Becoming Like
Him
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things,
and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in
him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that
comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I
want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his
sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the
resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this
or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because
Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made
it on my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies ahead, I press on
toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let
those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think
differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold
fast to what we have attained.
The apostle
Paul’s testimony of lifelong growth reminds us that Christian maturity can be
encouraged by not hurried.
Are you feeling impatient over your
spiritual growth? Remember, God is not finished with you – nor does He expect
to be until He calls you home. Make sure that your goal is to known Christ and
to become more like Him. Then slowly, but surely, under blue skies of summer
and stormy winter skies, He will bring you to maturity.
There are no
shortcuts
to spiritual
maturity.
Our Daily
Bread –