GREEK
WORD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION: τέλειος (teleios)
PRONUNCIATION:
TEL-i-os
STRONG’S
CONCORDANCE #: 5046-5049
MEANING:
perfect; to complete to the en
BACKGROUND
OF WORD (ETYMOLOGY): this word was used to describe a fruit
that had rippened to the point of being ready to be harvested
HOW
TRANSLATED IN KJV AND/OR ESV: perfect; complete; finish
#
OF TIMES USED IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: 45
VERSES
IN THE BIBLE WHERE GREEK WORD USED:
Philippians
3:12
- "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect
(τέλειος), but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was
laid hold of by Christ Jesus."
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
When you look at the life
of the apostle Paul, you'll find it very evident that he emphatically knew his calling. Furthermore, he
was able to concretely express it and often wrote of it in his epistles. Over
and over again, he wrote that he was an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians
2:8). Paul lived, breathed, ate, and slept and awoke every day to the
call of God that was on his life.
When Paul was in a Roman
prison with the prospect of death staring him
in the face, he never gave up because he knew he hadn't
yet fulfilled the entire plan God had revealed to
him. I personally believe that reaching his
God-given goal was in Paul's
mind when he wrote, “Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect...” (Philippians 3:12).
The word “perfect” is
the Greek word teleios. It
refers to something that is ripe, mature, perfect, or
complete. It suggests that Paul meant, “I have done a lot and
accomplished much in comparison to others, but
I haven't yet brought my assignment to completion. The
job is not finished. I have not yet completed what God has called me
to do.”
During his multiple years of
serving the Lord, Paul had achieved more than any other Christian leader of his time. He
had preached on different continents, traveled
to the countries of the Mediterranean Sea, and
preached to governors and kings. Besides
all these notable accomplishments, Paul
had written the majority of the New Testament text! But
none of this mattered to him because he knew he hadn't
yet “attained” that for which Jesus Christ had apprehended him.
Instead of relaxing and
taking it easy at the end of his life, Paul
therefore turned his attention to the dream — to
the unfulfilled vision or assignment that was still before him. Because
there was still so much left to do, he
went on to say, “...I follow after....” This phrase comes
from the Greek word dioko, which
is the word that is usually translated to persecute. Let's
stop and talk about this for a moment so we can understand the full force of
what Paul was writing in this verse.
The word dioko, translated as
“I follow after,” is a fiercely aggressive
word. In historic Greek literature, it
means to hunt; to pursue; to chase; to track down and kill. It
is the picture of an outdoorsman who is so determined to hunt down an animal that he will stop at
nothing to pursue, chase, track down, and ultimately get his game!
Do hunters accidentally
bag their game, or do they strategize in
their plans to get a good one each hunting season? Hunters strategize! They dream! They
talk to other hunters about the best places to
hunt! They dress in camouflaged clothes; then
they perch themselves high up on tree branches and
wait for hours upon hours for an unlucky deer to walk into their trap. Once
the deer comes in range, they
shoot to kill! They hunt, hound, and stalk that animal until they finally kill it. Then
they throw the big catch in the back of their truck and head home with their
trophy — and the prospect of many good venison meals in their future! That
is exactly what Paul means when he says, “I
follow after.”
The apostle Paul strategized,
planned, studied, and ardently followed after
the call of God on his life. You could say that he hunted, hounded, and
stalked the call of God with all his heart, never
stopping until he could say, “I got my game!” When
Paul's job was finished, he
gladly said, “...I have finished my course...” (2
Timothy 4:7). That's when he packed it all up and went home to
Heaven with his trophy — a crown of reward.
CHALLENGE
FOR THE DAY:
For you to achieve what
God has planned for your life, it will likewise require a
fierce determination to keep pressing ahead. You
can never stop until every part of your God-given
assignment has been fulfilled. Jogging along at a
comfortable pace will never get you where you need to go. You
must focus your attention on the goal and then strategize, plan, and
work until you can confidently say, “I've
done exactly what Jesus wanted me to do!” But
be forewarned: Achieving this goal will demand your utmost
concentration and undivided attention and the empowerment of
the Holy Spirit.
Do you know God's
plan for your life? Do you know the assignment He has designed just
for you? Are you following after that divine call with all your heart? If not, today is
the perfect (teleios) time to start discovering and then following after God's
call on your life!
PRAYER
OF THE DAY:
Lord, I am asking You to help me to really
know my calling so I can ardently follow after it with all my might. Help me push all distractions out
of my way and to put my sights on fulfilling the assignment You have designed for
me. I know this is going to take the greatest concentration, so please help me to focus on Your
plan and to refuse to allow anything to pull me away from reaching Your goal for my life! I
pray this in Jesus' name! Amen.
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