EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
THURSDAY APRIL 02, 2026.
SUBJECT : PRESS TOWARD THE MARK!
Memory verse: "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3 vs 14).
READ: Philippians 3 vs 12 - 14:
3:12: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold on me.
3:13: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
3:14: I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
INTIMATION:
God's ultimate goal is to make us like Jesus Christ. The Scripture in First John 3 vs 2, says, "Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." As we become more like Him, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be.
The Scriptures, in Romans 8 vs 28 - 30, say, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknow, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." The high calling of God is be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ His Son, where He will be the first born among many of the believers His brethren. This is the plan of God from the beginning, hence He chose the belivers in His Son and called them in Him to be justified and glorified in the end.
God has set before the believers the mark of a final rest for which all men were created. The goal is the new heavens and earth wherein dwells righteousness (Second Timothy 4 vs 7; Second Peter 3 vs 13). The power of this hope in the life of the believer keeps his life focused on Jesus. When one's hope for heaven is strong, then he will submit his life to the narrow way of Christian living.
The motivation for pressing on lies in one's realization that he doesn't yet fully know what he desires to know of Christ. When one realizes that great spiritual growth will occur in presence of Jesus, then he desires to be with Jesus. All believers press on to acquire that for which we have been called. Therefore, this world is not our home. We are waiting for our transition into the eternal dwelling for which we are created.
How can we be like Christ? By reading and heeding the Word, by studying His life on earth through the Gospels, by spending time in prayer, by being filled with the Spirit, and by doing His works in the world
The apostle Paul said his goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all that Christ had in mind for him. This goal took all of his energies. This is a helpful example for all believers. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal-knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective believers in Christ.
The apostle Paul had reason to forget the past-he had held the coats of those who had stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7 vs 57 - 58). Like him we have all done things of which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don't dwell on your past, instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ.
Though the apostle Paul was a Christ-sent apostle with a strong religious background in Judaism, he still had room for both growth in the knowledge of Jesus, as well as, spiritual growth within his heart. There will be a time when we all come to a greater knowledge of Jesus in the heavenly realm. While we are in this world, however, our knowledge and relationship with Jesus will always be limited. Our understanding of Jesus will excel only when we have been taken from the confines of this world into the next to be in the presence of Jesus.
Sometimes trying to live a perfect believer's or Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we think we can never please God with our life. The apostle Paul used perfected (3 vs 12) to mean mature or complete, not flawless in every detail. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit's power, knowing that Christ will reveal and fill any discrepancy between what we are and what we should be. Christ's provision is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven.
Christian maturity is acting on the guidance that you have already received. We can always make excuses that we still have so much to learn. The instruction for us is to live up to what we already know and live out what we have already learned. We don't have to be sidetracked by an unending search for truth. Our Helper-the Holy Spirit is always ready to help be what Christ wants us to be.
Prayers: Abba Father, You have given us all that pertains to life and godliness in Jesus Christ. Open my eyes of understanding that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, and that I may press on earnestly to apprehend that for which You laid hold of me in Christ, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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