Pressing Forward

Phlippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Scriptures refer to life as a race; one that should be run well. What does that mean? For starters, in order to run it well, or effectively, we must train. Our training consists of reading and studying the Word of God, and prayer. It involves having faith, trusting God, and being a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. In every race, there is always a challenge, and always exists the opportunity to cheat. First, we must run the course that God chose for us, in accordance to how He deems we should run it. Next, we must realize that there will be obstacles, and maybe some mountain climbing, along the way. Lastly, do not be fooled in thinking that the devils will not interfere. The Apostle Paul tells us that he ran his race looking toward a goal. That goal was ahead of him, and was set by God. Therefore, he always lived as one that never arrived at full maturity, and refused to look back at his past life (which involved some seriously bad choices...murder being one of them). As we run our race, like any good runner, we must leave the past where it belongs, in the past. Once a runner passes a mile marker, he/she does not look back to it, but instead looks toward the next one. The devils love to distract us with our past choices, mistakes, and rebellions, in order to keep us from running our race effectively. They want to cripple us with guilt over things, and situations, God has already forgiven, and are now under the Blood of Jesus. Yes, we may live with consequences from past choices, but the goal is to learn, and move forward, eyes front, and on Jesus. Our calling is from Heaven, and our goal is Heaven. Our reward is a crown, and other rewards we cannot even imagine. So today, leave the past in the past, live for today, and know that tomorrow is securely under God's control. So keep running, focus forward, but don't forget to drink from the Living Water, and draw strength from our only true Source, Jesus.