Do you have goals you are pursuing? Are you looking a particularly large purchase you are saving for? Do you have your sights set on a promotion at work? Are you looking for that special relationship? Is there some other important goal you have set for yourself?
We often set goals in life. They may be career oriented. They may be family oriented. They may be personal growth or physical health goals. Setting goals is a great way to motivate ourselves toward achievements. They can also be set so high as to be unachievable.
How we react to goals we determine to be unachievable is important. We may simply write them off. We may be deeply depressed. We may decide to lower the goal to something that is achievable. There is one goal we all should set that none of these options apply to.
We should pursue becoming more like Jesus with the ultimate goal of perfection. No, we’ll never achieve it, but we should never give up. The apostle Paul set that goal fully understanding he would not achieve it while living on this earth. Yet he continued to pursue it throughout his life, knowing he would be made perfect at the end of his life by Christ Himself.
We, too, can take comfort in the thought of being made perfect by Christ. However, knowing Christ will make us perfect in the end does not relieve us of the pursuit to continue to become more like Him during our lives. Much as Paul pursued this goal, we are to continue to pursue it each day.
We cannot achieve this goal solely on our own. We need the assistance of the Holy Spirit and Jesus. We also need the assistance of other Christians. We need an attitude of continual learning and yearning to move closer to the goal as we go through this life.
We all have seen the Marine Corps commercials with the slogan, “The Few, The Proud, The Marines.” As Christians, we need a similar slogan, “The Few, The Loving, The Pursuers.” It is unfortunate the first two words are the same on both slogans. The world would be far better off if there were millions more in pursuit of being like Christ.
I pray we all decide to pursue the goal of perfection in Jesus Christ. I pray we set about each day to take another step forward. I pray each of us will grow in our knowledge of Jesus and allow Him to change our lives for the better. Pursue perfection. Pursue Jesus. Grow in your knowledge of Him. Never give up on the goal of perfection. Be perfect in love.
Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Marty Pressey 