Substance and Pressing On

As I pulled into the Starbucks drive-thru with my desire for a shot of some great coffee and some non-fat milk to make it a Latte, I specifically said: venti – Non Fat – Latte – No Foam. You see, the first ever Latte I ever had was with a friend of mine, Jon and he ordered it Non Fat – No Foam. So that is usually how I order it. But as I drove off, I wasn’t getting the coffee, just foam and lots of it. So I pulled into a parking spot nearby and popped of the lid to realize that ¾ of my venti cup was all Foam. I used this illustration this past Sunday as we spoke about Substance – having a life that had something to it and not just the “right words” or the “right look” but substance – not just foam. All of this made me think of Philippians 3 and Pressing On.
This is an amusing story from the Christian Reader.
My five-year-old grandnephew was obviously worried as he looked down the long aisle of the church where his aunt was to be married the following day. His grandmother had an idea. "I think I'll give a prize to the person who does the best job tomorrow," she told him. We were all holding our breath the next day, but when it was time, the ring-bearer performed without a hitch. When his grandmother told him he had won the prize, he was both excited and relieved. "I was pretty sure I had it," he admitted, "until Aunt Dana came in wearing that white dress and the horn was blowing. Then I started thinking–she might win!" * Life is about running – we are all running but as believers we are called to run with purpose and focus. Imagine going up to the airline ticket counter and telling the ticket agent you would like to purchase a ticket to go on a wonderful vacation but you aren't sure where you want to go or when you want to go. What do you think their response would be? Maybe something like "Well when you figure out where you want to go and when you want to go then come back and I'll help you. Now please step aside so I can help the next person in line."
In Lewis Carol's Alice In Wonderland there is a wonderful passage where the Cheshire Cat addresses this same issue by saying to Alice, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there".
It takes a great deal of effort to be a world-class runner. Lots of practice and hard work is required to win the prized gold medal. That’s the way it is in the Christian life as well. Now, I am not saying that we can work to earn salvation. Salvation is God’s gift to us through faith. It isn’t something we can earn or achieve by our own efforts. But when it comes to living the Christian life it does require effort on our part. We don’t automatically achieve spiritual maturity when we trust Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s a growth process that takes time and it takes effort on our part. Faith is just the beginning of the race we run as Christians and we need to exercise our faith and put it into practice. We need to be reading the bible, praying, moving forward and not coasting. We need to be like Paul and press on or run the race. It takes effort on our part to grow and mature as believers. We can just sit back and be satisfied with the fact that we are saved and on our way to Heaven and forget that we are in a race and we need to keep pressing to the goal. The Apostle Paul was pressing on. He was running the race. He wasn’t content to sit back and take it easy. He wanted to make progress and he gives helpful hints for us to do the same. When it comes to perfection - be realistic. Philippians 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 of me.” We have not arrived – so we cannot just kick back and take a seat. We are not done so let’s be real and keep moving. When it comes to the past we need to be forgetful. We haven’t achieved perfection and never will while we live on this earth but we should be striving to “be holy” like God is holy. When we are realistic about our lack of perfection it should help us to realize that others aren’t perfect either. Second, when it comes to our past - be forgetful. verse 13: “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…” Paul says I forget the past and am reaching forward to what lies ahead in the future. Paul isn’t saying that he didn’t actually remember his past. He clearly understood his past and had not forgotten the man he once was, but he did not let his past discourage him or defeat him. He was determined to press on and to keep running the race.
Churches are full of spiritual cripples, paralyzed by the grudges, bitterness, sins, and tragedies of the past. Others try to survive in the present by reliving past successes. They must break with that past if they are to pursue the spiritual prize. God is interested in what believers do now and in the future. “No one,” declared Jesus, “after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). The clearest vision for future belongs to those who forget the past. We can’t allow our past failures to paralyze us from doing what is right today. We can’t allow the past victories we achieved to cause us to become complacent and lazy today. Third: When it comes to the prize – be focused. verse 14: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul was focused on the goal. He was focused on the prize. A good runner is focused on the finish line. Paul was focused on eternity and what awaited him at the end of his life. We can get so bogged down in today that we lose our focus on eternity and the prize in store for us. Our focus needs to be clear and fixed on the eternal. Paul’s focus was clear. He was pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. When it came to the prize, Paul was focused.
Fourth: When it comes to our pursuit – stay engaged. The pursuit that Paul was engaged in was one he called others to as well. If you are one who has placed your trust in Christ then stay engaged in running the race and striving to be more like Christ. Run on with purpose and watch out for the foam.