Closer Than It Appears

“I 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.  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 Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:10–14, NIV 1984).

My Musings – A mirage is an optical illusion, something that you believe you see but that isn’t really there.  As you move towards it, you don’t seem to make any progress in getting any closer.  Sometimes, our Christian walk seems a lot like that.  We “press on” and keep “straining toward what is ahead,” but the progress seems all too slow.  Like a mirage it appears to keep moving away from us.  Progress that is illusory.  Sometimes thinking that you believe you see some degree of progress, and at other times feeling that the progress isn’t really there.

While we must forget the life we left behind, sometimes it is good to look back to see how far we’ve come, than it is to look forward to see how much further we have to go.  Like rowing a boat out to sea.  The horizon keeps moving, not getting any closer.  Yet looking back, the harbor is shrinking into the distance.  Yes, we have made some progress.  Now turn our gaze forward again.  Is that land appearing in the distance?  Now keep our eyes fixed on the “prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus.“

My Advice – We have not “already obtained all this,” nor have we “already been made perfect.”  But keep pressing on.  Keep straining forward.  Do not grow weary or lose heart.  If you do these things, you will soon find out that the objective (Christlikeness) in the mirror (our reflection of Him), is closer than it appears.  Certainly closer than when you first put your faith in Christ.

Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ. View all posts by thebrewisamusing