Pressing On

Sammy Wanjiru Triumphs in Chicago Marathon

I was reading a post over at Alisa’s blog (Faith Imagined) called Foot Promise, in which she discusses the promises of Jesus and the struggle we face in achieving them. If you haven’t read it then, do not hesitate…just go there now! It gave me so much food for thought that I found myself leaving her a scroll instead of a comment. Realizing that I was being a little too expressive, I resolved my dilemma by deciding to write a post on one sentence which I found was most inspirational to me:

"As we seek Jesus, though, He compels us forward by faith"
It reminded of what Paul expressed in Philippians:

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"¹

On the surface, this may seem as if Paul is saying, in spite of the difficulties I face in this life, I am committed to continue until I hear the voice of my Savior call me to be with Him. But if I were to imagine I were Paul for a moment, I would say,

I am not just committed to continue! No. I am pursuing Christ with every fiber of life in me! Have there been times when I’ve been tired? Yes. Hungry? Yes, that too. Have I faced threats on my life? Yes, but it has only made me pursue Christ even more.

Oftentimes, pursuing Christ was the least of my concerns but time and experience have taught me the value of remaining hungry as I pursue Him. Not as if He is some kind of prey for my prayers! No, the issue (for me) is do I want to hear that upward call? Can you imagine what it will be like to hear the voice of our Lord calling you to, Come up here.

But how can I hear the upward call of Christ Jesus (enabling me to continue my pursuit)? And is it the call that's really compelling me or is there something else at work? As I examine these questions, I see (for me) that it isn’t so much me as it is Christ working in my life because:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…"²

So it is Christ compelling me to go on by strengthening my faith in Him. Christ envelopes my life to the degree that I see Him standing in three distinct ways that compel me to pursue Him:

1. Christ stands before me
2. Christ stands behind me
3. Christ stands within me

Christ stands before me, calling me to stand firm in my faith towards Him. We are told that when we have done all we can do…we must stand. Standing seems such a passive act but in reality it is the method that we experience the redemptive power of God. I think back to when I first accepted Christ and I did nothing; I had no power to do anything but hear and believe. A soldier can stand guard duty but eventually he will be relieved. But no one will stand for me to relieve my stance for Christ. As Christ stands, so stand I. When times get tough and I’m weary and exhausted, He says,

"Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…"³

Christ stands behind me, encouraging me to remember that:

"I have been young, and now I’m old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread."⁴

Christ loves to encourage us; reminding us of previous times when we’ve faced some dire circumstance in our lives. He reminds us because He knows how easily we forget. How terrible would it be if you looked back through your life and had no memory; to have amnesia? Left to ourselves, we would often experience spiritual amnesia. When you remember how you made it through the storm of your life, that’s Christ encouraging you with a reminder, that, He never fails.

Christ stands within me, the resurrected Son of God strengthens me to pursue Him by faith, compelling me to press on. It really is no longer I but Christ in me, my hope of glory. He has convinced me that,

"…I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."⁵

So I’m compelled to pursue Christ through the power of God working in me, changing me, renewing me, energizing me, compelling me to press on and be a new man; a man of faith. I don’t know about you but I want to hear Jesus call me. I want to hear the voice of triumph.

Is there anyone or anything to stop your compelling pursuit of Christ?

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ... But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."⁶

Will you stop if your company lays you off or your business fails?

Will you stop if the utility company turns off your lights?

What will stop you?

Will you stop if they call you that crazy Christian?

If they talk about you, will you stop?

Will the economy stop you?

Will politics stop you?

What will stop you?

Don’t you want to hear Christ call your name? Is Christ in you compelling you to press on?

Lord Jesus, I want to press on toward you in faith. Right now I see an obstacle in my path but it’s not the first obstacle I’ve faced. I know of your love for me because you've delivered me before. I’m going to trust you right now to deliver me again. May you hear my praise of you, thanking you for this victory. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 3:14, NASB
2. Galatians 2:20, NASB
3. Matthew 11:28, NASB
4. Psalm 37:25, NASB
5. Hebrews 13:5, NASB
6. Romans 8:35-37, NASB

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. Nike running events, Chicago Marathon, image courtesy of Nike, Inc.

Finding Grace with God

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was blind, but now I see! Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved! How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares... I have already come. 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far... and Grace will lead me home.1

I’m up this morning and my thoughts are of the grace of God. We Christians have to love Ephesians 2:5 because it epitomizes the relationship we have with God.

“even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."²

The New Testament is filled with scriptural passages that speak of God’s grace but it is in the Old Testament that we truly find the demonstration and depth of God’s grace.

In Genesis, we read that God extends grace to his disobedient creation. Adam and Eve realize that even in their own failure, God covers them through grace. Three chapters later, we discover that God repents that He made mankind and He decides to destroy everything He’d created. In the very next verse, Noah discovers grace in eyes of the Lord.

The first time I read this, I thought that somehow Noah was worthy because of something he did; that he was above all men, righteous. I now realize that Noah was just as guilty as the rest of mankind but the grace he found in the eyes of the Lord didn’t just appear for him; that grace always existed in God.

When David put his strength in numbers as a substitution for God, he was given three options for punishment:

1. Seven years of famine
2. Pursued by his enemies for three months
3. Three days of pestilence

David’s response indicates his awareness of God’s grace:

“…Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”³

David recognized that He would not find grace in the eyes of man. Speaking for myself, I can look back in my life and see times when I was unforgiving; I can also remember times when I sought mercy. There is a kind of hypocrisy in that kind of thinking; that others should show mercy when I would not. I was watching a documentary about death row inmates and as they awaited the final months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds of their life, each pleaded for mercy; yet when they had opportunity to give grace, they extended none to the victims they murdered.

Why can’t we be merciful? Why must the resolution to my problem often end in me eliminating you? Perhaps God understands that apart from Him, I am incapable of love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, peace and grace.

Each of us faces some degree of pain, hardship or loss but in that pain, hardship and loss, we find God’s grace; He favors us. To me, this is true love. I can’t earn it, deserve it or demand it; God chooses to give me grace. This pertains to my past, present and future. I don’t fully understand why God chooses to do this when time after time, humanity fails; I fail. But each new day holds the potential that I grasp hold of what holds me.

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”⁴

This (grasping) comes from not just the ability to see but the will to commit. Jesus commands that. The bible says that when Jesus revealed what He required of his disciples, many of them left Him saying,

“…This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”⁵

Jesus would next ask His Twelve if they would also leave.

“Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go?”⁶

Because of God’s grace, I’m alive. A blind man can’t see me standing before him but He can look back to see how far God has brought him. The soldier who has lost his legs through the tragedy of war sees the deliverance of God doesn’t require limbs. The woman who feels all alone discovers what a friend she has in Jesus.

We live in a time when it’s easy to give up, give out and give in. You may experience defeat but you don’t have to be defeated. You may be lost but Jesus will help you find the way. You may be discouraged but try letting Jesus encourage you.

Where are you today? Can you see grace in the eyes of the Lord? Is your world about to end? Be like the psalmist and say,

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”⁷

And when you look up, you may find yourself saying,

“I call on the Lord in my distress and He answers me.”⁸

You’ve turned in every direction looking for your answer; yet, finding none. Why not turn now to God? Look to Him because He is the answer you’ve been looking for.

You do this and you will find grace with God.
Father God, please hear me as I cry out to you. I have nowhere to go, no place to turn to; without you, I am totally lost. Please guide my steps, give order to the chaos of my life. Allow me to begin to experience Your forgiveness and peace. Yes, I want peace with you Lord God, everlasting peace extended to me through your grace. I don’t deserve it, I haven’t earned it, I can’t prove it but You give grace without the condition of my own merit. Thank you Jesus for saving my life. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Amazing Grace, Song written by John Newton
2. Ephesians 2:5, NASB
3. 2 Samuel 24:13-14, NASB
4. Acts 17:28, NIV
5. John 43-66, NIV
6. John 6:67-69, NIV
7. Psalm 121:1, NIV
8. Psalm 120:1, NIV

References:

1. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
2. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6