Philippians 3:12-14 - Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Lord, this is my prayer, that I never give up following You, that I never back down in grasping for more truth about You.
For some it might be easy to back down in their belief of God. Maybe no results in prayer might be the issue. Thinking God has not heard the prayers or has decided not to answer...or thinking that we are not worthy enough to receive the answer. Or maybe there are too many disasters in life and we come to a time of being worn out for it all.
It's then we are to remember that everything is in God's timing. He knows all we are going through, all our desires...and motives. His timing is everything. Maybe He needs to get us right in our thoughts, or He has to change so done else's heart. Through difficult times we must draw nearer to Him. That's what it's all about anyway...trusting when we just do not see His hand. When we look back after a breakthrough we then see all He has done, all He had to put into place before our prayer could be answered.
So often I refer to life as a puzzle or a spider's web. Pieces must be in place...and everything plays a part, has a reason; one part of the web connects to another, to another, to another. That tangled web we hear about. Yet it's not tangled in God's purpose. He knows just what needs to happen.
I've been thinking on and off all week about trusting in what we cannot see. It fits in with the account of the man blind from birth in John 9. Jesus healed him and he was able to see. He saw Jesus! And I'm assuming after that he believed and trusted in Jesus. And once our spiritual sight is restored and we see Jesus then we are faced with the task of believing in Him when we don't see Him. Those unseen things. If we continue seeking, trusting, obeying despite all odds, we will receive the greatest prize of all.
I don't know if I will hear, "Well done, my faithful servant." I don't really feel I'm doing that much. I have had conversations with others who feel the same way. But maybe I am (we are)...in His eyes. How can any of us judge? We are not to compare ourselves with others. If we think purposely getting out and doing just to prove to God something to Him, our motives are wrong. A matter of the motives of the heart. Maybe I will hear those words based on what I am doing! There's where faith again comes in. There's where plugging along reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Always looking forward, not back at mistakes or wrong directions.
So, I press on. I know what God likes and dislikes. I also know, as stated above, I have not been perfected. We never will be this side of heaven. But we press on to achieve the one thing that is most important...the upward (heavenly) call of God in Christ Jesus.
Today's thinking tells us that to be politically correct, there are no losers, all are winners. It's better for morale. Not so by God's standards. There is one narrow road we are to walk...or run...on. There is only one Way to heaven and to get there we had better be on that right road. We had better stay on that road, follow that Way, no matter which direction He goes, and press on...in Christ...to receive the prize of heaven. This ending scripture reminds me of that narrow road that few are on.
1Corinthians 9:24 - Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
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