Pressing On

Having trouble letting go?  Long to find the strength to move along?


As Christians, we are promised a future; not only a future, but one full of hope and prosperity as promised to us through Jesus Christ in Jeremiah 29:11.  Lately, I have been finding within myself, and through Christ, the strength to move ahead with my life, to let go of my past, and to strive ahead towards the goal which He has already planned for me.  My past, like most, is full of mistakes and hardships, but through Him they have been turned into valuable lessons, and He has washed me and made me whole. He has so much more in store for us and for our futures!  Why would we ever want to hinder what is coming by dwelling on what has passed?


This also holds true for the good things in our past; it is so valuable to hold onto those precious moments, those unforgettable memories, but it is also important to know that God has so much more in store for your life.  He is not finished with you yet!  He has blessed us with great memories in our past that we can look to and reminisce about, but we must not get trapped within them and not move on with our lives.  He calls us to move forward, to press on, and yet remain grateful for what He has already blessed us with. He has equipped us with everything we will need, it is now our turn to accept His love, His strength, and His guidance, and trust that no matter where He leads us, it will all be worth it in the end.  For His plans far outweigh anything we could ever plan for ourselves.


This verse in Philippians rang so true for me tonight; I am not finished, I am not at my goal, but the good news is that He isn't finished with me either.  It is for this reason that I press on, that I cling to what He has promised, that I strive to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  I am trusting with full faith that His love, His grace, His forgiveness, and His redemption are more than enough to lead me into a promising future full of more joy and wonder than I will know what to do with.


Verse:

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.  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.  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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.


~Philippians 3:10-14


I pray that each of you can find peace with your past, with your mistakes, with your shortcomings; I pray that you can find comfort and healing in God, and let Him be your promise, your encouragement to reach heavenward. I pray also that He gives you strength to move on from the good times, in order that He may supply you with so many more, and that He gives you strength and faith to strive toward the goal of winning the prize that Christ has laid before us.