All of us, then, 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.
Philippians 3:15 NIV
Paul had just expressed that everything he once thought was to his advantage, he now considers as garbage in order to know Christ. He wants to know Christ and become like him. He then shared that he had not yet reached that goal. But he was fully focused on it, consumed with achieving it.
It might be tempting to think that was ok for Paul. And maybe others who are in “full-time ministry.” But the rest of us must live in this world, raise families, and earn a living. What Paul was striving for is unrealistic for us.
But Paul was not buying that. All of us who are mature, Paul says, should have the same Christian mindset he did. And, if we don’t, God will convict us of our error.
Paul is not telling us here that we must quit our jobs, abandon our families, and travel around the world preaching. But he is telling me that becoming like Christ should be my goal in life. In my job, with my family, and in everything else I do, I should be striving for Christlikeness. And anything that is at odds with growing in Christlikeness should have no place in my life.
