Press On!

"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

 

How many times have you quit because things have become too difficult?  We are going through life, things may be going okay for the most part, and then a trial or difficulty arises.  Perhaps, this is in the form of financial struggle, or maybe an issue in your marriage, or how about the difficulty of homeschooling right now if you have a child.  These issues and so many more will rise up at different seasons in our lives.  We can be the most faithful Christian in the world, and yet, this does not free us from having troubles.  Consider Job for example, the most faithful follower of God in the world, and he faced some of the worst difficulties a human can face.  He lost his livelihood, his family, and his health, yet he pressed forward in life, and most importantly, pressed more into God.  In the scripture above, Paul tells us a couple different times to press on.  This word he is using here for press means to eagerly seek after something.  And not only that, the thought around this word in the Greek, is that while eagerly seeking after something, you may receive persecution while doing so, but the thought here is to continue to run swiftly after it anyway.  Rather than run swiftly and eagerly towards our issues, or towards blaming others, or towards blaming our situation, or job, or finances, let us eagerly seek after Jesus Christ in our lives.  Paul says that he presses on towards the goal of the upward calling, in other words, he eagerly seeks and drives forward towards the goal in following Jesus.  The ultimate goal in following Christ is the eternal life we will have with Him forever in heaven, but He even says that He came so we can live life abundantly now.  And what does that look like?  One word... Perseverance!  Press on, this is how we receive the peace and joy in our lives.  When we eagerly press on and seek the Lord in our difficulties, this is when He uses us for His glory and He promises to give us the peace and joy.  Whatever you are going through today, right now, forget the past.  Forget what you used to do or say, or what someone else would do, or is going to do for you.  Forget relying on your past to declare or determine your future.  Quit waiting around for something to happen in your life, and starting leaning into the pressing!  Press on today!  Press on and eagerly seek the Lord through your difficult troubles at work or at home, with your spouse or with you child.  Continue on, even if you are being persecuting, keep pressing, knowing that your hope, your confident expectation of a better outcome, is in Jesus.  Today, pray and ask the Lord for the strength to press into Him, and to press onward towards His calling for your life today.  Love you all!  Praying for you and yours!  Have a blessed day, it's your choice!