"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
Here's a picture of perseverance, what author Eugene Peterson called "a long obedience in the same direction." Paul starts with the sure knowledge that, first and foremost, he belongs to Jesus Christ. Jesus owns him, and Jesus has a goal for Paul: perfection. It's something Jesus, not Paul, brings about, and it won't be completed in this lifetime. Paul knows it's a process, and is willing to trust Jesus as the one who controls it. Persevere in the direction of perfection in Jesus—and remember, it is a process.
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