Philippians 3:12b ...but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
One sign of Christian maturity is balance. This verse in a few words gives me hope that one day I will live out this balance. On the one hand, the life of the Christian is founded completely on the finished and perfect work of our Saviour. We are accepted before our God on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not any work that we do. Yet the life we live NOW is compared to a race, we are to press on toward the goal, work out our salvation, to live in our experience as closely as possible to the reality of our position in Christ. I find myself often drifting between the two, yet a balanced approach to sanctification finds God's good grace at work in our works. It finds that he who began the good work is the one that is completing it. Even though I am the one who has to swing my feet out of the bed in the morning, behind it all is God at work. All is done through His power.