Philippians 3:12-14 The Message Bible & NLT ... I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have already achieved these things, that I have it made or that I have already reached perfection. But I'm well on my way, reaching out for Christ Who has so wondrously reached out for me. Don't get me wrong. By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this ... I focus on this one thing: I've got my eye on the goal, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, where God is beckoning us onward --- to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
The Apostle Paul is saying here that he was following after (pressing toward) his set goal to obtain spiritual perfection.
Our goal should be the same thing. We must press on in hot pursuit to obtain our goal.
Paul said, "I press toward the mark."
The Greek word for "press" means to "pursue, to speed up earnestly".
Paul was earnestly seeking ... running in hot pursuit, using all of his effort to obtain spiritual perfection, just as an Olympic runner presses on to win a gold medal.
Concentrate on your goal.
Reverend Robert W. & Mary C. Butler