PURSUING THE PRIZE
(Philippians 3:14) “I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (NLT)
Every Christian hopes to gain that final reward of
spending eternity in heaven. The question is, “How do we obtain, or
pursue this prize?” Is heaven our goal, or our reward? This verse
clearly states that heaven is
If you were to ask an athlete
to state his/her goal while training to compete in the Olympics, it
is doubtful that they would simply state “to win the gold”; their
goal is to be
the best.
The reward for being the best is to receive the gold!
How do you receive your gold medal? Or, to parallel
scripture, how do you receive the victor’s crown?
Paul identifies this just a few verses prior:
The way to pursue the prize is, put very simply,
this: to come into such a unity with Him that our submission to His
will becomes as natural as it is for our hand to respond to its
direction from the mind. There is only one “best” - the only way to
become the “best” Christian is to become one with Him.
Is there peace in your life? Or, do you worry about what tomorrow
may offer you? Jesus came to earth to be our "Prince of Peace"
(Isaiah 9:6). He will give you that peace if you will only allow
yourself to believe in Him. This does not mean that you will live a
problem-free life; Verse 4 of Psalm 23 says,
"Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
you are with me" - He is our comfort in the time of trouble!
Verse 5 of that same chapter goes on to talk of our enemies, but it
also tells that He - the Lord - is
providing
for
us, covering
us with His anointing. Peace comes from
knowing that, in the midst of trouble,
He is there.
If you don't know Him, we encourage you to begin
your pursuit.
Hebrews 4:9-16 says, "But God has promised us a Sabbath when we
will rest, even though it has not yet come. On that day God's people
will rest form their work, just as God rested from His work. We
should do our best to enter that place of rest, so that none of us
will disobey and miss going there, as they did. What God has said
isn't only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged
sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through
our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts
of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through
everything, and we will have to tell him the truth. We have a great
high priest, who has gone into heaven, and He is Jesus the son of
God...Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because He was
tempted in every way that we are. But He did not sin! So whenever we
are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our
merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and
we will find help." (CEV)
If you seek Him, you will surely find Him, and once you do, the Bible
promises that He will never
leave you or forsake you.
Imagine a Savior who will forgive you, a lifelong Friend who will
never leave, Someone who is always ready to forgive you...in this
present world, these are rare things indeed. Yet, this is
exactly what God can, and will, be to you - if you let Him.
We have provided information that will help you start your journey
- simply visit the menu at left to get started.
Each topic has been written on a sixth-grade level simply to
provide understanding to both adults and children, no matter whom may be
seeking Him. Should you desire
more information, please -
do not hesitate to
contact us.
