Press On Towards The Mark

Posted by Kent Bascome under Advice, Featured Articles | Be the First to Comment

The Christian’s Present (Phillipians 3:12–16)

The figure of a runner is a favorite with Paul (see 1 Cor. 9:25–27; 1 Thes. 2:19–20; Heb. 12:1–3; 2 Tim. 2:5). Of course, Paul is not suggesting that we run to get to heaven! The Olympic runners in ancient Greece had to be citizens of the nation they represented. They also had to be free men, not slaves. The unsaved sinner is a slave, but the Christian is a citizen of heaven (3:20) and has been set free by Christ. Each Christian is given a special place on the “track” for his or her own service, and each one has a goal established by Christ. Our task in life is to “lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of us” (v. 13). Paul is not talking about salvation but sanctification—growth and progress in Christian life and service.

 How do we reach the goal God has set for us? For one thing, we must be honest with ourselves and admit where we are: as Paul declared. “Not that I have already attained” (v. 12). Then, we must keep our eyes of faith on Christ and forget the past—past sins and failures, and also past successes. We must press on in His power. The Christian life is not a game; it is a race that demands the very best that is in us: “This one thing I do” (v. 13). Too many Christians live divided lives. One part enjoys the things of the world and the other part tries to live for the Lord. They get ambitious for “things” and start minding earthly ambitions. Our calling is a “high calling” and a “heavenly calling”; and if we live for this world, we lose the prize that goes with our high calling.

Satan wants us to live in the past. God wants us to press on in the present with an eye to the future. We often let those things which are behind to distract us, whether they be “good” things or “bad” things, we may let them keep us from what God has in front of us.

Think of how the above spiritual lesson parallels in our business. We need to perservere when things look dim and success seems far away.