Philippians 1:9-10
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Here, we see Paul encouraging the Philippian church to keep growing their love as one family of God, to keep strengthening the bonds of Christian fellowship and abiding by the Scriptures, so that they will be “pure and blameless” until the day of Judgment comes.

This seems pretty basic and understandable…until you start digging into what exactly “pure and blameless” means. Does it mean “without sin?” Well, yes. Does it mean “righteous living?” Yes, that too. But does it mean “going around telling others how perfect and sinless your life is, then telling them how wrong and sinful they are?”

In a word: NOPE.

Paul’s words here are not meant to encourage the Philippians to become SELF-righteous, i.e. conceited and haughty about their faith. True, Paul would love for the Philippians to never have a “bad day” in faith, to always be able to “discern what is best” and “be pure and blameless.” But he also encourages them to make their love “abound more and more”–to keep getting better at it every day, in other words. What he’s describing is a Christian life lived in love–lived with the understanding that sin happens to the best of us, and that we can bounce back from sin to serve God better by expending faith-based effort.

These two verses speak of a perfection of faith and love which we will never reach here on Earth–and Paul knows that all too well. But when the “day of Christ” comes, this faith-filled vision will be fulfilled in totality. While we wait for the day of Christ, however, we as Christians must strive to get as close as we can to that ideal, to love as God loves, to behave more like Jesus every day. And that doesn’t mean condemning others–it means demonstrating Christ’s love to others.

Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brothers, 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, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Speaking in rather athletic terms, Paul describes the Christian life as a striving towards the “goal” of godliness and ultimately the “prize” of heaven. Just like a runner leaving behind the start line to race toward the finish, Paul is leaving behind the “starting line” of the sinful life he once led, and running toward the “finish line”–a reunion with God in heaven.

Note that Paul is not saying he strives this way in order to be saved; he is already saved thanks to his faith in Jesus. But he looks forward to going to heaven. He knows he’s not “there” yet in terms of godliness and in terms of deserving it, but the gift of salvation allows him to one day experience that everlasting life and glory with God. That is what makes his life on earth bearable–knowing where it leads.

We too can have this hope. Looking forward to heaven, a life without pain, tears, or death, and a life with God, is every Christian’s gift personally delivered by Jesus. We just must first put aside the petty, selfish things of this world and this life, and rely on God for our needs, both human and spiritual. It’s all about leaving behind your starting line, your own past sins, and running on with Jesus toward heaven.

Philippians 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul, in this verse, encourages the church of Philippi to continue using their worship and outreach to touch the lives of others in the community. We need that message, too, so we don’t lose faith in what God is doing in our lives and through our efforts. Sometimes we can feel as if we’re half-finished, or that what we’re doing isn’t worth much to other people–the world can make us feel pretty worthless and useless. But this verse serves to contradict that thinking. God’s not finished with any of us yet, and He’s always working in our lives and working in our hearts to shape us and help us become more than we ever dreamed we could be.

For instance, I see God personally working in my life to apply my writing skills to new, faith-based opportunities. Certainly, I’ve tried to shape my own career before, with disastrous results (like the teaching career that fell apart in my hands). But once I trusted God fully and let go of the career decision, I found opportunities starting to form, sometimes literally dropping in my lap. He began a “good work” in me by giving me the gift of communication with others, and now He’s helping me use that gift to its best potential, whether it’s through my novel, this blog, or my Sunday school lessons. And He is doing the same for you in your life, right now, with whatever gifts He gave you and whatever opportunities are coming.