Key Verses: Philippians 3:12-4:1, "12 Not that I
have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I
press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of
me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 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.
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take
such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that
too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we
have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers
and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who
live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell
you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of
Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their
stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on
earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by
the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love
and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way,
dear friends!”
Chances are you probably know that Mount Everest is the
world’s highest mountain. At 29,029 feet above sea level, Everest dominates the
border of Nepal and Tibet. The first successful expedition to reach Everest’s
peak was led by New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay in May
of 1953. It was an amazing feat of commitment and fortitude. In the years since
the duo’s famous ascent, over 4,000 other climbers have made it to the top of
the majestic mountain. And while all of these climbers came from different countries,
they all have one thing in common:
They didn’t make it to the top of the mountain by focusing
on what was behind them. They made it to the top by focusing on what was ahead.
Tackling Everest is such a difficult challenge that the only
thing to keep climbers going is the promise of the summit. The prize of
standing on the world’s highest point keeps the climbers motivated. It helps
the push through the most difficult terrain.
Stop for a moment and read Philippians 3:12-4:1. Philippians
was one of Paul’s “prison epistles”, letters he wrote while under house arrest
in Rome. When Paul wrote Philippians, he was nearing the end of this life and
had experienced a tremendous amount of hardship and suffering, all for the sake
of Jesus. But notice what he said here: Paul wasn’t quitting. And he wasn’t
resting on his past accomplishments. What was he doing instead?
Verses 13-14 say it all: “Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul had
not stopped pressing on toward the finish line. What was this finish line Paul
talked about? Just like the summit of Everest motivates climbers to push on,
the goal of living his entire life for Jesus motivated Paul to stay strong in
his faith. He wasn’t about to give up just because things got hard. He was
concentrating on the goal.
You are called to live the exact same way. In a world that
will happily knock you down because of your faith in Christ, you must be
willing to pick yourself back up and press forward. God desires for you to live
this way. And He has sent you His Spirit to keep you strong. There is nothing
left for you to do but to face the goal and press onward. Keep climbing, keep
running, and keep moving toward the goal of a powerful life lived for Christ.
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