I press on toward the goal. (Phil. 3:14)
Umfundisi Moyo preached, “Paul’s depiction of running the race is about obtaining sanctification, not salvation. In other words, the people running the race are believers who are called to spiritual maturity.”
It is so easy to become the victim to the loudest or latest demands. You have twenty emails to answer. There is an urgent meeting you need to attend. Students want you to grade their papers. Too many Christians become so preoccupied with the tyranny of the urgent that they miss out on what is meant to be the most important. The demands of life can crowd out the times we should spend growing in the Lord.
We must decide what matters most. This is why Paul wrote that he was pressing on toward the goal. To “press on” means to “pursue as a hunter.” It carries the idea of moving quickly and energetically toward an objective, straining every spiritual muscle to win the prize. It is becoming totally focused on God.
Charles Spurgeon used to say, “I hold and am held.” After God seized Paul, Paul was determined to serve his Savior with all he had, for the rest of his life. To accomplish this feat, he was willing to exert maximum effort in his spiritual life. He was not willing to cruise.
Don’t stand still; chase God with all your strength.
Jim “Umf” Lo is a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, cross-cultural leader, intercessor, and author of several books including Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul (WPH).
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
