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When it comes to their spiritual goals in life, most people are clear: they want to go to heaven. However, opinions differ on how this goal can be achieved.
Young people are constantly asked about their plans and goals in life: 'Do you already know what you're going to do after school?', 'What do you want to study?', 'How's your driving license coming along?', or 'When do you want to get married?'. Questions like these can be very nerve-wracking. After all, in the "adult world," you're only truly accepted once you've finished your education, tied the knot, and bought your own house. Or are you?
On the one hand, there are the expectations of parents, siblings, friends, the pastor or the youth leader, and on the other hand, one's own demands on oneself, preferences and needs that must be met.
It's not so easy to keep track of everything at this stage of life! How can you withstand this increasing pressure? How should you set your own priorities? And once you've achieved the goals society demands (career, partner, children, home), what then?
The Bible gives us very clear guidance, regardless of age, marital status, or goals already achieved: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
Paul writes of a prepared goal, which he defines as the prize of victory. It is a reward unlike any other for a victory! No prize, no honor, no reward could be higher for the victors than reaching this goal—heaven, the reward, and the crown waiting there, prepared for them. And now the question arises: who is this crown waiting for?
There are people who pursue and achieve their goals with ambition and enthusiasm. And others – perhaps even most – fall by the wayside, seemingly making no progress, going around in circles again and again, and eventually collapsing under the pressure of expectations.
In 1 Corinthians 9:26 we read about a runner who "does not run aimlessly," meaning he has a clear goal to reach. The goal is already prepared. It is waiting for ALL of us. It is waiting for you personally!
Discover how you too can recognize and achieve this goal.
1. Know your position
Paul writes: “ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have obtained all this ” (Philippians 3:13). Paul knows his position, namely, that he has not yet obtained the goal. He is fully aware that it takes complete effort and dedication to reach this goal! The path to this goal is neither a walk in the park nor a leisurely life.
Goal in sight, without being moved by Jesus?
Paul also makes it clear that he has already been touched by Christ. Without being touched by Christ (by His grace, love, and mercy), every effort is in vain. Every great exertion is wasted, and every renewed, desperate attempt fails. In the end, the person is left a miserable, disappointed, and discouraged mess. The strength isn't there for another attempt, and giving up seems the most sensible option.
Then there is the type of Christian who behaves as if they already have their goal in the bag. They only care about their own needs, desires, and goals, explaining this behavior as a life of freedom, no longer bound by the law. In their daily lives, however, there is no trace of mercy, sacrifice, devotion, let alone self-denial. Their decisions and priorities are characterized by self-love, self-development, and self-realization. The ultimate goal—heaven—fades into the background.
Paul knew his position: namely, that he had not yet reached the goal, but had been reached by Christ!
Do you know your position? Are you moved by the love, grace, and mercy of Christ?
In order to reach the goal, heaven, it is important to know one's own position in relation to God!
To be both a son and therefore an heir, but also a servant and thus subject to a master. Saved by grace, but called to discipleship, which entails self-denial.
2. Forget, in order to see the goal!
How can you consciously forget something that occupies your mind, hurts you, or torments you?
In God's eyes, our forgiven guilt is sunk in the deepest sea (cf. Micah 7:19).
To make this metaphor more meaningful, I'd like to point out that the ocean is far less explored and mapped than the universe. It's estimated that only 5% of the ocean floor has been mapped so far. And it is into this unfathomable sea that God sinks our guilt. A place no one has ever been – and no one ever will. God no longer thinks about it. Active forgetting means: no longer thinking about it.
Back to Paul. Let's think about what he might have forgotten.
On the one hand, there was his privileged position as a Pharisee, which guaranteed him high esteem, considerable influence, and financial security; on the other hand, there was his forgiven guilt. This guilt stemmed primarily from his self-righteousness as a Pharisee, even though all people are guilty before God. According to his own account, Paul was truly blameless due to his Hebrew heritage, his position as a Pharisee, his own zeal for God, and his life according to the Law (cf. Phil 3:6). Only when Christ touched him with His grace and Paul realized that faith alone justifies, did he reject all his worldly advantages and consider them worthless (cf. Phil 3:8).
He understood that righteousness comes from faith and not from works. A life lived according to God's will and in holiness is always preceded by the working of God's grace, never merely by one's own efforts.
Then there are his own traumas to mention. Before writing to the Philippians, he recounted in his letter to the Corinthians being beaten, sometimes with sticks, being stoned, and other very unpleasant experiences he had to endure (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24-25). Added to this are his experiences with various people who betrayed or abandoned him, and the church in Corinth, from which he experienced much rejection. How hurtful that must have been!
Paul blocks everything out and makes his decision not to think about it very clear: No matter how much my body aches or my soul cries out, I will invest all my strength to pursue this one goal.
Can you forget in your life?
All the missed opportunities in this world that you, as a follower of Christ, have missed?
The scars on your soul, or the injuries that still need time to heal?
So often we lose sight of our goal because we are either unable to forget or simply unwilling to. In all the real pain and suffering, the goal is often carelessly forgotten. The prize loses its personal value, and before we know it, we are sinking into self-pity. With it, joy and hope disappear from everyday life. The result is a hard and bitter heart, incapable of hearing God's voice. Forgetting means actively no longer thinking about something. We are called to forget, to forgive, and to stop dwelling on it, just as God does with our guilt. Only in this way is it possible to recognize the goal and run toward it!
3. Pursuit of the goal
Reaching this goal requires full commitment and total focus. Only those who have been touched by Christ and can forget can achieve this. Otherwise, the necessary strength is lacking!
How easily we are distracted! A little recognition or praise, a bit of success, and we're already drifting away. A little criticism, a minor difficulty, a moment when God is silent, and suddenly doubts arise about God's love and the attainability of the goal. Yet, in verse 14, we read that it is a heavenly calling—you are personally called by Christ to pursue this prepared goal!
How much of the time God has given us are we willing to sacrifice to help build His kingdom?
God has given us free time. However, we will have to answer to God for how we use it. How much self-denial is visible in our daily lives towards the people around us? For example, in marriage towards our partner? Love always goes hand in hand with self-denial and selflessness, and that means that our own will, our own desires, and our own well-being are secondary.
This kind of love is fundamentally visible and tangible, both within one's own family and in the neighborhood, at work, and in the community. Pursuing this goal means using the time and resources given by God in self-denial and love for one's neighbor—exactly where and in exactly the way God intends.
In the Letter to the Philippians we read:
“All of us who are mature, let us all think this way; and if you think differently, God will reveal that to you as well” (Phil 3:15).
This implies that all who have attained a certain spiritual maturity will think, act, and live just as the Apostle Paul himself did. This call transcends time, culture, and environment and remains valid until the Second Coming of Christ.
Furthermore, we may know that God is especially powerful in the weak (cf. 2 Cor 12:9). Everyone who is touched by Christ can reach this goal because of the work of His grace, which brings about faith in us.
God's grace is at work in those who
- to know their own position before God.
- They want to forget, but they keep failing.
- They want to chase after it, but always fail!
Especially in the last two points, the decision to fight and not give up is crucial for the visible work of God's grace. Paul was seized by Christ, which enabled him to attain this goal, the crown, the prize! Allow Christ to seize you completely and fully!
Verse 15 makes it clear that children of God, who are already mature Christians, recognize how precious the goal is and do everything in their power to reach it! For all those who cannot see the goal, in whose lives everything seems hopeless, there remains hope and comfort: God will reveal it to you personally! Hold fast, trust in Him, let Christ completely take hold of you. Forget what lies behind you and press on toward the set goal. Jesus Himself will present you with the crown of eternal life.
Venizi Buchmüller,
Municipality of Molbergen