Day 23

“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.” Phil. 3:12-14

When I jog, I am often exhausted long before I reach my daily goal.  One way that I press on so that I can finish is by setting little goals. I will run to the next driveway, I will run to the corner, I will not stop until I pass two more mailboxes. When I reach this little goal, I set another. I reach the finish line by achieving one little goal after another.

God invites us to press on toward a goal that will one day be complete. We WILL cross the finish line. God moves us toward this goal one step at a time. Pressing on, it seems to me is about one step at a time.

One member of our congregation always answers my question, “How are you doing?” the same way. She says, “One step at a time.” She often says this as though it is discouraging. (At least that is how I hear her.) I find her response refreshingly accurate as a description of our walk of faith. What other way is there to go forward but one step at a time?

We are well on our way toward the goal that God sets before us and we keep moving toward that goal one step at a time.  When you feel like your feet are heavy, your arms are tired and you are ready to stop, what keeps you going? Ask God to strengthen you one step at a time.

Dear God,

Strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. Give us all we need to press on toward the goal You set before us. Amen.

-Kent Landhuis