“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)
Years ago my husband and I were introduced to a book written by Steve Farrar entitled, Finishing Strong. The book was written primarily for men and it contains an alarmingly high estimate for the number of Christian men who do not ‘finish strong’. The purpose of the book is to motivate men to live each day faithfully with the goal of reaching the end of their lives with long-standing, healthy relationships with God, spouse and family intact. After reading this book, my husband and I began a tradition with our children. Whenever they would come to the end of a project, a school year, a work experience, any type of closure, we would always remind and encourage them with this phrase, ‘Now Remember…..Finish Strong!’ From our own personal experiences, we know how easy it is to start off strong. It’s a time when you’re riding on the wings of excitement and adrenaline. But can you press through until the end?
In Philippians 3: 12-14, the Apostle Paul gives us the formula for finishing strong. He states,
Forgetting those things which are behind! The failures of our past are the weapons that the adversary uses to make us ineffective in our present. The dominions of darkness are constantly reminding us of past failures. This tactic diverts attention and energy from ‘today’. A healthy response to failure is to learn from our mistakes, adjust and move forward. A constant dwelling upon the past makes you a slave to what was or should have been. Remaining unavailable for the demands of ‘today’ and the promises of ‘tomorrow’ leads to a vicious cycle of ineffectiveness which can last a lifetime. Our God is a forward looking, forward-moving God. Spending too much time looking back makes us susceptible to getting out of step with Him. And let us not forget the lessons to be learned from Lot ’s wife.
Reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Our hope, our faith in Christ Jesus should keep us always forward looking. We serve a God who can change what “was meant for evil” to good. Our Lord can restore the eaten away areas of our lives. We serve a God who turns our mourning into dancing and give us beauty for ashes. Our God is truly amazing and our ‘today’ should always be energized by the hope of our ‘tomorrows’. And that hope should manifest in action. James said, “ I will show you my faith by my works.” The activities of our day-to-day should reflect a ‘reaching’ forward, a ‘pressing’ forward. Be very careful of any voice that suggests that you give up or give in. I have found in my lifetime that that voice belongs to the same one who tried to deter Jesus from His mission, asking Him to turn stones into bread.
I press toward the goal. Paul had one goal and that was to be identified fully with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our lives today are filled with so many distractions. This information age with its technological advancements offer so many avenues of diversion. Paul had one goal and his attention and efforts were focused upon reaching that goal. That meant that his daily decisions and actions were sifted through the grid of his future goal. We too must remain focused and consistent in our Christian walk. Anything that works against our hope should be tossed out. Our hope, our faith for tomorrow requires a ‘press’ within our today and Jesus encourages us along the way in this daily pursuit. He has filled us with His Spirit for all wisdom, power and strength. Because we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who makes us able, our Lord says,
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
Hebrews 10:37-38 (NKJV)
Loved ones, let us not be naïve about the warfare that’s been waged against us. Let us live with the goal of hearing the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’! May I encourage you to always Finish Strong!
Be Blessed.
