Yes taking Christ seriously is indeed important , that’s what the gospel teaches us about lots and lots of encouragement and comfort for believers along side lots and lots of warnings of dangers and lost paths ahead .
we simply need to walk in the light rather than the darkness .
the thing is who are we supposed to obey ? And what was it that he said ?
There are two types of righteousness in scripture one comes from the law and ones faultless obedience to it
I find a gem for believers in there scriptures regarding righteousness and the mind frame we should have Paul is bragging about his freshly accomplishments under the law but his conclusions are relatively astounding
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”
Philippians 3:5-15 KJV
I love that chapter and find a ton of great value of how we should be looking at this whole thing a bit like your explaining we need to have a goal set as high as the heavens , but we should never think we’ve attained perfection. We should also look at the new covenant law and not the old one provides the righteousness of faith the other a righteousness of self that is worth dung compared to Christ’s righteousness
the law can’t make a person right before God but the gospel can .
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:23-24 KJV
We need the law of the spirit not the law of the flesh