Don’t Give Up
Philippians 3:12-14 I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
Have you ever had that thing going on where you love God so much, where you want to please Him so much, and yet your foibles, your weaknesses, your failures – your sin – scream at you: “That’s never going to happen”?
If ever there was an arrogant man in the Bible who was powerfully humbled by God, it was the Apostle Paul. He was the cream of the crop amongst the religious elite in Jerusalem, filled with a judgmental spirit of perfectionism that led him to persecute Christians mercilessly.
But God chose him, humbled him and sent him through persecution after persecution to preach Christ, plant churches and write almost half the books of the New Testament.
One of the things you notice in Paul’s writings is that, as time goes by, he becomes more and more aware of his own sin. And when that happens, it’s easy for us to throw our hands in the air and give up. I’m never going to be godly the way I’m meant to be. I’m never going to be good enough. But not Paul:
Philippians 3:12-14 I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
No, you’re not there yet. Just don’t give up.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Yvette
Thank you for your encouraging scripture based Word each day. I find all that I read very helpful throughout my day.
Thank you for your encouraging scripture based Word each day. I find all that I read very helpful throughout my day.