Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 3:12-14
Over the last few days we have been talking about a life of significance…and how it is marked by a direction and a dynamic. But that kind of life is also marked by a dedication.
What I mean by this is that success in the Christian life isn’t a point…it’s a process. Just think about Joseph for a moment. No matter what he endured, we never find him harping or complaining or saying he’s having a lousy day.
But rather, he was faithful to God as he disciplined himself in body, mind, and soul to fulfill God’s call for his life. There wasn’t any bitterness in him, even though his brothers betrayed him and his friends forgot him. God was with him and he knew it. And throughout his journey of life, Joseph fulfilled James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
Like Joseph, we are on a life journey. And this journey you and I have with Christ is a process through which He is growing us day by day. None of us ever get to the point in our lives where we can say, “Okay, I’ve got it now, I have it all together, I have it made, all the accomplishments are done, I’ve achieved everything that I want to achieve in life.”
As the apostle Paul reminds us in today’s passage, we must press on toward the goal…the life of significance that God promises us as His children.
So keep dreaming, keep hearing the call, and keep responding to God in faith and trust, knowing that He will exalt you as you dedicate yourself to learning and growing in Him!
Success in the Christian life isn’t a point, it’s a process.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
Luke 15:23–24
Long before his son returned from the far country, the father of the prodigal was preparing for his return. We know this because he had started feeding a special calf to make sure it would be ready for a celebration meal when the boy did come back. That was an expression of faith—the kind of faith we need to have when we pray. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Even before we see it, we should believe that God will do what He promises and act on that belief.
There is an old saying, “Don’t pray for rain and leave your umbrella at home.” Too many times we do what we should in praying about our needs and burdens, but without truly believing that God will hear and answer. Instead of walking forward confidently and preparing for the answer, we live with fear and worry. The presence of that emotional and mental discomfort and stress reveal that we do not truly expect God to answer us—that our faith is weak.
In contrast Abraham received a promise from God for something that seemed completely impossible. Yet he was willing to completely uproot his life and family, move hundreds of miles away, and trust that God would fulfill His promise. “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). Abraham did not believe because he saw, but rather he saw because he believed.
Today’s Lesson from Luke
Today’s Growth Principle:
God has never yet broken a promise, and you can fully rely on Him to do all that He said He would do.
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment