Cross Road

Baptist Church

© 2017

Moving Up

12. Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Don’t Settle for Less than What God Created You To Be

Fulfillment in life can only come as a result of pursuit. There are so many wonderful people of God who fail to apply their faith. As a result, they never fully develop as believers. They live and die in a state of spiritual infancy. If you and I are to reach the state of fulfillment in Christ, we must develop a spiritual appetite for being better and doing more. Jesus said, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6) We all know what its like to be hungry or thirsty; when the pangs are severe enough, we will take action to satisfy the hunger and quench the thirst. What are we doing about our faith?

God has designed each of us for a specific purpose and has created us to reach a certain level in life. Why in the world would we settle for less than what God created us to be? Granted, reaching that goal will be a lifetime pursuit. Some may feel they have arrived because of some temporary achievement or fortunate situation. Don’t assume that the extra money or temporary fame is the same as reaching your life goal. God has more for you and has more in store for your development in the faith. When the children of Israel reached Elim on their journey to the Promised Land, some thought they had arrived. Some would have been content there because of the twelve wells and seventy palm trees. The fact was, they were not in the right place according to God’s road map. They had not arrived at Mount Zion yet, much less the Promised Land. You and I must never mistake a temporary Rest Stop as a place of permanent residence. Just because there are pleasant accommodations, don’t assume that is God’s best. Vice, versa, don’t assume that every struggle in life is a bad place. Sometimes your best growth comes in the seasons of adversity.

Paul recognized the nature of his journey of faith and was willing to share with others that he had not attained. There was much more to come for Paul’s growth in Christ and he recognized it as a good place to be. In his confession of not having attained either were already perfect, He was not admitting failure but faith. Paul made a positive statement that there was so much more to become in Christ Jesus. If you and I are honest with ourselves, we would make that same confession. Growing up in Christ means moving up in faith.

Motivation to Move Up

We must be careful to not measure Christian growth on our own terms. We must always measure our life by the standard of Christ because the strength comes from Christ and the glory goes to Christ. Apostle Paul recognized certain barriers to growing in Christ. These barriers relate to time elements: our past, our present, and our future. Whenever there is an unhealthy perception of any one (or all three) of these time elements, our progress will be hindered.

Some believers can’t get over the past. Admittedly, this is difficult when there have been tragedies, disappointments, and even failures. What were the things in Paul’s past that could have been a barrier? His persecution of the Church of God could have been damaging to his ‘moving up’ in Christ. Rather than allow the past to haunt him, Paul recognized not what but who was working in his life. As a matter of fact, Paul recognized that Jesus was the strength of his life. Through faith in Christ, the past was conquered. The exhortation to fellow believer was simply to forget about the past in order to pursue the Excellency of Christ Jesus. It is a process of forgetting those things which are behind, because there will always be reminders of where we have been and what we have done. When we focus on our upward call in Christ, it will motivate us to forget about the things behind us. Let me speak of word of encouragement to some. Your past cannot hurt you anymore because Jesus has called you to a new day. This is the Day the Lord has made. Yesterday is not the day. This is God’s new day for the Child of God.

The second time element is our present. While these are not instant remedies, these are empowering processes that give every blood bought Saint the ability to live a victorious life in Christ. Sometimes is not the failed past or harmful history as much as it is the present circumstances. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the situations you face each day? Those are the things present that can stop you in your faith if you are not prayed up. What was it like for Paul to live each day? What kinds of problems did he deal with? I can tell you that it was not easy. First, Paul was a missionary for the most part, so he lived on the go. Second, Paul faced constant persecution from the Jewish leaders. On many occasions, he faced attacks from Judaizers who would stir up trouble in almost every town he preached. Even in Philippi, Paul and Silas had been beaten and jailed for preaching the Gospel. So for Paul to say that He was ‘pressing on’ or ‘moving up’ meant that these things would not keep him from his mission. You and I must not allow present things to keep us from boldly serving the Lord.

A good bit of advice to help you deal with the present is to stay away from the pity parties and the petty parties. Pity will always invite you to indulge in your hurts and pains. You must decline the invitation because it will keep you from the great work of serving God. You and I must remember that we serve a Savior who suffered more than anyone. We must remember when we are having our pity parties that they drove nails in His Hands and Feet. The same Hands that healed the sick were fastened to the Tree. The same Feet that walked on the water were fastened to the Old Rugged Cross. Get past your present pity. Paul’s encouragement was simple; reaching forth unto those things which are before. Just keep it moving.

The last element of time we face is that of the future. This is the really difficult one because we have no experience to relate to. This is also where the petty party will do the most damage. What kinds of things did Paul face regarding the things to come? Unlike us, Paul was warned of some of his future problems. Some prophets warned Paul that his life would be in danger if he journeyed to Jerusalem to preach the Gospel. So what did Paul do? He went anyway. His exact words were, I know whom I have believed in and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed unto Him in anticipation of that Day. With that being said, Paul was ready to face his future. He was not intimidated by the things over the next hill or stuff beyond the horizon. Paul had one thing on his mind; life was all about pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I can tell you that if you allow the Holy Spirit to talk to you, He will talk you into the future. As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit will equip you for the future. As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit will walk with you into the future. You will have confidence in His Power knowing that no weapon formed against you will be able to prosper. So what is our threat for the future? The threat will very often be those Petty Parties where we fill our lives with unimportant things. You don’t have time to sit on the Dock of the Bay and waste time. You cannot kick the can down the road and avoid the future with small things. Something greater is calling you. It is the upward call in Christ Jesus. Paul worded it this way, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

On Your Mark…

As Christians, we must be on our mark for Christ. That is what ‘moving up’ is all about. If you are off your mark, your effectiveness and even your peace of mind will be hindered. Moving up’ really means freedom to reach new heights in Jesus. This progress of faith is demonstrated through obedience and a genuine desire to follow our Lord. My life must be anchored and aimed at Christ.

Consider first, there is a ‘High Calling’ for all saints. I call this your mark of identity. You did not earn it, but God gave it as a gift. It is wonderful to receive gifts that honor you, but what if you received a gift in honor of a king? God honored us with the High Calling Mark when we became a child of God. This mark honors the Lord Jesus Christ. It is absolutely free and completely paid for. This ‘mark’ is my identification as a Child of God. No matter where I go, nothing can stop me because of who I belong to. The Devil sees the mark and can only go as far as God will allow to make us strong in the Lord. Problems discover that we have a mark of identity that will cause them to give up on their quest to destroy us. People see the mark and they are inspired by God at work in our lives. You are marked as a Child of God.

Secondly, consider the mark of service. This is the ‘mark of excellence’ that pleases God. With this mark I reflected that my labor in the Lord is not in vain, but for the Glory of God. What ever I do in word or deed, I put the ‘mark of excellence’ on it to indicate “For God’s Glory.” This inspires me to do my best work. Again, it is not me that is creating this masterpiece. It is actually the Holy Spirit in me doing the work of service. As I listen to His guidance and trust Him for strength, “I can do all things through Christ.” This means there will never be a work assignment that I can’t handle if I trust in the Lord and don’t lean to my own understanding. When the work is complete, I put God’s seal on it. In the Name of Jesus, I declare the work as fit for the King. To God be the Glory.

Lastly, consider the mark of reward. There is a ‘prize’ to be rewarded for those who move up. I visited a clothing store and the manager walked up and gave me a gift card. At first I was reluctant, but then accepted the gift. Two things struck me about the gift. First, it was given based on my location. I was in the store where this manager served. Second, it was based on my identity. I was a customer and the manager wanted me to have the gift. As it turned out, the gift card was only worth five dollars but it was more than I had and actually more than I deserved.

Your mark of reward in Christ Jesus is based on your location and also your identity. When you are actively pursuing the Will of God for your life, you cannot stand still. You will be moving forward by faith. I can tell you that any time God chooses, He can deposit gifts into your life because you are in a location where He chooses to reward you. That’s why you must avoid the petty parties because they will keep you from your blessing. Secondly, God knows where I am and rewards me because of my identity. I never have to remind God that I am His Child. I have the mark to prove it. As I move up in life and I remember who I am and I remember what I am supposed to be doing, God keeps leaving these gift cards. They are worth more than $5. They are worth more than silver and gold, rubies and diamonds. One gift card is health and strength. Just the other day God left a gift card called the Joy of the Lord – I shouted when I received it. On my bad days, as long as I am moving up, God leaves these gift cards. The two I received was Peace I leave with you, not as the world gives. The other was the Comfort of the Holy Ghost. God keeps leaving these gift cards filled with the Goodness of God. Now the Gift Cards are not the real joy. The real joy is to know the Store Manager, the Store Owner. His Name is Jesus. Thank God for the gift cards, but Praise God for His Unspeakable Gift. Do you know Him? Do you need Him? He is my Rock. He is my Shelter, Shepherd, and Strength. He is my All in All – yes that sums it up. Jesus is All I need and more. That is why Paul was so excited to ‘move up.’ He kept pressing every day toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Which way are you headed? UP or Down?