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If you want your life to be different...
by Adam Bennett As it's now a couple of days after the start of the new year I imagine the majority of New Year's resolutions have now lapsed. Few of those resolutions had more impetus than willpower so were doomed to fail soon after the last celebratory drink. The start of anything new is an appropriate time to evaluate plan and prepare. As I do that I'm thinking about a line from an advertisement our church placed before Christmas which read, "If you want your life to be different, you have to do something different." Paul wrote, "one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV) In this passage Paul presents three principles about life change. First, Paul has a big goal and aspirations which reach higher than wealth, health and leisure. His greatest aim is to hear the 'upward call of God in Christ Jesus.' Using the phrase from Jesus' parable, Paul wishes to hear God say of him, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21) If we want to change our lives, we have to choose something worth changing for. Second, the picture of Paul that comes to mind is of an athlete. He describes a forceful drive towards his goal (straining and 'press on') which reminds me of an Olympic sprinter urging their body toward the finish line. He used the image of an athlete or runner in other places including in 1 Corinthians where he said, " Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (9:24 NIV) If we want to change our life, we have to put energy and focus into our efforts. Third, Paul's athlete is running light - unencumbered by anything which would weigh him down, divert energy or slow progress toward his goal. He says he forgets what lies behind. If we want to change our lives there are things to leave behind. These may be sins, habits, attitudes, hurts, negative situations, bad influences or anything else that would be a burden to carry while we run. We may also need to forget other things which, neutral in themselves, serve a lesser goal than the big prize we are focused on... things like leisure, hobbies, sport, professional ambition and others. So, there are three principles: a bigger goal; passionate energy and focus; and freedom from burdens and distractions. Then we should remember we don't work alone. One chapter later Paul wrote, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) Copyright Adam Bennett 2009. More articles are available at http://godward-thoughts.blogspot.com/ Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |