Before we talk about what the word straining means, we need to talk about what is the goal, considering Paul urges us to forget what is behind and straining ahead towards the goal, so in this context we have to understand that the goal is what we are looking to reach. Now, interestingly enough, when we ask the question ,what is our goal, we would naturally assume it is heaven, right? I mean, we think the ultimate goal to reach is heaven. But, Paul is not talking about that here. He says that the prize comes before heaven, not as a result. The prize which comes as a result of the goal must be so good that it calls him heavenward. So, what is the prize? Or the goal? The answer: his Damascus Road Experience. Before that, Paul didn’t need anyone to help him attain salvation. He was doing fine on his own merits. The only thing that could (or did) shake him up was the interaction with God. Once the scales had been lifted, He could see salvation for what it really was: fellowship with the Savior. That is the ultimate goal, not heaven! Heaven is the fruit of the labors here on earth. Think about it: what better joy is there than to interact with Jesus, whom you have never seen, yet read about and seen the manifestation of in others, than to finally meet your best friend and confidant face to face? I know for me, the most joyous moments of my life are when God is communicating to me and I am with Him. So, the goal is fellowship with God . But, what does it mean to strain towards it?
No comments:
Post a Comment