DEVOTION: "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 3:14)

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 3:14)


"Pressing on"   At times in our lives we are faced with adverse winds.  Sometimes the Wind of the Spirit just seems to carry us along with ease and very little effort on our part. Don't you wish it was that way all the time?  I would definitely enjoy just flowing along in the river of the Spirit without very little effort on my part. In this verse Paul says that he is going to press on for the prize!!  The word press means exactly what you think it means, to push forward. Sometime if you are going to make any progress, you're going to have to press on through whatever circumstances that you have found yourself in.
    "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."(Matthew 14:30)  The winds of adversity can be so strong and blow so long that you think you are not going to make it . Some do give up hope of ever breaking through the darkness.  At the breaking point of  life  itself, we now know who has brought us this far and if we make it out of this trial alive, we know Jesus will be the reason. The storms can come one right after another for so long that you can lose hope. We must press on, by God's grace, we must press on through the night.  I know, you feel all alone, you think  no one knows what you are going through and that's probably true even though all of your friends say, "It's going to be fine" but they really don't understand what's going on in your life.  When Jesus was in the Garden praying, sweating drops of blood, his disciples were a few feet away, asleep.
The garden where Jesus sweat drops of blood is called Gethsemane, which means wine or oil press.  He was pressed above measure while His followers slept. You can be bleeding while your friends are a few feet away, asleep.
In these times we have no choice but to lean on Jesus and trust Him to help us press on to the prize before us!! "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."(1Peter 5:7) Jesus cares more than we can ever imagine!


Pastor Scott L. Boatner
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