Press On!!

 Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not that I have already obtained all this (righteousness through faith in Christ), or have already been made perfect, 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.

Message in a sentence:

From prison, Paul encourages Christians to follow his example to “press on” despite their present difficulties. There are good reasons to not give up and persevere.  We likewise have those same good reasons to press on through these troubling times.

My Thoughts:

1.     You must know… the way to get to the finish line.

Illustration:  “Two travelers met at a junction on the road that leads in different directions.  One of the travelers asked the other: "Which way do I go from here?"  The other answered: "That depends entirely on where you want to go. If you don't know where you are going, it doesn't really matter which way you go.  Any road will take you there."  In order to know how to walk in our spiritual journey, we also must know where we are going.”

Paul shares what is needed when you feel overwhelmed and weary. There is a prize awaiting us that God has prepared.  As a follower of Christ, we know the way (He is the Way) and so we stay the course. Knowing this encourages us to press on and to keep the faith.

2.    You must know… the One who is with you every step of the way is also the One who awaits for you at the finishing line.

As a teen in high school, I joined the cross-country team. Our teacher/coach was big on conditioning and endurance training.  In our biggest race of the year, the WOSSA cross-country run, my coach took me aside and said, “It doesn’t matter if you win the race but run the race of your life.  Stay with the lead group. Pace yourself and don’t look back.  I’ll be there at the finishing line waiting for you.”

During that race, I did stay with the head pack of about 20 runners.  I calculated that there were about 80 others behind me.  At the half way point of this 5-mile race, my legs began to weaken and my lungs were hurting.  I began to wonder if I was going to be able to finish. 

Then I remembered to stay focused.  It was like my coach was right there with me, encouraging me. I remember that I found a second wind and knew I would finish the race.  As I pushed through the pain and as I got closer to the end, I began to look for my coach.  He told me he’d be there waiting for me.

That’s Paul’s message to the church of Philippi and to us … press on!  In this life as we are called to persevere, we know that Jesus is with us, guiding us on the right path, to show us the way to the finish line, and there He will be as promised waiting to catch us as we collapse into His arms.

Conclusion:

I remember turning that last corner and there was a crowd of people cheering us on.  Those cheers were an encouragement for us to finish strong. I remember feeling a source of energy that I didn’t think I had and as I looked up I could see the finish line and then I saw my coach waving and cheering me on. Then despite my wobbly legs, I began to sprint. 

Do you think that I won the race?

I crossed the finish line and there to catch me and help me was my coach as promised.  I can’t remember his exact words, but I know it was meant to say, “well done”. 

Remember what Jesus said of those who stay faithful to Him, despite all the ups and downs, valleys and mountains on our journey.  Here it is in Matthew 25:21

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! ……Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Final Words

O yes, I did win the race…. NOT.   But I did win 15^th place out of 100.  No trophy.  No ribbon. No podium.  But I did win a wonderful life lesson to press on.  

And so let me encourage you…

To not give up. That it’s understandable to fall down… be weary… to take a wrong turn… but our faith brings us new energy... to find the strength God gives you to get back up. To stay the course God has laid out for you. 

I am truly grateful for all those cheering me on both here on earth and those from heaven, but especially my life-coach, my Saviour, my Lord, my best friend, my greatest cheer leader, Jesus!

In the name of Jesus….I encourage you... to PRESS ON!!!