“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) Growing and bearing fruit improves our quality of life because progress has a built in sense of reward. We don’t necessarily need someone to tell us that we are doing well or be incentivized when it comes to doing good works because we reap the reward of kindness as we are committing the act. We can see the impact of love as we are expressing it. Truly, the Word of God is alive and active. Yet, there are days that we may feel less than, we self-judge, and feel incomplete, even in the midst of growing and being fruitful. Perhaps, it was something that we said that offended someone, or something that we did that made us feel that we went backward instead forward. Regardless of the mess ups we must submit even that to God. He loves us when we come to him broken with guilt and shame, just as much as he does when we are sending up the sweet smell of the incense of obedience. In order to keep it moving, in order to have forward movement, we must forget those things which are behind and continue to press forward. We have to stay in the race in order to win the prize. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “So far as his acceptance with God is concerned a Christian is complete in Christ as soon as he believes. Those who have trusted themselves in the hands of the Lord Jesus are saved: and they may enjoy holy confidence on the matter, for they have a divine warrant for doing so. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” To this salvation the apostle had attained. But while the work of Christ for us is perfect, and it is presumption to think of adding to it, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is not perfect, it is continually carried on from day to day, and will need to be continued throughout the whole of our lives. We are being “conformed to the image of Christ,” and that process is in operation, as we advance towards glory. The condition in which a believer should always be found is that of progress: his motto must be, “Onward and upward!” Nearly every figure by which Christians are described in the Bible implies this…We are bora into the family of God; but there are babes, little children, young men, and fathers in Christ Jesus; yea, and there are a few who are perfect or fully developed men in Christ Jesus. It is a growth evermore.” We are still growing so stay in the race! GiGi❤️
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