“Only let us live up to what we have attained.” Philippians 3:16
Every now and then, there is a verse that jumps out and grabs me. I find myself thinking hard trying to understand it, and then God brings it back up again and again until I know it like the back of my hand. Philippians 3:15-16 is one of those passages. Paul talks about leaving the past behind and straining toward the reward of joining Christ in heaven. He then said,
“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” vs. 15, 16
We can’t do that in our own power. We need Holy Spirit’s help, and it is a process of consistently growing up in Christ. I sometimes tell my kids that there is no such thing as standing still in our walk with Jesus. We are either maturing or we are backsliding, so keep moving forward and live up to what you have attained— do what you know is right in the maturity you have already achieved.
I am stopped by Paul’s statement: “And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”
Who else would be so qualified to make such a statement? Paul described himself as “a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless…”
And then God showed him that he was wrong. Carrying a letter of authority with him to Damascus in order to arrest Christians and take them back to Jerusalem to be tried as criminals, he was stopped and blinded by the glory of Jesus. He repented, and he became the very thing he once persecuted…a follower of Christ.
What made Paul different from all the other people who persecute the church? We often see him as this terrible man who became good, but I think he was neither. He was a man who, all along, loved God and was simply walking in the light that he already had. When he did not understand that Jesus was the Christ, he persecuted the Christians out of zeal for God. And when God made it clear to him that Jesus was the Christ, his zeal was redirected to defend Jesus and spread the knowledge of Him as far as humanly possible.
God knew Paul’s heart.
We are all at different levels of maturity. It’s easy to see that with children. Their height, their age, and their maturity often coincide; yet, with adults, it can be hard to predict. Age doesn’t always guarantee maturity. So how do we handle disagreements while living up to what (maturity) we have already attained?
As we walked across the parking lot to our van after church Sunday, I became aware of sharp words among my children. Apparently, the 22 year old, pre-school teaching daughter felt it necessary to correct her 13 year old brother for some behavior she observed between the boys during the service…
I had been sitting right beside the boys during church. Did I miss something? Besides asking them to quiet down once, they had conducted themselves well all morning, so I asked the question: “What is the problem?”
She said.
Then he said.
So often, our behavior is neither right nor wrong. Instead, the “why” is more important. The morality of our situation and how we should prepare for the “next times” completely hinge on where our hearts are. What I know is that my son is becoming a man in front of me. He is suddenly almost as tall as I am, and his voice is changing. He is developing opinions. Good, God-honoring perspectives. To be honest, I didn’t know if he needed correction. I just wanted his heart to be with me.
I want his heart to be with God.
The pastor had mentioned Paul in his sermon, admonishing us all to believe that God can use anyone. So I asked him. “Christian, why did God stop Paul on the road to Damascus?”
“Because he was persecuting the Christians,” he answered.
“No,” I said, placing my hand upon his heart…, “I mean, how did God know that Paul would listen and change?”
He thought a moment. “Because God knew that Paul loved Him.”
“Yes,” I whispered. I get choked up when God shows me these heart connections. By now, the tears were flowing. “Paul’s zeal was misplaced, but God knew that he would course correct when he understood what was right. So son, instead of telling you what you should or shouldn’t have done, I’m asking you to look into your heart and identify what your motivation was when you took the action that your sister is pointing out.”
He understood. He looked me in the eyes and he nodded. “From now on, just make sure your heart is in the right place.”
I hugged him. He hugged me back, and that’s always a good sign. These days are fleeting and I so want him to know I love him and that he can always come to me. I know our conversation was a win.
And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
I think it’s really about staying teachable. That’s when you are usable in the Master’s hands.
Growing Graceful 