Together in Christ: 'I Press On!' — Philippians 3:12-14

As we reach the end of this year, the following words of Jesus on the cross reverberate in my heart: "It is finished!" ^[1] Later, the apostle Paul could say a similar thing: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful." ^[2] My year is over, but have I finished everything God wanted me to do? Have I been faithful to honor the Lord in the way I have treated family, friends, and strangers God has brought my way?

My end-of-the-year evaluations can quickly morph into questions about the end of my life. Have I wisely invested my seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months given to me by God? I want to honor God with my time on earth. I want to finish my life's tasks faithfully. I want my life to count for God and be a good influence on my loved ones. I deeply desire that those who meet me can see that I love them and want them to know the Jesus that I know.

The reality for us is that this past year is done. There is nothing we can do to alter or change the things of the past. The point of our passage for us is that we should "press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus" possessed us. We can do that only by "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" with a deep-seated commitment "to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize" which God wants us to receive.

So, dear friend in Jesus, let's press on as we keep our eyes on Jesus and pursue Him in our daily lives. We can let the past instruct us, but we must not let the failures of the past detain us or derail us. The New Year awaits. Let's embrace it and live so that when our years are done, we too can say, "It's finished. I have remained faithful. The heavenly prize is near. Come Lord Jesus!"