Skip to main content

IBS 45 - Philippins 3:12-13

Philippians 3:12-13
“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.”

Press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. “Fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12).  He fought for me, chased after me, suffered for me, and died for me. He did it first, and now it’s my turn to fight for Him, chase after Him, suffer for Him, and die to myself for Him. Paul says to “Be imitators of me”, for he imitates Christ. (1 Corinthians 4:16). I need to follow after Him, do all I can for Him. I need to press on and take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. He took hold of me first, and now I’ll take hold of Him. 
The fact that Paul says He hasn’t taken hold of it yet shows that it’s not a super easy task to accomplish. But he’s striving to get there, therefore so will I. He does say, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” That’s hard for me to do. It’s really easy for me to go off in my thoughts remembering things from the past; funny stories, crazy things that happened, or whatever it might be. I get distracted by the past forgetting things are taking place in the present. If I’m always living in the past, then I’m not living. 
Strain toward what is ahead. Paul isn’t saying to always be focused on the future. That’s also very easy for me to do. To think about what my future will look like is exciting, and then I get lost in those thoughts. Once again, I get distracted, this time about the future, forgetting things are taking place in the present. So, Paul isn’t telling me to strain toward my future always thinking about it, but strain toward what is ahead. The Kingdom of God. Drawing people closer to Him. Keeping focus on Him. Doing what He’s called me to do. Strain towards that. Pleasing God, glorifying God, worshiping God, submitting to God, following God. Paul’s saying to me to forget my old ways, I’ve been made new in Christ. Chase after Him, straining towards Heaven, the righteousness of God. Keep the distractions at bay and God in the center. 

Application: I’ll draw an arrow on my arm as a reminder to keep looking forward and whenever I see it I’ll pray that God will keep me focused on Him and what He has for me. Vanessa will keep me accountable. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IBS 41 - Philippians 3:8

Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Losing all things to gain Christ, considering them garbage. That’s intense. That’s hard to do. It takes a lot of faith and trust to get to that point. It’s one step at a time. Growing up, I’d here this verse. “You have to get rid of everything to have Christ.” That scared me, I didn’t want to get rid of my baby dolls and nail polish. As I got older, I learned the deeper truth to this verse. It’s not just giving up items, it’s giving up bad habits, your wants, your rights. It’s giving it all to God to know Him better.  When God told me to do Potter’s Field, I said no. I didn’t want to give anything up. I wanted to keep control, doing what I wanted to do, following my own dreams, holding on to earthly possessions. As God worked on my heart, it got harder to say no....
Post a Comment
Read more

IBS 10 - Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful , then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  I always sit there thinking, “If I can just make it through (whatever it is that’s going on), then I’ll be okay. I just have to get to that point, where I want to be, and I’ll be okay.” If I was in church, it’d be to make it till the sermon is over; at school it’d be till lunch, then till school’s over. I’ve always been waiting, saying just make it to the next point. “Just wait till I graduate. Till I leave for Potter’s Field. Till the Field. Till Re-entry. Till I go home. I’ve never sat there actually being present. As Tessia’s last Inductive Bible Study says, she’s been asleep. Well, me too. I’ve been living my life like a zombie, I’ve been dead. Waiting for the next thing to come along. Not ever paying attention. Dead asleep.  I’m tired of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

IBS 17- Luke 3:14

Luke 3:14 “Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” It’s so hard to not desire money and want more then what you have. This world has always had a problem with money. Fighting for it, stealing it, living miserable lives to gain as much as possible. So many people live their whole lives to just get paid a little bit more, just to reach the next level without actually living. Money is such a controlling object and learning to not let it control you is a difficult task.  I’ve always compared how much I’d get paid to how much my friends would get paid. I worked so much to make so much, living only for the dollar sign. I’ve always hated spending money, but I’ve always tried to make as much as I could. I was never content with my pay. I always wanted more, thinking if I could make money I wouldn’t have to rely on God. Then I had to raise support, and that was something I...
Post a Comment
Read more