Phil. 3:12-14

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me

In Acts 20 Paul declares that his life is worth nothing unless he completes the work into which he has been called by God. We see the same resolute commitment to the the purposes of god in his reflections here. Paul talk a bout pressing on, about taking hold. Previously Paul had been motivated by religious zeal, now he is motivated by grce and the gospel of grace. Knowing that his justification doesn’t come from himself and his own efforts, Paul is now free to purse the life-giving purposes of God, the “upward call” to heaven.

Perhaps, if Paul had the opportunity to watch the occasional film, he might have quoted Galaxy Quest at this point: Never give up, never surrender! Not in an arrogant way but in a determined way, a way that refuses to be deflected from the purposes of God. discerning those purposes is another matter, but the whole-hearted commitment required to follow them through is beyond question.