Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Philippians 3:12-16
We should always push forward towards the goal. What is our goal? It’s heaven and eternal life with God and Jesus. Yet, if we say we “believe”, is that really enough?
I’m not trying to say that we’re saved by our works. Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved by grace through faith, not by works. But if we say we believe and fail to act on our belief, then what good is our faith?
Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23 that not everyone who says [to him], “Lord Lord” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do God’s will. And God’s will is to believe in the one He sent (John 6:28). Believing in Jesus gives us the right to become children of God (John 1:12-13), but what does that mean?
We must know and understand God’s and Jesus’s words in order to do the will of God. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and the Law, but he also gave us prophecies (promises) about his return. He promised to send someone on his behalf to speak (Rev 22:16), and we must believe in Jesus’s promise about that person, because he will fulfill it.
We need to keep maturing in our faith and that happens by gaining a deeper understanding of God’s Word. As we continue to learn the Bible and act on our faith, let us not forget that God and His spirits are there to help us. We are not alone. We have the best backup. We also have a community of believers to rely on when things get hard. We must not give up when trials and persecutions come.
Let us strain towards the goal and do what God and Jesus ask.
And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
John 14:29; John 13:20
Let us hold true to these words until the end.
Peace.
Hope and Peace for God 