Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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."
Paul is using an athletic illustration here that all of us can probably relate too. Humor me for a moment and imagine you are playing on a big time football team and the coach has asked you, personally, to go into the game. Are you going to saunter into the game halfheartedly thinking you will do what you can or are you going to run out and give it all you've got? If it were me, I'd probably be so thrilled to have an opportunity to play that I'd run as fast as I could onto the field and do everything I knew to do to help that team be successful.
Friends, God has chosen us to be on His team! What an honor! He specifically pursued each of us and the reason we are running this race called life is because He literally grabbed a hold of us as if to say, "I want you to run this race for me." He initiated the relationship. We accepted His offer (His gift of salvation) and jumped in, hopefully giving it all we've got. The beautiful thing about the whole idea of the race is that thankfully, we don't have to run alone because if we did, I'd probably be down for the count. He comes along side us and enables us to do all He needs us to do along the way. He equips us to work out our salvation.
Any athlete you ask will probably tell you that often times attitude is the difference between victory and defeat. A team lacking in talent can sometimes win because they have the right attitude going into game. Christian growth is a life long process so we must have an over the road, long haul mentality. We must be committed and totally invested in all we believe in. If we are not totally "All In", you can be sure that we will not experience the abundance of joy that God has called us to because there is a definite connection between our attitudes and the joy we experience.
Paul explains to the Philippians that he has not yet taken hold of the prize in which he is running for but is pressing on. He is giving it all he has, he is exerting himself as much as is humanly possible not only to claim his prize but to please the Lord. The Christian life is not a 40 yard dash. It is a marathon and if you are going to run the race you have to complete it. A marathon runner just can't decide a few miles down the road that he's tired of running and then give up. It doesn't work that way. The Christian growth experience is a life long process which is difficult for many of us now days. We want quick fixes and instantaneous resolutions but life doesn't work that way. It's a journey filled with disappointments and joy, hardships and blessings, gratitude and frustration and we must learn to take it all in stride.
The spiritual life is a continual battle as we are fighting against the world, satan and evil and it is important that we discipline ourselves. We must continue to condition ourselves to press on in faith and fight until the end. With God on our side, who could be against us? (Romans 8:31).
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Personalize this prayer.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for choosing me to be on Your team! No, I don't deserve it but I'm eternally grateful and I've committed to running the race as long as You deem necessary. I'm humbled to be in Your work force and am trying all I can do to give it my all. It is refreshing to know that You are with me, encouraging me and pushing me to grow. You've done a lot of refining in my life and it hasn't always been easy; however, I wouldn't change a thing. Help me to run and not grow weary of the pain and suffering. Please continue to help me to focus on you and give me the stamina and grace to persevere until the end of my race. I pray that others would see Your glory through me and it would inspire them to continue on also. All hail the power of Your name, now and forever more.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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