Pressing On

 "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

I recently heard writer and speaker Christine Caine tell of a boating incident with her husband. They had gone out to enjoy a day in the sun and water. Her husband had asked her to drop the sea anchor so that they wouldn't drift. She did so, and then set to work on her tan. After a bit, they were both disturbed by the sound of their boat bumping into another. Her husband then asked, "Did you make sure the anchor went into the seabed?" She hadn't, and because they weren't anchored to their place, they drifted. She used that as a great illustration of the cost of our not staying anchored in Jesus Christ. The result will always be spiritual drifting. I fear many of us are living in such a state right now. We've assumed we're anchored in Him, but we've grown careless about checking on it. We're drifting, and sadly, we don't even know we are.....until we "bump" into situations and challenges we're in no way prepared for. Somewhere along the way, we ceased "pressing on."

I've always liked the New American Standard's rendering of the above verse. "Pressing on in the upward call of God." The Father doesn't call His people in any other way. It is always upward, closer and nearer to Him, nearer to the Kingdom, to eternity, to the fullness of His life. Most who have been genuinely transformed by the Spirit begin to respond to that call in a fervent way....then, usually not intentionally, we allow other things to cloud our vision, our hearing, and our focus. Worse, we get comfortable in our relationship with Him. When any of these take place, we begin to drift. We drift because we've failed to check on our anchor in Him. We've taken for granted our walk, our security, our well being in Him. We've become less diligent in prayer, study of His Word, and above all, having hearts that are tender and receptive to His voice. The "waves" of this world seduce us into believing all is well....until it isn't. We stopped pressing on, lost our anchor in Him, and drifted into dangers that threaten us on every side. I think this is a good picture of a large part of the church, and since we are the church, it's a good picture of far too many of us. Is it a good picture of you? Of me?

What are we really "anchored" to? Our financial portfolio? Our comforts? Our relationships? Our profession? Our ministry? We may be thinking that our bond with Him is as strong as ever, but the truth is, our focus on other things has caused separation between Christ and ourselves. The earthward call was louder than His upward one. Somehow, we stopped pressing on.

Can we let Paul's words in Philippians 3:14 speak to us? Do they resonate? Did we once want nothing more than to answer His upward call, to lay hold of the priceless prize of knowing Christ? Really knowing Him? Where might it have ceased in our lives? When did it cease? Has it ever really been there at all? Whatever the answer, that upward call remains. However we may have ceased our pursuit, it isn't too late, and the demands of these days make that pursuit more needed than ever. Will we, anchored in Him, press on? Or, do we continue to drift, with each day taking us further away from Him? Let us press on!

Blessings,

Pastor O