Passage Read: Philippians 3-4
Meditation Verses: 3:10-12
Thought
Paul knows that salvation is by faith alone. He just said he considered all those things that made him the ideal Jew, righteous by his own pedigree and efforts, rubbish in order to gain Christ and obtain from Him the righteousness gifted by God. Yet here, just a few verses later, he almost sounds like he hasn't yet obtained salvation and must still pursue it. He wants to attain to the resurrection by knowing Christ better and knowing the power of His resurrection better, even to suffering more and more like Jesus, so as to attain to the resurrection. He's certainly not talking about some version of salvation by our own efforts. Rather, he's not satisfied with what he knows of Christ or experiences of His power, he's not satisfied with the degree to which he has been changed or the degree to which he has dropped everything to serve Christ. The preciousness of what God has done for him deserves a greater response from him than he has yet given. He wants to be worthy to be raised from the dead and eternally seated with Christ in the presence of the Father. The greatness of this salvation, and absolute certainly of it, and the infinite kindness of God to him in choosing him, he can't just tuck these things away in a forgotten pocket. These things blow him away. They compel him to continually grow in His knowledge of Christ and experience of His power and participation in Christ's sufferings by ever greater works of service, pursuing those things that matter most to Jesus, to the increasing exclusion of whatever he could have of this world.
Application
Paul goes on to say that all who consider themselves mature in Christ (and by extension, anyone who wants to consider themselves mature in Christ) should see things the same way. I should have the same view as Paul regarding what Christ has done for me, and I should have the same desire to be worthy of the promised resurrection by growing in my understanding of Jesus, experience of His power and participation in His sufferings. There should be such a transformation of worldview and value system and life purpose in all who hear and believe what God has done for us in Christ Jesus! That's the point of the Gospel: It's not first about my preciousness to God, but God's worthiness of my complete devotion, dedication and life. I must never be satisfied with how much I know of Christ, how much I experience of His power and how much I've suffered for His and His Gospel's sake. I've barely done anything in my life and by my life to show how worthy He is. There is so much more that I can and must do.