Pressing On in 2011

Philippians 3: 10 – 16 (NIV): I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Paul realized that the Christian walk is more of a marathon than a sprint. He knew he had grown toward maturity some days, and some days, not so much. We can all identify with this. We've all grown in our Christian journey, but we've also made mistakes and gone backward at times.

Paul encourages us to forget our mistakes and shortcomings and press forward. Somehow the miracle of resurrection awaits us. Somehow we will reach perfection – but not in this life. In this life we are on a journey toward maturity and perfection, but we mustn't be discouraged that we haven't arrived yet. We have a brand new year before us and it is our opportunity to strain forward and become more and more like Christ in 2011.

So this new year, let us forget and remember. Forget our mistakes from the past. Forget the old hurts that hold us back. But remember God's faithfulness in the past. Has God been good to you? Do you have life in your body and air in your lungs? Do you have the blessings of friends and family? Are you fed and sheltered and clothed? Have you seen God work in your life? May we never forget. And may we never forget his promises for our future. Chiefly, eternal life with him. It is a prize for which we are reaching.

Press on this year. Strain forward toward perfection and don't give up. We will fail at times and we will make mistakes and commit sins. But God measures our success by our faithfulness. If we trust in him and obey him, then we are pleasing him. When we fall, we pick ourselves up, dust off our britches, and keep going. Paul was in prison when he wrote this, yet his goal was the same as anyone's: to press on to maturity.

Paul ends this passage encouraging us to live up to the maturity we have attained and not to slide backward. Did God teach you anything new this year? Are you more mature today than you were a year ago? Live up to that, move forward, and don't backslide. Let that be our goal for this new year. Press on.