Pressing On, Part One - Take Hold of Jesus

Pressing On, Part One Take Hold of Jesus

 

Philippians 3:12 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.

 

The Apostle Paul had undertaken his missionary journeys across the known lands and had set the world upside down by the time he penned his letter to the church at Philippi. He had been taken up to the third heaven and seen paradise. He had heard things that no man was to ever repeat. Yet as he sat in prison in Rome, in the middle of his letter to the Philippians, he reveals to us the humility with which he lived his life and a direction for us as Christians to follow. Sitting in prison, even after accomplishing so much, he still was pressing on.

 

Paul would not live much beyond this time in his life. While there are no specific accounts of his demise, it is widely believed that shortly after his time in prison he was executed by the Roman Emperor Nero. It is important to note the language he uses in this verse. He is pressing on to take hold of that which Christ took hold of him for. There are several truths to examine. First of all, this assures us that God called us for a specific purpose and reason.

 

We all can remember when Christ took hold of our lives. Perhaps our life was out of control. Maybe we were at our end emotionally, mentally or physically. God had to reach down for a lot of us a mighty long way to take hold of our lives. Salvation alone however is not the end for us, but the beginning. Somewhere along the walk with God we can forget that God took hold of us for a reason; a purpose. There might be nothing sadder than unfulfilled purpose. We can find so many excuses to not step out of our comfort zones. God can walk us right to the edge of the cliff but it is up to our will to take the step of faith and walk off into the true calling God has placed on our lives. The calling of the prophet Jeremiah shows us some interesting truths:

 

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:4-5

 

God has appointed you for His service as well. He made this decision before you were even born. Yet despite this, we can rationalize in our minds why we cannot fulfill the calling God has on our lives, as Jeremiah did.

 

"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." Jeremiah 1:6