Pressing toward the goal...

Good morning all-

The headlines are full of tragedy and triumph.  All but 10 passengers were saved off a ship from Greece and all passengers are assumed dead that were on board of the Asia Airlines according to the bodies that are now washing up from the sea.  One miracle another devastation.  When Christ told us to live for today, I'm sure His disciples questioned what He meant.  What does it mean to live for today?  Well, when the passengers of the freight line and on Asia Air got onto their vessels, their very last thought was today I will die and yet, many perished.  We don't know our last day but we do know that daily we sin, we fall short and we live in the flesh.  Abraham, Isaac, David, Peter and Paul all were great men but somewhere in their journey they fell short. Did they stop?  No, they continued to persevere toward God, leaving behind the past and pursuing the God of their hearts.  Today, we are no different.  A new year is approaching, new year's resolutions will begin and we will once again either pursue our higher purpose or continue to fall to our flesh.  Paul understood that and never gave up.  He worked toward His pursuit to be in relationship with the Almighty God.  He didn't give up, He moved forward.  We will all fall short but when we pursue our relationship and not our religion; God is glorified.  We are His to transform, shape and make new.

It is our pursuit to study and read His word that will help us in our pursuit to leave the old behind and bring the new in.  My goal is not to be the greatest Christian.  It's more about being in relationship, loving and pursuing my Lord.  Practicing religion is one thing but pursuing Jesus is totally another.  Finding God in our midst is what this new year should be about.  We need to pray that in today we would find Him, glorify Him and spread His word.  Many perished this week.  Sorrow will be in the hearts of families in Indonesia, Korea, and France.  The new year will not bring about joy for them but eternal sadness for their loss.  That is the way of people when they lose someone dear and the only comfort they will find will be in God and in the memories of those that left them behind. So if you are thinking about them, please pray for them. God hears their cries and understands their sorrow.  Their burden should be ours.  We have no idea when God will take us up to be with Him.  Paul knew that but His goal was to continue toward the cross and I believe that is what God is calling us to do today.  We must move forward and pray for those that are weak, lost and sad.  It is our responsibility to not just see the headlines and turn away but to pray for those that can't pray for themselves.  Be aware of the signs and the events occurring and pursue Jesus in our midst.  What would Jesus do?

Be well my sisters and pray for God to bring His glory to earth.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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 ‭3‬:‭7-14‬ NIV)

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and David bring His glory to the earth as we pursue Him.  He is our light and our salvation and we must pray that His everlasting love reaches to every soul that will hear the good news. In Jesus Name, AMEN