Pressing Forward
Blogging is very therapeutic for me, so I am making an effort to blog more this year. Last year was great, I just didn't make it a priority but I missed it.
This Morning I read a little devotional that took me to Philippians 3 where Paul speaks about pressing forward to gain the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ..."I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.... I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it." But He presses forward, forgetting what is behind... content in Jesus yet not satisfied - he presses on for excellence.
I found this a comfort this morning. I like excellence. Though I am not a perfectionist in housekeeping or time management; I am a bit of an "over achiever" in doing things well and with excellence in such things as exercise, nutrition, performance on the job and understanding myself and others. I DO strive to handle my time and my belongings well as I see all these things as belonging to God so I work at it - though I don't live up to the standard of perfection, often very aware of my "failure." I am pretty good at beating myself up for it too.
Yet, as we see this passage, accompanied by other passages, God calls us to "be perfect as He is perfect" - to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. That is a PRETTY HIGH calling! We are to pursue holiness. BUT, I love Paul's line before he says, "I press on" - "forgetting what is behind"... ah, GRACE. Yep, I am ANYTHING but perfect; even yesterday - or slash that, ALL OF LAST week, I felt pretty much like a bad witness at work, slacking on some things I need to take care of and well, I won't make a list but I didn't quite make the grade last week according to my expectations of myself.
"Never satisfied but content." The blood of Jesus has made me clean, I have a pure conscience before the Lord; it is a daily desire to live up to that calling He has on me - His own, His beloved, His daughter. Because of what He has done, I am free and able to press on today because yesterday is over! :-)
Lord, Help me to live for You today. Thank You for taking care of yesterday and covering me with Your amazing Grace! "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Phil 3:10-11
This Morning I read a little devotional that took me to Philippians 3 where Paul speaks about pressing forward to gain the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ..."I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.... I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it." But He presses forward, forgetting what is behind... content in Jesus yet not satisfied - he presses on for excellence.
I found this a comfort this morning. I like excellence. Though I am not a perfectionist in housekeeping or time management; I am a bit of an "over achiever" in doing things well and with excellence in such things as exercise, nutrition, performance on the job and understanding myself and others. I DO strive to handle my time and my belongings well as I see all these things as belonging to God so I work at it - though I don't live up to the standard of perfection, often very aware of my "failure." I am pretty good at beating myself up for it too.
Yet, as we see this passage, accompanied by other passages, God calls us to "be perfect as He is perfect" - to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. That is a PRETTY HIGH calling! We are to pursue holiness. BUT, I love Paul's line before he says, "I press on" - "forgetting what is behind"... ah, GRACE. Yep, I am ANYTHING but perfect; even yesterday - or slash that, ALL OF LAST week, I felt pretty much like a bad witness at work, slacking on some things I need to take care of and well, I won't make a list but I didn't quite make the grade last week according to my expectations of myself.
"Never satisfied but content." The blood of Jesus has made me clean, I have a pure conscience before the Lord; it is a daily desire to live up to that calling He has on me - His own, His beloved, His daughter. Because of what He has done, I am free and able to press on today because yesterday is over! :-)
Lord, Help me to live for You today. Thank You for taking care of yesterday and covering me with Your amazing Grace! "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Phil 3:10-11
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