“Press On Toward The Goal…!”

“Press On Toward The Goal…!”(Phi.3:12-16).
There has been more than a couple of interpretations given to the meme where in a relay race one runner of a contending team took the baton, turned and was running towards the starting point instead of towards the winning point. All efforts to bring him back on course went in vain since he a fast runner.
Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back. She defied the warning from the angels that they should not look back. She looked back because she was nostalgic for the fleshpots of Egypt.
Some times looking back is necessary to see if we are making progress or not. Looking back is perhaps a kind of evaluation to measure our strengths and weaknesses and to restrategise.
However, when we look back each time we have taken only few steps, we may never get to our destination.
Our followership of Christ is an ongoing race whose finish line is being in union with Christ. While we are still in the race, we keep on encouraging each other to keep on keeping on until the finish line.
The uniqueness of this race of faith is that we do not return to the homes we left to come participate in the race. The finish line does not only guarantee our wins, it also becomes our new home – a final destination of no-return.
This race is personal but we can guide others if we know we are on track. That does not mean our guidance presupposes perfection on our part.
Our goal is to “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.” We do this by rubbishing all the things that were precious to us. We look forward to gain Christ and be found in him, “and having a righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
Paul our long time guidance counselor says this about himself – which he suggests can be useful to us:
“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.”
Like we said earlier, the above is Paul’s personal faith race experience. However, he suggests that “all of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if at some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”
As far as it is now at this point of the journey,“let us live up to what we have already attained,” so that God’s grace will not be in vain.
Bottom line: Obliterate the past life of alienation from God, engage in the race of faith with a focus to be with Christ but in the meantime live up to what has already been attained.
Prayer: Holy Spirit guide us on this race of faith while holding on to what we have already attained. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.