By: Joyce K. Picker
August 2024 Blog
I am a curious person so when I read phrases in the Bible, I try to look at the deeper meaning. One phrase that struck me lately is “Pressing Forward Toward the Goal or the High Calling”.
This is probably something that folks may look at in the beginning of the year or when closing one chapter of life and moving into another or maybe even a Spiritual Goal setting session. Yet, here I am evaluating it in August! LOL!
What does it mean to Press Forward? To me it means we seek out Scripture which will encourage us to pursue God’s will and purpose for our lives. Here are some KEY verses in support of this thought:
· Philippians 3:14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Messiah Yeshua.
· 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
· Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen.
· James 1:22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
· John 14:6: Yeshua answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Spiritual goal setting is crucial to achieving growth in any worthy endeavor. However, there is no other ambition as important than the one the Apostle Paul preached about in Philippians 3:13-14. But just what goal was Paul targeting? We can all relate to the Olympics right now. I have been watching women’s and men’s gymnastics and swimming! It has been so awesome to watch the determination of the athletes. Just like an Olympic athlete, Paul exerted determination to cross the finish line of Believers maturity. For the remainder of his life on earth, he was committed to the passionate pursuit of this ambition. He explained to the Philippians that he had by no means arrived at his destination yet but: I press on to take hold of that for which Messiah took hold of me.” Take hold means to win, acquire, possess, or make one’s own.
I know you are familiar with the story of Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul had been disabled by the powerful, unbreakable grasp of our Lord, Yeshua (Acts 1: 1-19). It was a dramatic encounter! From this moment on his life was sold out to Yeshua. Paul was God’s chosen instrument to proclaim salvation to the Gentiles and to the people of Israel. But this was NOT the goal Paul pressed toward.
Instead, he explained, I want to know Messiah- yes to know the power of his resurrections and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3: 10-11). WOW! The goal was twofold:
To know Messiah and to become more like Him. Yeshua had a plan and a purpose for Paul, he was to be used as a fine-tuning instrument to bring him into an intimate and eternal relationship with himself! This relationship would grow and increase during Paul’s lifetime and then cultivate in perfect knowledge crossing the goal line when he passes on.
I want to explain this because it took me a long time to understand it. While we press on in this life, we see only a reflection as in a mirror but when we reach the final destination at death, we shall see the Lord face to face and know Messiah as we are fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12).
James taught that pressing toward the goal of a Believer’s maturity requires determined endurance to stay the course through the trials of life: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1: 2-4)
The word “press in” means to carry out or participate in an activity, to pursue or follow. Believers are to actively press forward in our knowledge of the Lord and in our fellowship with Him until we finally hear Him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.. enter the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:23).The Believers growth cycle is ongoing, it’s like a snowball like effect of building from one success to another. As we persevere and grow through hardship, we are strengthened and prepared for even greater challenges of faith down the road. We are continually pressing upward into greater maturity as we move forward toward our goal which is our full potential of complete and perfect maturity in Messiah.
I love the ESV version as it describes the goal we press toward as “the prize of the upward call of God in Messiah Yeshua”. When Yeshua took hold of us, God called all of us upward toward His heavenly kingdom through an intimate relationship with His Son. The direction we press toward is “up” because that’s where the call comes from – directly from the throne of God. He called us from heaven and will eventually bring us home to heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:1 and Hebrews 11:13-16).
How do we press on toward that goal? By following the call that keeps us moving onward and upward in Messiahlikeness and in our knowledge of Messiah Yeshua.
This is truly good news for us. Now, hopefully your question is answered. Pressing forward toward the goal or the high calling means we are in a continual state of progressing toward Him.
It is my desire that these short blogs minister to you and that you are growing everyday in the knowledge of “the high calling” of the Lord in your life.
Father, I thank you that you have called us and with that calling comes great responsibility! I thank you that through all trials, tribulations, and the good times, that we are mindful of who we are in You. With that knowledge we grow everyday more into your image. We love you, Father. Amen.
Please check out my teachings on the Feasts and Festivals. I love your feedback, so stay in touch!!!
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