Monday, October 15, 2018

Keep Looking Forward

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12–14

The famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was born in Ireland, but moved to the United States at a young age. His artistic ability manifested itself early, and after an extensive period of training, he became one of the most noted designers and sculptors of the day. His $20 “double eagle” gold coin design done for the United States Mint in the early 1900s is still considered to be one of the most beautiful coins ever made. After the unveiling of one of his Civil War monuments in Chicago, Saint-Gaudens was asked by a reporter covering the event if he considered it to be his masterpiece. “Indeed I do not,” he replied. “My next sculpture is always my masterpiece.”

While we should be grateful and give credit to God for all that we have done in His work, we should never be satisfied with it. Instead, we should be looking forward to new challenges and new opportunities, realizing that God’s plan for our lives will never be completed until we see Him face to face. There will never be a day when we do not need to lay aside weights and sins and run the race set before us. There will never be a day when we have completely finished our growing in grace and can sit back and relax. Instead, we must work to accomplish more for the Lord, and constantly walk in His Spirit so that we will become more like Jesus.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Those who look backward rather than forward seldom accomplish all that they could for God.

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“Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6 This is a command, and that command is critical. We are to be a part of the lives of our children and to grow them up, not just to bring them into the world, but bring them up in the world. One of the big responsibilities in training up our children is to prepare them for life and then to protect them in the midst of life. Nothing matters more in this generation of parenting than that they would find their refuge in Christ, salvation in Christ and security in Christ. There is no room for passive parents in this generation, parents who don’t want to confront the issues, parents who don’t want to deal with it, parents who aren’t involved, parents who don’t discipline, parents who want to be their kid’s best friend rather than their parent. The word here implies the discipline, direction, and determination of preparation of a soldier for battle. The fact is we are fighting the good fight of faith. We are involved in a spiritual battle. Spiritual warfare is around us, and the culture is in a conflict with the ways of God and the Word of God. You must be diligent in the responsibility that God has given us. Training up, it doesn’t mean you have to be a drill sergeant shouting orders, but it means that you must be involved in the relationship, in the rules and in the rewards.   BE INTENTIONAL PARENTS