Press On

In 2015 I decided to lose some weight.  At that time I was at the my largest of 237 pounds.  I can remember thinking to myself, it is impossible to lose weight.  I am going to miss out on Ryan's, Chick Fil-a and of course my all time favorite Chinese food. 

I decided though that I had to make a change in my life.  I could keep looking back at all those fun foods or I could look at being at a healthy weight where I could breath and walk better.  

Sometimes in living for God, our biggest hurdle is getting our minds off our past and pressing on to what God has for us in the future.  Look what Paul said in Philippians 3.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Paul never said becoming perfect was easy.  The word press makes me think of someone who has to push through the obstacles that come.  It is as if Paul was saying, no matter what comes my way I am going to push through it and press forward.

Too often we start out to follow Jesus and before we know it we are brought to a screeching halt, kind of like the children of Israel coming out of Egypt.  The momentum was there, but they got stopped by a Red Sea.  What did God tell Moses?  Stretch for your rod.  

When we press on those obstacles split and we walk through them.  

There is a prize waiting for us on the other side of the obstacles of life.  It is an upward calling of God.  It is out of this world.  Perfection is not easy down here on this earth, but it is the only option in Heaven.

Thank you Lord for your strength.  Thank you Lord for bringing me through the things of my past. Help me to get my eyes off the past and my mind and eyes on the prize of Heaven.  

Don't forget who gave the victories

A few days ago, I talked about remembering what God has done in our past and remembering whose we are.  We are His children and the sheep of His pasture. 

It is always great when God gives us victories in our lives over battles that we must face.  There are some people who focus so much on their battles that they don't even realize that Jesus is our champion and that He is fighting for us.

However, when He has fought for us and won the victory and we have settled down and are able to rest, Moses in Deuteronomy 6 reminds us not to forget who won the battle for us.

10 “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build,
11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied,
12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

When we have the promises that God has given us, it is easy to forget how we got to those promises. We look around at the lushness of the promise and it is bigger and greater than we ever imagined.

When this happens we can become complacent in our thinking and forget to give God thanks for all the blessings that we have.  We are a blessed people.

We can become satisfied with the blessings and forget who brought us to those blessings. 

Are you greatly blessed today?   Do you know where your blessings came from?  Don't ever forget.

Thank you Lord for all your blessings today.  You have been so good to me.  Help me not to forget that my blessings only come from you.