“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain[a] to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” — Philippians 3:7-16 (NKJV)

Whether we are mature or just beginning, we should follow Paul’s example of the pursuit of holiness; this is spoken of more pointedly by Jesus in Matthew 5:6 — “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

We are not to rest on past accomplishments, or be troubled by failures (all is rubbish), we must press on as one who is hungry and thirsty for a deeper relationship with God.

As those who need more, and are determined (pressing on) to receive it. It is this kind of hunger for more that God honors.

It may be said with confidence, that the entirety of Scripture is the millennia old journal of God calling us back to the state of holiness of Adam and Eve before the fall.

See also the following Scripture passages: Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:15-16.

The Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired pastor.