Press!

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.  (Philippians 3:12-16, NASB)

During aerial combat, fighter pilots communicate with a set of common language called the “brevity code.”  The idea is to communicate with one another as briefly as possible, yet be descriptive and directive.  As an example, there is a single word that tells a wingman, “You may continue the attack, and I have your 6 o’clock (the area directly behind him) covered.”  That simple word is, “Press.”  The Apostle Paul might have been the world’s first fighter pilot.  Or he may have inspired this piece of the brevity code, I don’t know. 

In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul tells about how he strives for the prize at the end of life, using the Lord Jesus Christ as his example.  In the passage above, he begins by admitting that he hasn’t “already obtained it or have already become perfect.”  This is the same attitude we should all have.  From the time we proclaim Jesus as Lord until the moment we die, God is transforming us, changing us to be more like His Son (in my case, this will take a LONG time!).  

Next Paul gives us some very important advice:  “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  It’s important that when we’re saved, we don’t dwell on our past sins.  Once we’re forgiven, God sees us as perfect, because instead of our faces, He sees the face of Jesus!  Don’t look back!  Having not looked back, then, Paul is free to “press on” to finish his life with the “upward call of God.”

Finally, Paul exhorts us to “keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”  How, then, shall we live?  Paul’s letters are chock full of the tenets of godly conduct.  Excerpts from Philippians: 

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”  (2:3-4)

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”  (2:14-15)

In other words, we should love God and love other people.  Don’t complain.  Doing these, everything else will take care of itself.  Once saved, don’t dwell on your past sins–God doesn’t!  Look forward to the prize at the end.  And . . . Press on!