PRESSING FORWARD

There is that sense of fulfillment within when you have completed something that you have been working on for a long time. It’s even more rewarding when you know that you have given your best and you end up with a grand finish!

Probably for most of us, school graduations may be one of the most memorable moments in our lives. You may still remember the best in class give his or her valedictory speech. Everyone is excited and looking forward to the next chapter of their lives. From that day on, you know that you are starting on a new journey in your life.

In Second Timothy 4:6-8, we can read a valedictory message of someone who persevered until the end. Apostle Paul, for the latter part of his life, had experienced numerous hardships, persecutions, and near-death experiences.

He was whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned, and left for dead outside the city gates. He even survived a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea. These he endured for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14

This particular message of Apostle Paul teaches us about some of the things that he developed during his ministry.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected…

By this time, Apostle Paul had already visited several places and have written probably more than half of his epistles. He had gone through quite a lot of persecutions and journeys across the Mediterranean and Europe. In fact, as he was writing this letter to the church of Philippi, he was in a prison in Rome.

His experiences are not something that we would say as “smooth-sailing.” Each time it was a different trial and sometimes, it was even worse than before. But it was each of these sufferings that developed the character of Apostle Paul to transform him from one of the greatest persecutors of the church to one of the greatest evangelists of his time.

In a similar manner, we too have our own trials that the Lord is letting us go through. Each of which are intended by the Lord to purify certain aspects of our character. Like that of Apostle Paul, these experiences may be harder each time and may last for even a longer time period.

But if we respond excellently, these trials can bring us into a better understanding of who God is and of His purposes for our lives (2 Corinthians 3:18). It may take many tears and sorrows yet it would be all worth it as the tests are necessary to bring us from strength to strength (Psalms 84:6-7). The strength we develop can then help us endure the next trials that come our way.

…but I press on...

Corrie Ten Boom was a survivor of the Nazi persecution. After her release from Ravensbruck, she received a direction from God to go to America and share the Gospel there. However, she was not welcomed with enthusiasm as there were already a lot of evangelists from Europe at that time. She experienced discouragements, one after another, that left her falling on her knees and crying out to God.

God heard her prayers and gave her the strength not to give up. Just when she was on her last penny, God opened the door for her that led her to speaking engagements. It was also through one of those ministries that God touched the heart of one woman to help Corrie return all the money she had borrowed (Ten Boom 46).

Had she not pressed on, she would have probably just gone back to Holland to continue being a watchmaker and completely miss out on fulfilling her true calling in life.

Apostle Paul and Corrie Ten Boom might have had all the reasons to quit on their calling yet they did not let these circumstances and trials weaken their faith. All they had were God’s Word and His calling upon their lives and they stood firmly on those.

We too have our own purposes and calling that God has chosen for each one of us. 

But along with these callings are seasons of trials that will put our faith and commitment to the test. Do we simply quit, choosing the more convenient way and missing out on God’s best for us? Or do we follow the examples of Apostle Paul and Corrie Ten Boom to press on until God finishes His work in us?

…that I may lay hold of that, for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

When Apostle Paul had that extraordinary encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was given a vision that completely turned his life around. His life was suddenly dedicated in achieving that “prize” that he was talking about in Philippians 3:14.

What then is this “prize” that would cause someone to press on, enduring all the persecutions and trials?

Christ-likeness…

When Apostle Paul had a realization of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, he considered all his wisdom and achievements in life as rubbish compared to being found in the image of Christ (Philippians 3:8). Since that day, he poured out all his strength in living a life that followed the example of Jesus Christ.

Since the beginning, God created us and purposed us to be in His likeness (Genesis 1:26) but because of our sins, we have gone far away from His intended design. Through, and only through, Jesus Christ's death on the cross (John 14:6), we have been given a second chance to be conformed to His design again (Romans 8:29) by faith.

So what does it mean to press on?

Looking at Jesus Christ Himself, He endured mockery, betrayal, and intense pain up to the point of death all for the sake of doing the will of God the Father. He found the strength in knowing that He was fulfilling His call. He did it because He knew that His sacrifice would mean saving you and me from eternal damnation.

...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

As we go through each trial, may we find the strength to endure as we set our eyes on Jesus. Let us ask God to give us the resolve to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Source:
Ten Boom, Corrie, and Jamie Buckingham. Tramp for the Lord. CLC Publications, 2010. eBook.