have you arrived?...

don't you like how paul is so honest about himself and his life? philippians 3.12-13 (niv), not that i have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect. i do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. in the good news translation, i don't claim that i have already succeeded or become perfect.

to me, that's an amazing statement, because paul is an old man now. if anybody had the right to claim he had arrived it would be paul. he wrote most of the new testament. he single handily spread CHRISTianity throughout the roman empire. he made an incredible impact on the world. yet paul, at the end of his life, says "i don't have it all together. i haven't arrived. i'm not perfect. i'm still growing." the point is, successful people never stop growing. they are always developing, growing, expanding, learning. even when he gets to be an old man, in prison, he says, "i haven't arrived."

that is so contrary to people today. many CHRISTians will give you the impression that they never have any problems. they give you the impression that they have arrived. they are sinless perfection, no problems or doubts! i get indigestion from those kinds of people. the longer i grow as a CHRISTian the more acutely aware that i am of my own inadequacies, limitations, weaknesses and faults. rather than saying "look how far i've come," i have to say, "look how far i have to go!" paul says this is the starting point for successful living – to face your faults, be honest, do an evaluation.

proverbs 28.13 (tev), you will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. confess them and give them up; then GOD will show mercy to you. successful people are honest about their faults. transparency is a mark of emotional maturity. successful people admit that they have not arrived, that they have a long way to go. sometimes you have to choose between – do i want to look good? or do i want to be good?

the question you ought to ask yourself is, "where do i need to change?" take a personal inventory. we're good at inventorying other people and see where they need to change.

just a thought from the front porch...