There are so many things that give me hope in the bible, and one I am reading today is right up there among the best for me. You see, I always feel I have fallen short of the goal that God has set for me. I see my failures, and at times they frustrate me because I don’t want to fail with the Lord, I want to succeed. I want to be found worthy. When I read about the faith of Paul, and how he was constantly in danger, and persecuted, yet he continued. He is such a rock star, that I want to achieve the same capabilities as he did. Yet, he writes about falling short of the goal. Can you imagine, Paul, falling short of the goal that he believes is set before him? Yet, in this same letter, I have been reading this week, he writes: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.” Philippians 3:12-15 So I have come to this conclusion: The closer I get to the Lord, the further I seem from the prize. The relatively recent news that my wife and I are being relocated across the country has provided many opportunities for me to see my shortcomings! But, very interestingly … to me at least … is that I have been more communicative with The Lord! I wake up thanking Him that I have awakened and for what he will get be through day-to-day; protecting us physically, spiritually, financially as we do all of our house-hunting via the internet and through the eyes of our realtor there! God is so very good! All the time!
Barnabas Man 