There is a chorus that comes to mind when I read this Scripture, “Jesus got a hold of my life, and He won’t let me go.” But Paul in today’s Scripture, reveals a determination to press on, to keep going no matter what, to get a hold to its fullness the purpose for which the Lord laid hold of him.
One of the saddest statements I have ever heard comes from a Pastor, for whom I have the greatest respect, who said several years back now, that at fifty he was known among his peers as “the old man,” because most were leaving the Ministry burned out, after only a few years. Is it possible that these stopped pursuing the goal of their upward call in Christ Jesus? Any athlete who takes his eyes off the goal of the finish line, has lost the race before it is even ended.
Once one accepts that becoming a Christian has direct implications, and when these contentions come, not to marvel at them; plain and simple. 2 Timothy 3: 12: is a very good example, as it says, “And indeed, all who truly want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” So if I do not want persecution, I should shrink back. It is like the saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” There are some things that are part and parcel of being a Christian, and must be accepted as such; and there lies one’s victory. 1 Peter 4: 12 – 14: says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that at the revelation of His Glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the Name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of Glory and of God rests on you.”
Jesus speaks in John 15: 18 + 20b – 22: “If the World hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My Word, they will keep yours also. All these things they will do to you for My Name’s sake, because they do not know the One Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. In stark contrast, Jesus speaks to his own brothers who did not believe in Him, saying in John 7: 7: “The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”
Philippians 3: 14: says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” It states “I” press on, no one else will press on for me, for you; no one else will discipline themselves to have their focus stayed on the Lord. It boils down to a personal commitment to be obedient to the end, no matter what. Hebrews 10: 36 – 39: “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet a little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My Soul finds no pleasure in Him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
Dearest Holy Lord Jesus: thank you so very much for the clarity of Your Word which no one can refute. Thank You for being the overcoming Power through which we may live our lives daily in victory. Come by Your Holy Spirit, and encourage all those who need to be reassured in their call in the midst of so much opposition. May You be greatly glorified in, and through all those who aspire to live godly in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior! Glory to You alone!
