Press On Toward The Goal

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  

-Philippians 3:12-14

Do you ever feel defeated and ready to hand in the towel to life?  It feels as if the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders just like a heavy barbell and you just don’t know how to lift it off?  You were running the race for Jesus just fine until you were met with mountains of opposition on every side!  All you feel is the persecution, the hurt, the pain, the turmoil, and yes, the resulting frustration of it all wearing you down and out!  You cry aloud in desperation to God in your frustration asking him, “How can this be from you?!!  Why would you allow this to happen to me?!!  Can’t you see me?!!  Can’t you understand what I am going through?!!  I’m doing everything you have told me to do and nothing is coming from it!  I’ve left everything to follow you!  Now what??!”  Even though you feel like the victim as well as the bad guy for following Jesus, with lashings coming from every direction and you just don’t know how much more you can take, just remember that persecution for following Jesus does not make you a failure in his sight; it makes you a king!  It is not that we ourselves are perfect by any means, but that we are being perfected as we press on to embrace the will, the purposes, and the plans that Jesus has specifically created and chosen us to do for him in this life before time began.  We turn our eyes away from the past and cast off all the things that hold us back, consciously choosing this new life that Jesus has chosen for us!  We throw off everything that hinders, leaving it all behind, to vigorously strain ahead toward the goal so we can win the ultimate prize – who is Jesus!