Are You Pressing On
Are you Pressing On?
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:12
It’s May! This year we started the year resolving to put Jesus first, setting our goal to follow His plan and making our one word, Jesus! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – it’s all about Him, right? So – here we are in May. How are we doing? Are we putting Jesus first? Are we seeking after Him? Are we growing closer to Him – getting to know Him more and more? Or are we wandering in the wilderness?
May Day! May Day! We need a Savior! Oh, that’s right – we have One! What we need is an intervention. Stop what you are doing and challenge yourself; Where does Jesus rank in your life? Is He more important than your career? Do you regard Him higher than your own thoughts and opinions? Do you put Him before your family? If we are honest, we may have to face the truth that we are addicted to our own ways, feelings and desires. We may find that we cannot experience intimacy with Jesus until we lay ourselves down. We are to be crucified with Christ – so that it is no longer us who lives, but it is Christ living though us. We are to live by faith in Him. (Galatians 2:20)
Let’s be like Paul and press on! Let’s press on – not that we have attained or have become perfected, but we press on – so that we can lay hold of Jesus the way He has laid hold of us. Let’s declare, no more one sided relationship! Jesus has proven His commitment to us; it is time for us to prove our commitment to Him. Jesus has proven His love for us; it is time to prove we love Him. He has given His life for us; it is time we give up our life for Him. Where do we begin?
Stop making excuses and start making time for Jesus!
You are busy. You have a lot on your plate. Your ‘To Do’ list is out of control. I get it! But nothing is more important that experiencing intimacy with Jesus and it all starts with giving Him your time. It’s your most valuable asset and He is asking for some of it. Will you let Him have it? Will you press on? Don’t just drive by and grab a bite – dig in and feast on the word of God. Let it nourish your soul. As you do, you will come to crave it more and more.
Get into the Word and let the Word get into you.
Oh, we are so good at justifying why we do not spend much, if any, time in the Word. We can convince ourselves that we just cannot do it. Yet, we binge watch shows we shouldn’t even be watching. We invest time in things that do not matter. We show up to do all the things that really matter to us – yet, we struggle to open our Bible. It is time to get real with ourselves and take full responsibility for not only what we do – but also what we don’t do. Jesus is the Living Word, the Bible is the written Word – get into the Word – binge read, get addicted, fall in love with spending time with the One who came to offer you abundant life. You just might find that abundance as you get into Him. Press on! Lay hold of Jesus!
Become More Like Jesus
“There is a big difference in acting Christ-like and becoming more like Christ.” (Saved by Grace, Now What?) So what are we to do – act or become? Become means to begin to be. We can press on and begin to be more like Jesus. Wow! That is a big task. No, it really isn’t. He has not asked us to strive to become great like Him. He simply asks us to surrender our flesh (our thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities, and struggles) to Him, to love Him with all our hearts, souls and minds, and to let Him have His way in us. Then the miraculous happens and we wake up one day and do not even recognize ourselves – not because of what we have done – but because of what He is doing in us – what He is causing us to become.
Ready? Let’s do this. Let’s Press on! Let’s close with the same scripture we started with, but this time let’s use the Living Bible translation…
"I don’t mean to say I am perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be." Philippians 3:12
p.s.
Don’t miss a blog post (Have you subscribed?) and be sure to connect with Master What Matters on Facebook and Instagram. We are talking about how to get into the Word during the month of May! Send us your questions. We are sisters and want to travel this journey together. Hands up! Let’s surrender and let Him have His way in us! Invite your friends to join us. (Have you watched the MWM videos? You can find them here.)
A Message from Pam:
During May, we are talking about getting into the Word so that the Word can get into us. But we want to go deeper and share ways that might help you study God's word. Emily Smith is going to teach us how to study and gain understanding of God's word. Don't miss a blog post or a Facebook or Instagram post. Stay connected. (Did you know if you hover over the "like" button on Facebook you can click "See First" so that Facebook will show you every post? Do it! It's awesome."
Do you know Jesus? If you just aren't sure, download the Plan of Salvation and read through the scriptures. I would love to chat with you about it. Feel free to reach out to me.
You are invited to visit the Marketplace where you will find the book - Saved by Grace, Now What? and graphic tees. Connect with Master What Matters via our Facebook page, Facebook group, Instagram, and subscribe to us on YouTube (just look for the Master What Matters logo).
Invite your friends! Let's travel this journey together and get to know Jesus more and more!