the game.

When the kicker returned to the bench, Daugherty said, “nice going, but you didn’t watch the ball after you kicked it.”

“That’s right, Coach,” Kaiser replied. “I was watching the referee instead to see how he’d signal it. I forgot my contact lenses, and I couldn’t see the goal posts.”

Bits & Pieces, September 15, 1994, pp. 7-8

— 10,000 Sermon Illustrations

Forgetting that past - You don't get to tomorrow by looking toward yesterday - you have to let it go.

(Brother David Knight at Teen Chapel one time spoke of mistakes he made sometimes it seemed to take days to get over.) Forward looking - you have to run and look ahead, not so much looking at how everyone around you is running but are you headed toward the goal.

15-16 - Sticking to the Goal

Paul no doubt used the "Next Mile" principle

Well-known commentator and author Eric Sevarid said that the best lesson he ever learned was the principle of the “next mile.” He recalled how he learned the principle:

“During World War II, I and several others had to parachute from a crippled Army transport plane into the mountainous jungle on the Burma-India border. It was several weeks before an armed relief expedition could reach us, and then we began a painful, plodding march out to civilized India. We were faced by a 140-mile trek, over mountains in August heat and monsoon rains.

“In the first hour of the march I rammed a boot nail deep into one foot; by evening I had bleeding blisters the size of 50-cent pieces on both feet. Could I hobble 140 miles? Could the others, some in worse shape than I, complete such a distance?

“We were convinced we could not. But we could hobble to that ridge, we could make the next friendly village for the night. And that, of course, was all we had to do...”

Eric Sevarid used the “next mile” principle many other times during his career, whether the task was writing a book or writing scripts for radio and television.

Bits and Pieces, February, 1990, pp. 11-12

— 10,000 Sermon Illustrations

Conclusion - Paul may have felt here in this passage that he had not attained, or arrived yet, but we find another passage written a few years later coming down to the end of Paul's life after he had ran a few more miles shortening the length between him and the goal that he writes to Timothy,

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJV)

6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

There may be a cost in running the race - but winning, is worth everything - the reward far outweighs the cost.