Pressing On

 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 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, 14 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 3:7-14

I have recently been thinking a lot about this passage and I would like to encourage you through what the Lord has been teaching me. As I mentioned in my last post, my perspective has been changed radically. When I begin to fix my eyes on Christ, everything that I once thought valuable becomes worthless. Things of this world can feel so important, but they are temporary and, thus, worthless garbage when compared to the immense value of knowing Christ. That is when we realize that He is all we need. Christ is enough.

I have most definitely not reached my goal to know Christ, and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. But I live everyday seeking to know Christ more. Everyday is about Him, not me. As Christians we must always make every effort to press on toward our goal of eternal life with Christ. It hurts, and it requires dying with Christ but in the end it will all be worth it. 

The beauty of it is that we will never be alone. Verse 12 says that "I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." If He has possessed us that means that we are His. 

I encourage you to fix your eyes on Christ no matter what you're going through. Don't look back. Instead, press on toward the goal that Christ is calling you to. The journey hurts but is nothing compared to the beauty of eternity with God.