Paul, whose life was made new and transformed by the Risen Lord wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Any one who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.” Again he said in Galatians 6:15 “The only thing that counts is the new creation.” In Philippians 3 Paul declared, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead" (v. 13).
There
is a fierce concentration implicit in the words “one thing I do.”
Greatness in any arena comes to those who can say with the
Apostle Paul, “One thing I do.” In his case, it meant lookinto the heavenly
goal of winning the prize. That phrase covers all that God has for us when we
finally stand before Jesus Christ and hear him say, “Well done, good and
faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord."
Every time I have been in London, England I have made a point of visiting Westminster Abbey. As we enter the majestic Abbey we will see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and next to it is the tomb of great Missionary David Livingstone. When Dr. David Livingstone returned from Africa to England, he was asked, “Where are you ready to go next?” “I am ready to go anywhere,” he replied, “provided it be forward." This must be the attitude of the servant of God every single day. “Lord, I am ready to go wherever you lead, no matter where that takes me.” In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. True believers are not yet in heaven, but they aim their steps in that direction. In Paul’s case that involved both a sanctified forgetting and a resolute pushing forward.
In 1905 a young man from a wealthy family entered Yale University. His family intended that after completing his degree he would enter a suitable career in America. God, however, gripped his heart with the needs of China and he volunteered to go to that country with the gospel, much to the dismay of his family and friends. He left America but never made it to China, succumbing to a disease before reaching that distant shore. After his death, a note was found in his Bible that summarized his life: “No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” I wonder how many of us could say the same thing?
Paul said, “I haven’t arrived yet, but I’m still climbing!” It’s not enough to start well. You also have to end well.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/76RrdwElnTU
Every time I have been in London, England I have made a point of visiting Westminster Abbey. As we enter the majestic Abbey we will see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and next to it is the tomb of great Missionary David Livingstone. When Dr. David Livingstone returned from Africa to England, he was asked, “Where are you ready to go next?” “I am ready to go anywhere,” he replied, “provided it be forward." This must be the attitude of the servant of God every single day. “Lord, I am ready to go wherever you lead, no matter where that takes me.” In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. True believers are not yet in heaven, but they aim their steps in that direction. In Paul’s case that involved both a sanctified forgetting and a resolute pushing forward.
In 1905 a young man from a wealthy family entered Yale University. His family intended that after completing his degree he would enter a suitable career in America. God, however, gripped his heart with the needs of China and he volunteered to go to that country with the gospel, much to the dismay of his family and friends. He left America but never made it to China, succumbing to a disease before reaching that distant shore. After his death, a note was found in his Bible that summarized his life: “No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” I wonder how many of us could say the same thing?
Paul said, “I haven’t arrived yet, but I’m still climbing!” It’s not enough to start well. You also have to end well.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/76RrdwElnTU
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