One Goal: Jesus

“…indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ; the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may arrive at the resurrection of dead. Not that I have already arrived at, or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold me……I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:8-14

The Apostle Paul had an excellent understanding on what a Christlike character was like. He knew what it was like and what it isn’t. From the gospels, the Apostles and from Paul we learn how to put our faith into action and practice and become more like Jesus day by day. Paul was bold enough to say, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9) Why could he say so confidently that “the God of peace will be with you.” Because he followed Christ whole heartedly. Paul’s goal was to become like Him and to accomplish what Christ has called him to do and achieve. We can follow Paul, because he followed Christ. We can follow Peter, James, John and other Apostles, because they followed Christ. Today, we follow others because they follow Christ.

I follow Pastor Lew and Pastor Heather’s leading, because they are following Christ. And together, we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, individually and as the Body of Christ. If we have no other new year’s resolution and goal but to become more like Christ and to follow Him, we would be more at rest in Him and be well on our way to having all we need, do all that we need to do, accomplish all that the Lord requires of us and reap the harvest and inherit the promises He has promised us. It would touch every area of our lives: our affections, our ambitions, our thought life, our words, our habits, our doing – and if all of these were touched in even the smallest way, it would change our lives and the lives of others around us. If only one area were changed, then the fruit would be unmeasurable. A number of times I have heard of the powerful result of someone speaking an encouraging, Christlike word, or doing and act of kindness, and the change it produced and the future it changed of just one life. That one life touches many other lives. But what if it had not been touched and changed? What would have been the alternative outcome? If we become more Christlike in just one area of our lives, what difference will that make? At the beginning of this year, especially as we are giving ourselves to a time of fasting and prayer, let’s also seek the Lord to become more like Him in at least one area that we have been struggling with. He has come that He might ‘defeat the works of the evil one’ and to ‘bring many sons to glory’ (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:10). What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us? He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ (Romans 8:31,32)

Many Blessings, Leah