Reaching...

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  Philippians 3:13-14    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

I don't belong here.

 Have you ever ended up in a place that you knew you didn't belong?  Maybe through a bad choice or indifference, a failure to plan or chasing after a dream that wasn't meant for you?  Maybe you jumped on the train of anger or unforgiveness or self-pity even when those closest to you and even the Lord himself were warning you not to ride.  Somehow on the way there it seemed like a great idea but soon after your arrival you realized something was wrong--very wrong. 

I can't stay here.

Is there something inside of you that says, "God must have something better in mind for me than this."  Is the Holy Spirit prompting you and reminding you that you were made for so much more?  Are you willing to ignore the comfortable in order to reach for the eternal?  Don't listen to the voices that tell you it's too late or that you've been here too long to change now. 

I must die.

Dietrich Bohnoeffer said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Following Christ and maturing in him is a continual process of dying to ourselves.  We have to get that if we really want to be free - if we really want to climb out of our "junk".  It's not about prosperity or self-promotion or claiming this or that.  No!  It's about dying...everyday...dying.

I won't look back.

The old familiar chorus says, "The world behind me, the cross before me.  No turning back.  No turning back."   The world can mean different things to different people.  Maybe for you it's the world system, the culture, it's attitudes.  It could be your past with all it's regrets and disappointments.  Whatever it is--it's gone.  Dwelling on it or refusing to let it go will only cause more pain and frustration.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

Paul reminds us that finishing the race requires one thing - focus.  We must keep our eyes on the prize.  Jesus gave everything for us.  From day one his focus was the cross.  We are honored and blessed to serve and follow him.  There is no greater joy than to know that you are right where he has called you to be.  Life is too short to settle for less.

Keep reaching...