Monday, October 24, 2011

Pressing On

 

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from Philippians 3:9-16

 

“What do I do now?”

Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where it seems as if you have exhausted every possible human effort to right a wrong, or achieve a hope or dream, or gain a promotion, or complete a difficult task? In some ways, reaching that “end point” seems harder than the energy it took to struggle through whatever quest on which you had embarked. Not only have you exhausted every possible human effort, but you’ve run out of every spiritual means to achieve your objective.

You started at the very beginning by committing your efforts to God in prayer. You sought the counsel of the Holy Spirit by paying particular attention to insights He might give you as your read your Bible. Even as you studied God’s Word, you remained sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s nudging, as you immersed yourself in the text.

Not only did you begin your quest with prayer, you continued to pray—earnestly and fervently—throughout every step along the way. In fact, the more resistance you experienced, the more you prayed. You spent so much time in prayer that some even criticized you for not spending enough time trying to move forward.

Beyond your prayers and study of God’s Word, you sought the counsel of wise men and women of faith. You laid out your strategy before them and eagerly waited to hear their comments, suggestions, and advice. When you sensed the Holy Spirit affirming the counsel they gave you, you followed it with intentionality.

Realizing that noting of value ever happens quickly, you waited on God and sought His peace in the matter. You resisted anything on your part that would unnaturally accelerate a conclusion. You took to heart the Prophet Isaiah’s exhortation from Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
    The Lord is the everlasting God,
        the Creator of the ends of the earth.
    He will not grow tired or weary,
        and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
        and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
        and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
        will renew their strength.
    They will soar on wings like eagles;
        they will run and not grow weary,
        they will walk and not be faint.

In spite of all of this determination and effort, you find yourself at what seems to represent the end of your quest. You did not right the wrong. You did not achieve your hope or dream. You did not gain the promotion. You did not complete the difficult task. “What do I do now?” You ask in confusion, discouragement, and pain.

I think I have a word for you from the Lord through the pen of the Apostle Paul. Please take note of his words in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. Paul describes the philosophy on which he relies, as he continues his unrelenting journey for Christ:

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Yes! Don’t keep looking back at the seeming failure of this most recent quest. Turn your head to the future and press on. It’s a new day. The sooner you accept the fact that you cannot change the past, the more readily you will move forward.

God has a new quest for you. He wants to turn the page and open up a whole new chapter in your life. Your future success does not depend on a failed past. No! He will renew your strength. He will provide everything you need to take on a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new period of blessing. It does you no good to spend time trying to figure out why you didn’t succeed.

God has a reason why you didn’t achieve your objective. It may have nothing to do with you. It may have something to do with the other people involved. Because God is always at work to will and to do of His good pleasure, we don’t always understand what He’s doing. That’s okay because He’s God and we’re not!

So, don’t wallow in discouragement or dispair. Turn your back on what lies behind. Face toward what lies ahead. Pick up the possessions that you’ve packed for this new journey and move forward.

What I’m saying, distilled into a sentence reads something like this: “Because God loves you so much, He wants you to turn away from past failures and keep moving forward to win the prize He has for you in Christ Jesus.”

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Thank you for giving us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

We ask Your Holy Spirit to help us turn away from our past failures and look forward toward the new day that you are bringing into our lives. We trust You to lead and guide us along this new pathway. Strenghten us by Your Word. Renew within us a strong sense of Your Presence. Vanquish every fear and doubt that would keep us rooted in the past. Grant us courage for what lies ahead and give us complete peace about what lies behind.

Thank You for loving us with Your everlasting love. And, thank you for hearing this prayer, as we come to You in and through the powerful and supportive Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.

 

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