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Press on Toward the Goal
Andrea Lende • January 19, 2021
Philippians 3:13-14
Press on Toward the Goal
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Press-on-Toward-the-Goal-ep6g9p
Philippians 3:13-14
“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet] but one thing I do [ it is my one aspiration]; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,”
“I press on toward the goal to win the supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.”
Paul was such an encourager through his writing.
He had just been telling the people again about his faults.
About how he was born a Hebrew and had observed the Law to the letter.
And even though he lived his life as perfectly as he could, he counted it as loss.
A loss for Christ as he now knew that Christ was his only gain.
Learning about and becoming closer to the Lord was his only aim.
And while he earnestly sought to come up higher and higher in his walk with Christ, he was still imperfect.
Being the optimist he was, he encouraged the congregation to press on as he was pressing on.
Keep moving forward.
He advised the people to forget the past in order to move forward.
Forget was had happened to them or what they had done.
This takes forgiveness.
This takes courage.
It takes courage to move past our mistakes and past the difficulties we have faced.
His words “straining forward to what lies ahead”
are indicative of how difficult it is to move forward instead of looking backwards.
Straining is hard.
When we strain a muscle or tendon we hurt, and it takes time to heal.
But we do heal.
Paul says we have to strain to go forward.
It may hurt but we will heal.
He told them to “press on toward the goal to win the prize which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward”.
That prize is eternal life.
God sent His Son so we could have eternal life.
We should not forget what we are fighting against our inner being for.
Whatever this temporary life can give us falls so short of the long-term goal and prize of eternal life.
We are granted eternity with our Lord.
The Lord of Lord’s and King of Kings.
If it were not so, l may not be so motivated.
I, personally, would not want to exist here in this state for all eternity.
But to be in the full presence of God the Father for all eternity.
Well, that is something to strive for.
That is something to help me leave behind what is behind and lean into the perfect promise of God’s presence.
Today I choose to let go of the past and lean into God’s promise of eternal life with Him.
May you find that forgetting what is behind you opens up what lies ahead of you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me that eternal life with You is the ultimate goal and ultimate prize. Help me let go of all I need to let go of so I can lean into Your promises. Help me strive to move forward to You and forget what lies behind as Paul encourages us to do. Help me lead a life which seeks You above all else. No matter what has happened or what is happening, keep my eyes on You. Keep my eyes on Your perfection, Your love, and Your grace. Keep my heart aligned with Yours, Father. Thank You for choosing me to know You and worship You. Please keep me Yours through every trial and tribulation. Keep me Yours through every blessing. Keep me Yours through every year that passes. I long to be in Your presence for all eternity. Thank You, Father for the promise of You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: You are Mine, sayeth the Lord.
Response: Keep me Yours, Almighty and all merciful God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.