Sometimes it is just hard to keep going. For me…….it can be writing….walking on the treadmill…. helping my dad in his grief over the loss of my mom and aging….or encouraging one of our kids in the life that is ahead of them.
Life can be hard. But in the race we call life, God calls us to run with endurance…to persevere, to PRESS ON, to run to win…to gain the prize.
Philippians 3:12, “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.”
If you are reading this and you are a Christian, understand, Christ Jesus has taken a HOLD of you. In scripture Paul compares life, our call by God, to a race. It is a race we all have been called to run. :o) From reading and studying scripture it is obvious that life is not supposed to be easy. It will be hard at times…that is a given…but no matter what….What are we supposed to do?
We are supposed to run and keep running no matter what…to PRESS ON! What does that look like? Well, I have gleaned several things from scripture:
1. It is to never be satisfied…which basically means to stay humble and hungry…to grow to learn. Paul states, “Not that I have already obtained all of this…” Paul knew there was always more. :o)
2. Stay focused! Paul said, “I forget what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Distractions…setbacks…are the enemy of success. So no matter what, you have to keep moving and stay focused on the “prize”…completing your call.
You cannot allow yourself to be double minded. James 1:6-8, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. that person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do.” Ask God and Trust Him to complete His call on your life. :o)
You will win and you will lose. Understand, God has prepared training ground in both circumstances.
3. Run your own race. Stay in your lane. Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” All calls are individual and must have a heaven focus. At the end there is a promised prize for everyone. :o)
4. Never quit!! In Philippians 4:1 Paul tells us to “…stand firm in the Lord…”
5. Don’t be paralyzed by the past. “Forgetting what is behind…and Pressing ON.” The past is there to gain experience from and learn from but not to live there. In failures or successes, both are for gained experience….to take and move us forward.
Life was created and given by God to be lived with a “victory” mentality. A victory that is found in staying connected to the vine. It states in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
So run your race…PRESS ON and remember one key thing, “God doesn’t prune dead trees, only fruitful ones” So if you are being pruned…living a difficult circumstance…a pruning….the FRUIT is coming. PRESS ON!