Press Forward

Today’s Bible Reading:  1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 12; Philippians 3

Journal Entry on a passage from today’s reading:

Topic: God’s Calling

SCRIPTURE:  Philippians 3:13-14

¹³ …Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14 NIV)

OBSERVATION:

In the third chapter of Philippians, Paul reiterates his past as a circumcised Jew who had persecuted followers of Christ. Now he exhorts that the past needs to be forgotten in favor of pressing toward God’s calling today and into the future.

APPLICATION:

We all have past sins or even past glories, but what are we doing now? How are we living today? Past failures serve to humble us. Past victories in service to the Lord serve to bolster our faith. These have their place in our lives; for good or bad, they are what have brought us to where we are. The danger, however, is when we allow ourselves to live there.   

PRAYER:

God, what are You calling me to today? Just as You helped me press on toward yesterday’s goal, help me press on toward the goal You ordain today. Thank you for the past victories, they warm and encourage me. Where I stumbled and fell yesterday, grant me the resolve not to stumble today.

Through Christ. Amen.  -AP