Furhter up and further in

 

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Philippians 3:12-16 ESV

            The call of Christ to come further up and further in is truly wonderful in its extent: in every sense we might employ that word “extent”. Paul is writing after two missionary journeys, planting numerous churches, seeing multitudes come to faith, writing most of his epistles, training others, and sending them out. Still there is something more to attain. Even in prison and apparently nearer the end than the beginning he is striving towards the goal.

            Paul has an incredible focus on the goal. The faults and failings of yesterday will not hold him back. The circumstance of the moment will not halt his progress. He is assured of what lies ahead, and so he goes on. Not because of what he has done, or who he is. He strives because of who Christ was, and what He has done. Paul has surely tasted and seen that the Lord is good. Even at this point in his life Paul fully expects there is yet more goodness to be had from God.

            And Paul under inspiration from the Holy Spirit would have all Christians strive as he strives towards the goal which Christ has set before each of us.  None of us have arrived, and none of us has an excuse. Why settled only for a taste when a whole spring of living water is offered? Why only nimble at the bread of life? Why stop sort when Christ calls us further up and further in? Let us not lose focus.

Prayer

            Our Father in Heaven, may we ever strive towards the goal set before us in Christ. May we seek the fullness of life in all of life sanctified by the truth, Your word is truth. Fix our eyes upon Your glory, and our ears upon the upward call as we hasten on from grace to glory. With every step onward we would testify to our Lord, and prove the truth of His gospel and the power of His grace. Ah, awaken our hearts in gladness we are not yet arrived, but we are on the way and we shall arrive. To You Lord be all the glory. In the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Songs

Jesus I may cross have taken

I have decided by Michael Card

Nearer my God to thee

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Against work addiction

  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 ESV             When work becomes anxious toil, something has gone wrong. Something has gone wrong in our society when it comes to work. Several decades ago, Wayne Oats coined a new word, “Workaholic” to describe addiction to work.   The description Oats came up resonates with the psalmist describes. Anxious toiling, long hours, and little if any enjoyment of the work itself or the fruits of the toil. Addiction is another word for slavery, and it is easy to be enslaved by the anxiety over our work for it drives to work more, and that increases our anxiety while also burning through psychological energies.             Not only is workaholism addiction/slavery, it is idolatry for if we stop to think about it the workaholic has placed his hope in his own work. Beloved what is truly tragic is that we live in society that admires the workaholi
Read more

Up and ahead

              Sometimes we are blindsided by a sudden shift in life. We thought we were on stable ground, and then someone starts shouting at us in a routine meeting, or tells us we don’t have a job anymore on a Monday morning, or a loved one leaves on Friday evening with no plans to return. We are left with broken piece of something that once made a kind of sense to us. We knew, and now we do not know.             Where is God? We can’t see Him anymore. We cannot understand where He went to, or what he was thinking. We trusted Him, didn’t we? Now look where we are… It is the better part of wisdom to be quiet when these calamities come to visit and to wait. It is the one wise thing Job’s friend did, when first they saw the plight of the miserable man, they only wept with him.             When later they decided to try and explain things, it did not help Job at all. What could they tell him? They didn’t have answers. And a lot of times we do not have answers either. We are too sca
Read more

Let me tell you something you already know

  Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.   I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 2 Peter 1:12-15 ESV             Peter greets the saints who obtained from Christ a faith of equal in standing, Peter is no more saved than they are, and they have no more salvation than Peter has. Nevertheless, Peter begins his letter by urging these saints, and by extension all of us, to increase in the faith and add to it such qualities as are consistent with the character of Christ. This is right, it is part of the promise, and it leads to an effective and fruitful faith. Failure to grow thus shows one has not understood the knowledge of Christ.            
Read more