1-5-2024

Good Morning All,

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

        It was really funny to watch.  We had set up a 2x4 board on edge.  It was 6 feet long and the mounting had it two inches off the floor.  So, we challenged the kids to walk the “balance beam of destruction.” It was 1.5 inches wide and 6 feet long.  Very few could do it.  Most made it less than half the way down.  The problem was that they would look either down at the board or around at their friends; a few tried to look behind them.  The very small number who made it from one end to the other looked forward at a small sign that was on the wall directly behind the beam.  They focused on the sign and went straight down the board.

    It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do; whether it is walking a straight line, plowing a straight furrow, making a straight path; you accomplish this by focusing your sight on a specific point out way ahead, way past your intended ending point, and walk directly toward it.  You can’t look directly down at the path, or you will waver.  You can’t look out around or look back if you want to walk the line.  If you do that, you will fall off the beam.  Our life is the same way.

    The Apostle Paul told us to “press on toward the goal.”  The goal of course is eternal life in Christ.  The way to best accomplish this task is by focusing, not on what is happening around us, but rather by focusing on the target, the goal, our eternal life.  We can’t be distracted by the lumps and bumps of life.  We can’t look back at the past; we need to look forward.  We need to press on toward our goal, toward our eternal life with God.

    The devil wants us to look at everything around us.  He wants us to look down or back or side to side, anywhere but at Christ.   By getting us to look away from Jesus, the devil wants you to see pain, failure, and hopelessness.  When we do this, we fall off of the very path that Jesus has laid out for us.  We fall off the path of contentment.  The devil inflicts his pain.

    This is why God tells us over and over that we need to keep our eyes on him; that we need to press onward toward him, toward our goal of eternal life.  God gives us this hope for life eternal.  It is the great good that we need to keep in our line of sight so that the brokenness of the world does not detract us from the beauty of his grace.  In our life, the devil will try to cause all sorts of confusion and distress.  We best deal with this by keeping our eyes and our faith focused on Jesus and keep pressing forward to that truth.

Father of all mercies, your wonderful love and mercy roll over us like a river.  Your grace is new to us each day.  Guide us to keep pressing onward toward your great mercy, to our eternal reward.  Be with those who are distracted by the cares this life and this world.  Help them to get back on the path to walk in your light and grace.  Return them to your holy flock.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret