“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
June 26, 2025
“And Saul approved his execution.” “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged man and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:1-2). This was the same man who said several decades later “forgetting what lies behind…straining forward…I press on.” With the apostle Christians are to press on to the upward call of God. Pressing on in the Christian life requires that we know how to “stretch ourselves toward” the finish line. Everyday of our lives is to be marked by mental, physical, and spiritual discipline as we pursue knowing Jesus Christ. This means focused effort in knowing what we believe, conforming to God’s standards for living, telling others about the free grace of God found in Christ, unwavering trust in God in the midst of hardships, pain, and suffering, reminding ourselves of the eternal compensation awaiting us upon seeing Christ, and being steeped in the knowledge of the Scriptures to ward off the attacks of Satan. Are you going forward to experience God in the routines of life and the battles ahead?
H
“Precious Savior, jolt me out of any complacency that is hindering me from the fullness of joy in my heavenward call.”