November 18, 2014
Submitted by: Jon
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. – Philippians 3:12-16
God is going to take care of the rest. I’m so thankful for everything he’s given me. My dad used to say something when I was a kid and still does to this day. It is “I love you more than breath.” I used to wonder as a kid where these thoughts come from. What would possess a person to love someone so much that he would die a horrible deal like suffocation? I now know these thoughts come from Christ. His word is shown through us. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I was talking with Donna Medrano one day. She was saying how God shows us things through people, and sometimes we don’t even realize it’s happening. He uses each and every situation to work according to His plan. He is the beginning and the end. He knew us before we were created. And he knows our whole life. He knows the plans he has for us. It’s up to us as individuals to decide what we are going to do with those plans. Are we going to sit on the sidelines and watch the game, so to speak? Or are we going to get our heads in the game and focus on what is planned out for us in Christ Jesus.
I don’t know how God is using me, but I trust that he is. I just need to stay obedient and be open to whatever comes my way. I also need to pray and spend personal time with God to have a ready spirit to move when he moves, to go when he goes, and to stay when he stays. And, yes, even if I lose my life for his sake to follow him all the days of my life. We don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us. So live each day as if today is the day. Rejoice and be glad. Our focus is on one thing and one thing alone. To see all things in heaven and on earth under one head even Christ. I press on to finish the race to which Christ has called us heavenward.
We all have our struggles. We know what they are. One of mine is exactly what I’m doing right now: talking to other people. I always have a voice in my head saying that I can’t say that others don’t already know. I’ve never been good at small talk. And I’m sorry for thinking that, but it’s the struggle that I have to overcome. I know God will work it out in his timing. All I can do is keep working on me.
I am my worst enemy. I should be praying and seeking him daily in his Word. I’ll be honest – I just don’t do that. But I will press on. I’m so glad to know that in the end Jesus has the victory. I said earlier that I’m sorry because I know something as simple as sharing one’s testimony, something people may not know about us, could be the very ting God uses to make a change in this world. Pastor Don had mentioned it could just take that one person to plant the seed for it to spread until it covers the earth in revival.
Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. My prayer is that I would be a part of the seed planting. No longer will I sit on the sidelines and watch it grow. I will be a part of something bigger than I am. It will be watered; it will be planted in fertile soil. And it will be rooted on the one who stands for eternity.
Thank you, Jesus.