Friday, December 12
Scripture: Philippians 3:12-16
[12] I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already
reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first
possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on
to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through
Christ Jesus, is calling us.
[15] Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some
point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we
have already made.
Some thoughts
The conversation today is about pressing on. If I’m honest, I admit there are times when I’m too tired to press on. I just want to rest. This “pressing on” is not about those times. Here, we are talking about following Christ relentlessly. It’s about looking to the future and progressing. I once had a professor say that “excellence is not a state of being, it’s a process of excelling. Am I improving?” In this passage, Paul freely admits he has not arrived, because frankly, we never do in this life. Our pressing on is part of a bigger work of God.
The pressing on of each of us is a small part of the biggest pressing on that God is doing. Our God is always pressing on. Maybe instead of saying pressing on, we could say vibrantly living, dynamically moving. How do you think He created the Universe? Not by sitting back.
We plant in faith looking to the future for the harvest to come. I din’t grow up on a farm, but I know people who did. I can only imagine the joy of the farmer and their families during harvesting. They get to rejoice in the way the Lord was faithful in their harvest year after year. They knew well the long months between planting in mid-April and harvesting the end of September. Like farmers, we live with anticipation of what is to come. Press on in godliness, and holy living! The King is coming for the final harvest!
Prayer:
O Lord my God, be not Thou far from me; my God, have regard to help me; for there have risen up against me sundry thoughts, and great fears afflicting my soul. How shall I pass through unhurt? How shall I break them to pieces? This is my hope, my one only consolation, to flee unto Thee in every tribulation, to trust in Thee, to call upon Thee from my inmost heart, and to wait patiently for Thy consolation. Amen. —Thomas à Kempis 1380-1471 A.D.