Press On: Taking Hold of the Victory Christ Has Won - Philippians 3:12-14

Commentary

Revd. Mark Fletcher: Verse 12, he says, press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of you. Isn’t that actually a lovely verse? Listen to that again. Press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of you. Take hold of that for which Christ won for you. It’s a wonderful thing to talk about striving for that which has already been done, to leave the past behind. And that is possible because Christ has won the victory for us. Our job is not to fight the fight all over again, it is to take hold of the victory that has already been achieved. There’s some amazing scientific studies on the power of faith to allow people to change, to see lives transformed in a way that’s totally beyond what we expect. Change is possible in Christ. And so we press on. We press on towards a greater goal. You know, when you become a Christian, you are choosing a different goal in life to the rest of the world. And so we need to be really deliberate about not getting distracted by what everybody else is chasing after. We walk a different road, a narrow way, and it isn’t the easy way. It can be very hard sometimes, but the Good Shepherd promises that he walks with us on that way, even through the darkest valley. He will be with us even at the hardest times. So Paul’s first call to us is to that kind of single-mindedness, to seek first the kingdom of God. We’ve asked this question before, but it remains essential. How do you start the day? What do you do first? Because if it isn’t by seeking the presence of God and his word, then you are missing out on the greatest source of strength and of joy.