Paul: The Way of the Passionate Pursuit of Christ — Part 2

(Click here for Part 1)


3. Having a holy discontentment with whatever progress made

“Discontentment” here is being dissatisfied and displeased. In the realm of his physical life and material needs, Paul preached contentment (Philippians 4:12). However, when it came to his spiritual progress, Paul was never satisfied with the status quo. No matter how much he had grown in his pursuit of Christ, he was always striving for more of Christ in his life. In Philippians 3:12-14, we find seven statements which give us an understanding of this holy discontentment:

Philippians 3:12
1) “not that I have already obtained all this”
2) “or have already arrived at my goal”
3) “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”

Philippians 3:13
4) “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it”
5) “… forgetting what is behind”
6) “and straining toward what is ahead”

Philippians 3:14
7) “I press on toward the goal …”

Paul’s pursuit of Christ is so unlike mine.

I am so easily satisfied with minimal progress in my pursuit of Christ, if it can even be called a pursuit. “Wow! I have grown!”, I tell myself, and then I coast a little and ease off in seeking more of Christ for a period. There have been times when a little progress stirs me to desire more of Christ. But this too soon dissipates.

There seems to be a “law” that describes this condition—perhaps something like “The Law of Diminishing Spiritual Satisfaction”. In contrast, the law that describes Paul’s pursuit is more like “The Law of Increasing Spiritual Satisfaction”. What a challenge to move into this kind of an ever increasing desire for Christ when the final satisfaction is ours in heaven, when we come face to face with Jesus.

What characterises those people who have this holy dissatisfaction?

Paul’s passion concerning the pursuit of Christ is seen in the three ways he describes his relationship to Christ: to know Christ, to gain Christ and to become like Christ. In the pursuit of Christ, we can trace four major drives that motivated Paul.

Some of these markers:

1. People who have this holy dissatisfaction never say “I have arrived”. They may say, “I have really grown!” but not, “I have arrived”. They avoid being complacent. In the words of A W Tozer, “Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.”

2. They are dissatisfied when their walk with God seems static for a time. They tend to have periodic reviews of their relationship with God and are very aware of whether it is vibrant or otherwise.

3. They have moved from quantitative measures of spiritual growth to more relational attitudes and desires such as being like Christ, knowing Christ, and more. Their concern is their relationship with Christ in terms of closeness and love, rather than in the activities themselves. 

Most of the markers of spiritual progress I use tend to be quantifiable and measurable like the number of Bible chapters read for the year, chapters studied, verses memorised, quiet time durations etc. What I see in Paul’s pursuit of Christ is that it is not quantifiable. Rather, they relate to the identification with Christ, intimacy with Christ and fellowship of entering into Christ’s sufferings.

4. There is the distinct hallmark of humility and focus on Christ rather than on self.

5. They are resolute and determined about growing towards Christlikeness. Their determination is expressed as a single focus, the one thing they do. This is such a significant trait that it is worth elaborating as a separate principle in the following segment.


4. Keeping a single-minded focus on the pursuit of Christ

We may have great ideas and sincere intentions to do something or to pursue a dream. Think of all the wonderful New Year resolutions we wrote down, only to give up a few days into January!

We may have a great goal to achieve. Yet, all too often, we get distracted and give up the goal. Or we chance upon other great ideas and these replace the original goal. If we give up so easily on these great goals, how well will we fare in the greatest goal of pursuing Jesus Christ?

What is significant in Paul’s pursuit is his single focus. He writes—

Paul kept the pursuit of Christ as his single goal in life, as it was his “one thing”.

At the very beginning of his encounter with Christ, his first question to Jesus on the desert road near Damascus was, “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5). That question turned into a life-long quest to know Christ. Paul kept this single focus as he preached the gospel in virgin territories. Despite fruitful ministries in Asia Minor and Europe, he kept this single focus. 

He writes in 1 Corinthians 2:2: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

He did not allow ministry success, problems and issues in the mission field or even the struggles and needs of budding churches to distract him from his single goal in life to know Christ.

There is a similar single-mindedness with godly men and women in biblical history. David, the man of God, expressed his focus as a prayer in Psalm 27:4. He prayed:
 

He follows up this prayer with a call to himself to seek God's face:
 

This is all the more gripping when we see that Psalm 27 talks about David facing enemies and opponents who were seeking to devour him, and David feeling abandoned by the people around him. Fears, troubles and the possibility of death did not deter him from earnestly seeking God. Such was his single-minded focus and desire for God.

Asaph, a Levite serving in the Temple who is attributed as the author of several Psalms wrote “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). Wealth, health and a trouble-free life are the goals that many desire, but Asaph saw through the false veneers and, though he almost slipped, he kept his focus on God.

Mary was commended by Jesus for her focus while Martha was easily distracted with serving Jesus. The clatter of dishes and the preparation of a great meal meant more to Martha than time with Jesus.

In response to Martha’s complaint about the lack of help from Mary, Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Like Martha, we can be easily distracted. We need to return to that “one thing” of a single-minded focus in our pursuit of Jesus.

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Discussion and Reflection

1. In your spiritual journey, who has influenced you significantly?

2. In what areas of life have these mentors influenced you?

3. How can you make the terms “know Christ”, “gain Christ” and “become like Christ” practical in your relationship of following Jesus?

4. Which of the various marks of “holy discontentment” can help you in your journey of pursuing Christ?

5. Have you experienced periods of complacency? What happened and how did you get out of those episodes?