Pressing On 11-8-08

Themeverse: Phil 3:13-14
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.


On your mark....get set....Bang! The line judge has just fired the gun. Welcome to the world of Cross Country, a sport full of running, records, and winning. Runner endure energy draining miles while trying to keep up with the leaders. The world of Corss country is simple: run, run, run win. Well not exactly, but you get the point.

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul talks about pressing on towards the goal. A real Christian forgets what is behind him and runs to finish to win the prize of eternal life. A non-Christian is the exact opposite. They are the ones whose dstiny is destruction, their glory is their shame, their mind is on earthly things. They feel that is a must to win.

Look at Marion Jones. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she won 5 gold medals. During all this time she was rumored of taking performance enhancing drugs to help her become a faster stronger person. In 2007 after all her years of saying she was not involved in taking performance enhancing drugs, she finnaly admitted that she did. In fact she took steroids. The folowing days her gold medals were stripped away from her. All taht she worked for, gone!

1. What kind of person are you?
2. Are you living your life to get rich, live a wealthy life, to die? Or do you give all that you have to God, and press on to your goal?
3. Are you like Marion Jones? Or are you living your life racing for God.

Greg devo: but chris here my life verse Acts 20:24 fits with thsi devo to