Already But Not Yet: Living Between Two Resurrections

Read these three verses slowly. What jumps out at you?

Paul uses athletic language here — pressing on, straining forward, running toward a goal. But notice what he says first: "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect." That's a strange way to start a pep talk, isn't it? It's like a coach saying, "Alright team, we're not very good yet, but let's go win this thing!"

But Paul isn't being negative. He's being honest. He's saying — I haven't arrived. I'm still in process. I'm still becoming. And that's actually freeing, because it means the Christian life isn't about pretending you've got it all together. It's about admitting you don't, and then moving forward anyway.

The phrase "press on" shows up twice in three verses. Paul is relentless about this forward motion. He's not obsessing over past failures or resting on past victories. He's locked in on what's ahead. And what's ahead? "The prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." That's not a trophy you earn — it's a future God is calling you into. A resurrected life that's already begun in Jesus and will one day be fully yours.

So here's the question as you start this week: What does it look like for you to press forward right now? Not to have it all figured out, but to keep moving toward Jesus even when you feel like you're still figuring things out?