Philippians 3:12-14 "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
I often ask myself, "Am I satisfied with the place I have reached in
life?" And of course the answer must always be, "No." As long as
I have breath, there is yet purpose. Throughout my ministry, I have met many
saints of God who stated they did not know why God was leaving them on
earth. It is my full belief that as long as we are alive, God has a
purpose (a ministry) for each of us.
Paul stated in these verses that he fully believed there was reason for his
life and even for his being in prison at that moment. He had seen the Lord at
work too many times to think anything different. Even in prison, he was
pressing toward the mark of fulfillment in Christ. When I say,
"fulfillment in Christ," I am speaking of arriving at the point of
having done all that Christ called him to do. He understood that Christ
had "apprehended" him to preach the Gospel. We saw in the first
chapter of Philippians that he was still "apprehending that for which (he)
also (had been) apprehended." Paul could say, though not to the same
degree, as Christ had said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear,
I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30) In a sense,
Christ was apprehended, of the Father, for the purpose of redeeming His
people. Jesus pressed toward the cross. Paul was pressing toward the mark
of His high calling which was to declare the glory of Jesus Christ.
You do not have to be a called minister of the Gospel in order to understand
that you also are apprehended of Christ. Every child of God has been
apprehended for a purpose. I realize I just repeated myself, but it is
important for the children of God to understand we are not necessarily placed
here for our comfort and our ease of life. It is often in our trials and
conflicts that we are best able to shine out the glory of Christ in us. We saw
in chapter three that we are to shine as lights in darkness. We do that
as we declare the glory of God's grace to be our sufficiency for every
circumstance of life. Can we say as the Apostle Paul that we are pressing
toward that mark?