Persevere
“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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” (Phillipian 3:12-15)
I had a plan.
I hit the highway that morning with firm directions, ideas and plans about how my day would go. Lyric was going to her godfather’s in Shelbyville. I would then visit my alma mater in Murfreesboro a 30-minute drive a way. Then, I’d spend the remainder of my day in Nashville.
Regardless of all else, I’d be back on the highway at 6 p.m. that evening because I didn’t want to drive over Mount Eagle after dark.
All day long I had this in mind: I had a plan, and I was working that plan.
Well, it didn’t work out that way.
Somehow, I got horribly off schedule.
I didn’t pick Lyric up until 7 or 7:30.
Shelbyville was farther out than I thought.
And, I ended up at night driving over Mount Eagle – the very thing I sought not to do. I was highly irritated by all this.
The highway was pitch black. Long stretches of road lacked lighting and it was nerve wrecking. Then, there were 18-wheelers on both sides of me. I was sandwiched between them doing 70 mph, and it was just a grossly uncomfortable feeling. Then, Lyric’s godfather calls to say she left her coat in Shelbyville.
Then, my older sister calls about me seeing her kids the next day.
Then, my younger sister calls about me keeping her kids the next day.
Then my mother and father start calling every few minutes to see where I am.
Am I over the mountain? Have I made it to South Pittsburg yet? When will I get there?
Then my grandmother calls.
And I’m just irritated as heck: nothing went according to plan and here I am coming over the mountain amid a million curves, two 18-wheelers doing way over the limit and a car behind me flashing its lights.
I was mad – but I had to keep going.
Where I was wasn’t where I wanted to be. I had a destination and the only way to get there was to keep driving. Despite everything going on around me, my only option was to keep driving. Keep moving. Keep going forward.
Sometimes that’s all you know about your situation – is that you’ve got to keep going. You can’t give up. You’re too close to where you need to be to give up now. So, keep moving.
Paul spoke to this in Phillipians 3.
He writes, “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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” (Phillipians 3:12-15)
Now, Paul is speaking to being perfected inwardly, spiritually. He’s speaking of the inward work of cleansing and salvation by the Holy Spirit. He’s speaking of becoming more like Christ.
So am I.
I’m speaking to perseverance: dying to moaning and complaining, fear and anxiety – and pressing toward all the Christ died for you to have.
He died that you might first be free from the penalty of sin: death. He died that in him we might have eternal life. He died that in this life we might have victory.
That’s victory in all things, but some things don’t come easy.
We have to press.
We have to move past some things, get over some mountains. We have to feel our way through the darkness and keep driving even though some things just look way bigger than us and unconquerable.
We have to press.
Like it or not.
Feels right or not.
Irritated or not.
People with us or against us.
Scared or not.
Comfortable or not.
With friends or not.
Money or not.
It’s time to press.
Paul knew this. This man of God endured shipwreck, beatings, jail, hunger and loneliness, yet he kept pressing. He knew what God was calling him to and he wasn’t going to stop before he got there.
Neither was I.
See, once I got over Mount Eagle I was almost home.
I wasn’t going back to get Lyric’s coat in Shelbyville. I wasn’t pulling over to the side of the road. I wasn’t going to let some crazy driver run me off that road. And, I wasn’t going to be distracted over and over by my cell phone.
I got focused and I got where I needed to be.
Yes, I was tired.
Yes, I was irritated.
And yes, it was dark – but that’s the straining Paul talked about.
There’s no other way to get where we’re going except we strain and push through.
Spiritually, that’s what we’re called to. Ministry-wise, it’s what we’re called to. To stretch. To strain. To finish. To persevere.
And, we can - if we’re mature.
Notice the last line of Paul’s admonishment. It says, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”
Wow – this word is not all-inclusive. It’s only for the few, the brave, the mature.
God’s been all over me with this maturity issue. There are things babies do and there are things grown-ups do. This word says those of us who are mature should have this view: that we won’t give up until we obtain all that Christ died for us to have, do, minister and accomplish.
It’s what we’re created for.
It’s what he died for. Amen.
In His name, I wish you greatness.
And know that I love you each, L.
I had a plan.
I hit the highway that morning with firm directions, ideas and plans about how my day would go. Lyric was going to her godfather’s in Shelbyville. I would then visit my alma mater in Murfreesboro a 30-minute drive a way. Then, I’d spend the remainder of my day in Nashville.
Regardless of all else, I’d be back on the highway at 6 p.m. that evening because I didn’t want to drive over Mount Eagle after dark.
All day long I had this in mind: I had a plan, and I was working that plan.
Well, it didn’t work out that way.
Somehow, I got horribly off schedule.
I didn’t pick Lyric up until 7 or 7:30.
Shelbyville was farther out than I thought.
And, I ended up at night driving over Mount Eagle – the very thing I sought not to do. I was highly irritated by all this.
The highway was pitch black. Long stretches of road lacked lighting and it was nerve wrecking. Then, there were 18-wheelers on both sides of me. I was sandwiched between them doing 70 mph, and it was just a grossly uncomfortable feeling. Then, Lyric’s godfather calls to say she left her coat in Shelbyville.
Then, my older sister calls about me seeing her kids the next day.
Then, my younger sister calls about me keeping her kids the next day.
Then my mother and father start calling every few minutes to see where I am.
Am I over the mountain? Have I made it to South Pittsburg yet? When will I get there?
Then my grandmother calls.
And I’m just irritated as heck: nothing went according to plan and here I am coming over the mountain amid a million curves, two 18-wheelers doing way over the limit and a car behind me flashing its lights.
I was mad – but I had to keep going.
Where I was wasn’t where I wanted to be. I had a destination and the only way to get there was to keep driving. Despite everything going on around me, my only option was to keep driving. Keep moving. Keep going forward.
Sometimes that’s all you know about your situation – is that you’ve got to keep going. You can’t give up. You’re too close to where you need to be to give up now. So, keep moving.
Paul spoke to this in Phillipians 3.
He writes, “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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” (Phillipians 3:12-15)
Now, Paul is speaking to being perfected inwardly, spiritually. He’s speaking of the inward work of cleansing and salvation by the Holy Spirit. He’s speaking of becoming more like Christ.
So am I.
I’m speaking to perseverance: dying to moaning and complaining, fear and anxiety – and pressing toward all the Christ died for you to have.
He died that you might first be free from the penalty of sin: death. He died that in him we might have eternal life. He died that in this life we might have victory.
That’s victory in all things, but some things don’t come easy.
We have to press.
We have to move past some things, get over some mountains. We have to feel our way through the darkness and keep driving even though some things just look way bigger than us and unconquerable.
We have to press.
Like it or not.
Feels right or not.
Irritated or not.
People with us or against us.
Scared or not.
Comfortable or not.
With friends or not.
Money or not.
It’s time to press.
Paul knew this. This man of God endured shipwreck, beatings, jail, hunger and loneliness, yet he kept pressing. He knew what God was calling him to and he wasn’t going to stop before he got there.
Neither was I.
See, once I got over Mount Eagle I was almost home.
I wasn’t going back to get Lyric’s coat in Shelbyville. I wasn’t pulling over to the side of the road. I wasn’t going to let some crazy driver run me off that road. And, I wasn’t going to be distracted over and over by my cell phone.
I got focused and I got where I needed to be.
Yes, I was tired.
Yes, I was irritated.
And yes, it was dark – but that’s the straining Paul talked about.
There’s no other way to get where we’re going except we strain and push through.
Spiritually, that’s what we’re called to. Ministry-wise, it’s what we’re called to. To stretch. To strain. To finish. To persevere.
And, we can - if we’re mature.
Notice the last line of Paul’s admonishment. It says, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”
Wow – this word is not all-inclusive. It’s only for the few, the brave, the mature.
God’s been all over me with this maturity issue. There are things babies do and there are things grown-ups do. This word says those of us who are mature should have this view: that we won’t give up until we obtain all that Christ died for us to have, do, minister and accomplish.
It’s what we’re created for.
It’s what he died for. Amen.
In His name, I wish you greatness.
And know that I love you each, L.
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