Not that I have already obtained it or have
already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which
also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as
having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
As with any new year, we have new opportunities. The New Year is a great time to turn the page
on stuff you’d like to get going on and accomplish in the next year. It’s also a great time to turn the page on
some things you should put behind you.
Today we look at the three remaining steps from Five lessons we can learn from
Paul:
1.
No
matter our current circumstances, we can move on to better and greater things.
Paul was an old man, under house arrest in Rome, just a few
years from putting his head on the chopping block when he wrote this letter to
the Philippians. He could have just sat
back and “retired” from living for Christ and from ministry, but he was of the
opinion that he still had work to do.
And more than that, He still needed to know Christ better.
Here’s a guy who had known Jesus for 10’s of years and
probably had a relationship with him that most folks could only dream of, and
yet – it wasn’t enough. It didn’t matter
that he was under house arrest. It didn’t matter that he was an older man. It
didn’t matter what his current circumstance was. He needed more of Jesus and he
was willing to make the effort to make it happen. And that leads us to the fourth lesson we can
take from Paul:
2.
Moving
on only happens by intentional, determined effort.
There’s a word that doesn’t fit real well with learning to
live for Christ and serve Him: convenience.
I love convenience, and I love only working or praying or studying or
whatever, when it’s convenient.
But listen to the words of Paul here in this passage: I press on. Straining toward what is ahead. I press on. That goes against what I think
most Christians would think it takes to know Christ and serve Him better. Paul was determined to move on from his past
and from his present circumstances to gain more of Christ.
3.
The
goal is worth the effort.
Paul here calls it a prize. Not just a wage or a paycheck. A prize.
When you focus on Christ and living for Him, you win. I think so many people have a lukewarm
relationship with Christ and no desire to live for Him because they see the
work, but they don’t see the prize.
They’ll work for what they can see, but not for something that helps the
soul.
But Paul says here that everything he’s done or had isn’t
worth what he can gain through knowing Christ and serving Him. God help all of us to see that the prize is
worth the effort. The bottom-line of
what I want to communicate to you through Paul’s words here is that he decided
to turn the page – on his past, and even on his present circumstances. He wanted to move on. And the new year gives us a great opportunity
to do just that.
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud
of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the
sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
