Second 'P' = Purpose

It was the great Apostle Paul who said "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:13-14 

It seems like Paul is actually doing three things here! (1) Forgetting what's behind, (2) reaching forth to the future and (3) pressing towards the mark - Yet he says 'This one thing I do' (?) Did Paul have a problem with Maths? Great letters Paul! just a bit out with the counting..

I think this is a mix of what & how he maintained his focus in life. His central purpose in life - his 'One thing' was to pursue the high calling of God in Christ, which he considered a 'prize' worth devoting his whole life to. Lets examine that for a moment - the 'What' of purpose.

Do you have this 'One thing' ? Paul did. If we are to be effective leaders we will need to have this 'One thing'. Sounds too restrictive? blinkered? rigid? restraining? No - you don't understand how busy I am! how many things I need to do, achieve, be - exactly! That's why many of us are not effective spiritual leaders (Ouch! That's harsh Ps Rhett)

Listen! the high calling of God in Christ deserves everything you are if you are to realise it.
Imagine you are running with all your might to win the 100 mtr dash, Imagine you are a policeman giving chase to a dangerous criminal, every cell of your body is engaged in a passionate pursuit of your goal; this is the picture the Greek gives us. The mark ('Skopos') is a distant point, (Think of a rifle 'scope') a point of reference in the physical distance or a mental goal we are attaining too. For Paul it was to attain and be all that God had for him & the full realisation of his salvation in every way. As spiritual leaders we must be focused on this ourselves before we can effectively bring anyone else into it.

Now lets look at the 'How' of purpose - Paul was very deliberate in how he achieved this 'One thing' - he did not allow his past to drag him back. He 'forgot' his unfruitful past. One man has said "its difficult to embrace the future, when your wrists are chained to the past." A life of regret will paralyze you from positive action in the present - we need to burn that movie reel we continually play in our heads and write a new script, starring you - the apprehender of a glorious future! Call it 'Adventures in God - on the road to Glory!"  written by God, directed by the Holy Spirit, and featuring you. The second thing Paul did was to 'reach forth' for the future this was a deliberate mindset to make every moment in his present contribute positively to his future. I remember the story of Gene Cernan, Apollo astronaut who tells of his journey to the moon in his book "Moonwalker' - as a young teenager he was enthralled with the idea of getting to the moon, at 12 he tells his grandmother "I will walk on the moon one day" of course the family thought the poor child was lunatic! he says that from that day forward he applied himself at High school, ccollege, the military, on to Nasa and eventually the Apollo training program, and eventually was part of the Apollo 16 moon mission - almost 20 years later. He made a deliberate decision to apprehend a preferred future, and every decision and action was made to contribute to this.
The third thing Paul did was to 'press toward' this 'one thing' as we have said with all his mental, physical, emotional & spiritual strength. This is the power of a singular purpose in leadership, if we want to be influential. Its not enough to just have a good purpose, or even a noble purpose - but do you have this purpose - the 'One thing' Paul was specifically speaking about here? The 'high calling of God in Christ Jesus'
I trust that as leaders in God's house this is our purpose - to know this and to make this known to others.
Keep up the good work!
Ps Rhett
Next week: Third 'P' of purpose = Power