Pressing On - If We're Alive, We Haven't Arrived

“God has designed you to move forward. When you drive you have a tiny rearview mirror, and a huge
windshield. Which one are you spending most of your time looking into? Living
life looking into the rearview mirror can be dangerous…. Yesterday’s a great place
to visit, but a terrible place to live.” – Tony Walliser

Read Philippians 3:12-21

Pressing On – If We’re Alive, We Haven’t Arrived

“Are we there yet?” “When are we going to be there?” “How much longer?” You’ve probably
heard questions like these if you’ve ever gone on a road trip with your kids.
I’ve asked the questions a few times myself – and I was the driver!

We eagerly anticipate reaching our destination, but the journey tests our patience,
perseverance, and endurance. Nowhere is this more evident than in our spiritual
journey. We might start off with great excitement and enthusiasm, basking in
the light after years of living in darkness. But then comes the hard part,
slogging day by day through good times and bad times.

The apostle Paul acknowledged this when he told believers in Philippi, “…I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” He meant
pressing on through the challenges of life – the hardships, disappointments,
obstacles, even mundane and boring experiences we deal with every day. Someone
has referred to this as “a long obedience in the same direction.”

In one of Paul’s letters to Christ followers in Corinth he mentioned some of the
things he’d gone through: imprisonment, beatings, being shipwrecked, hunger,
thirst, exposure to harsh weather, severe opposition. What kept him going? Why
didn’t he just crumple into a corner and complain, “Are we there yet?”

There’s only one explanation. Paul never lost sight of his journey’s end, having
confident assurance about what he would experience when he finally got “there.”
Referring to his life before Christ, including accomplishments that had made
him a highly respected Pharisee, the apostle boldly declared, “I consider
everything a loss [rubbish] compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

It’s been said so much it sounds like a cliché, but it’s true – life is a marathon,
not a sprint. You don’t have to be in great physical shape to complete a
sprint, but a marathon requires not only being in good condition, but also
having the resolve to “press on,” to continue going mile after mile, determined
to cross the finish line.

In a spiritual sense, our journey continues until we take our last breath and God
calls us home. Sadly, many folks stop midway in their “marathon,” thinking
“That’s good enough,” and deciding to rest on their laurels. But nowhere do the
Scriptures say anything about resting on laurels.

If anyone could have done that it was Paul. After having his life dramatically
transformed by the Lord Jesus, he endured many forms of adversity for one
reason: to spread the redemptive message of Jesus Christ. At some point he
could have decided, “That’s it. I’m done. Look at all I’ve accomplished.” But
he didn’t. Instead, Paul made this bold declaration:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is
ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:13-14).

Paul never lost focus. God’s call on his life remained at the forefront. He could
have become distracted, but he refused to get sidetracked. Instead, he did what
every great follower of Jesus has done throughout history – kept the main thing
the main thing.

We live in a world filled with enticements beckoning for our attention. Some aren’t
good, but many of them are good. However, we should be wary of anything that
shifts our focus from the main thing – living out our faith in Christ and
helping others to learn about Him and grow in Him. As one of my spiritual
heroes, Oswald Chambers, stated many times in his writings, “Good is the enemy
of the best.”

If you wake up tomorrow morning, you can know one thing for certain: You’re not there
yet. God’s not finished with you and still has work He wants to do through you.
So, keep your eye on the prize, “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Young or old, one day we’ll see our Lord face to face. We want to hear Him say, “Well
done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)