sokin's devotional 98 - straining forward
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 3:13,14
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Paul's checkered past against the early church was no mystery. He was an active persecutor and enemy against the church, even being at the scene of Stephen's stoning.
But one of the things that marks Paul's transformation by the Gospel is not so much the fact that he stopped persecuting Christians, but that he now understood the freedom there was from knowing that our righteousness came by faith in Christ, not by an adherence to the law.
Paul originally lived a works-based righteousness life that came from living under the law. But after God saved him, Paul realized that it is "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (3:9).
Even still, Paul did not understand this truth in its entirety just yet. He confesses shortly after that verse that he considers it not yet his own. He still struggles in this broken world trying to reconcile the truth of God's commands, and the inclination of the human heart to crave sin and lust after it.
How often we find ourselves understanding a truth of God in our minds, but it seems to take a while to root itself in our hearts..? To understand it, and yet live it out especially when it is difficult..?
It's easy to say it, but to live it out can sometimes be where the struggle and wrestling begins.
But I love Paul's mentality here that is rooted in faith and humility.
Although he knows he is not "all there yet", he knows that this should not deter him from continuing to seek God and do the hard work of wrestling with this truth in his life.
Many times, we may find ourselves not seeing a spiritual truth playing itself out in the way that we would like, or even tell our peers to do.
Pray more! Read the bible more! Stop living a life of sin! Etc.
The crushing weight of performance can sometimes be used by the enemy to reveal our inherent inability - this might drive some people to throw in the towel and give up, but Paul's example here shows us that we must instead, leave the past in the past, and strain towards what's ahead, fixing our eyes on Christ and the upward call God has placed on us.
Keep pressing in...keep pressing on. Don't give up but seek the Lord while He may be found. Focus our energy to knowing Him, submitting to Him, enduring with Him as Christ has endured for you. Remembering the Gospel truth that Christ has set you free to be yourself, and even still He accepts and loves you.
Allow the love of Christ compel you to seek Him more and more. To cut off and forsake sin and the ways of this world that corrupt.
For, "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."
"But, our citizenship is in heave, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
Philippians 3:19,20
Philippians 3:13,14
---
Paul's checkered past against the early church was no mystery. He was an active persecutor and enemy against the church, even being at the scene of Stephen's stoning.
But one of the things that marks Paul's transformation by the Gospel is not so much the fact that he stopped persecuting Christians, but that he now understood the freedom there was from knowing that our righteousness came by faith in Christ, not by an adherence to the law.
Paul originally lived a works-based righteousness life that came from living under the law. But after God saved him, Paul realized that it is "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (3:9).
Even still, Paul did not understand this truth in its entirety just yet. He confesses shortly after that verse that he considers it not yet his own. He still struggles in this broken world trying to reconcile the truth of God's commands, and the inclination of the human heart to crave sin and lust after it.
How often we find ourselves understanding a truth of God in our minds, but it seems to take a while to root itself in our hearts..? To understand it, and yet live it out especially when it is difficult..?
It's easy to say it, but to live it out can sometimes be where the struggle and wrestling begins.
But I love Paul's mentality here that is rooted in faith and humility.
Although he knows he is not "all there yet", he knows that this should not deter him from continuing to seek God and do the hard work of wrestling with this truth in his life.
Many times, we may find ourselves not seeing a spiritual truth playing itself out in the way that we would like, or even tell our peers to do.
Pray more! Read the bible more! Stop living a life of sin! Etc.
The crushing weight of performance can sometimes be used by the enemy to reveal our inherent inability - this might drive some people to throw in the towel and give up, but Paul's example here shows us that we must instead, leave the past in the past, and strain towards what's ahead, fixing our eyes on Christ and the upward call God has placed on us.
Keep pressing in...keep pressing on. Don't give up but seek the Lord while He may be found. Focus our energy to knowing Him, submitting to Him, enduring with Him as Christ has endured for you. Remembering the Gospel truth that Christ has set you free to be yourself, and even still He accepts and loves you.
Allow the love of Christ compel you to seek Him more and more. To cut off and forsake sin and the ways of this world that corrupt.
For, "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."
"But, our citizenship is in heave, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
Philippians 3:19,20
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