May 6 - Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

Philippians 3:1-12

What keeps you up at night?

I wonder if there are ever questions that run through your mind, like mine, at the end of the day:

Did I remember to switch over the laundry?

Where is the grocery list?


Maybe our questions get a little more unsettling, just like our hearts that are searching for stillness even as our bodies toss and turn:

Did I get enough accomplished today?

How am I going to pay the bills next month?

Are the kids/parents going to be alright?

Is anyone going to take me seriously?

What does so-and-so think of me?

What if I get sick?

How can I prove myself to be worthy of the promotion/relationship/praise/job offer/love?

These questions aren’t just about whether or not we left the lights on. They are questions that reveal the wiring of our hearts—they reveal to us how much our hearts long for honor, worth, and significance. They reveal to us how much confidence we place in the things of this world and our own strength; health for survival and well-being.

And yet, neither we nor the things of this world will ever quiet those questions and pleadings of our hearts. If we turn to the world around us for answers, we will always be left longing. If we turn to ourselves, we will be left in despair. Even if we successfully climb the ladder of achievement and make ourselves out to have “made it”, there is always a secret fear in our hearts, whispering to us and reminding us that it can all come crashing down at any moment (and for many of us, it has in recent weeks). In order to stay at the top of the ladder of success, we can find ourselves tempted to mistreat others on the rungs below us, lest they pull us down a rung or two in their pursuit of our place at the top.

Whenever I am brave enough to remember and admit that this is true about myself, I am that much more moved by Paul’s words in verse 7: “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul does not hesitate to remind us about his place at the top of the ladder, rattling through his accolades that read like something out of a “Who’s Who of First Century Pharisees.” And yet, he is insistent that we realize that all those accomplishments pale in comparison to the fullness found in a life guided by—and lived with—Jesus.

Paul's confidence is not in his accomplishments, or his earthly good fortune, or his status. In fact, Paul, like Jesus, experienced great hardship throughout his life. But it seemed not to sway or unsettle him, because he had emptied himself of the need for his own elevation, and instead found a confidence and enduring hope in Christ.

There is freedom for us in body, mind, and spirit when we step off of the ladder and into the arms of Jesus, where "fears are stilled and strivings cease”. There is not a fragility or fickleness in the fierce and unchanging love of our Lord. And his arms are big enough for all of us, all the time.

That is a truth in which I can have confidence.

In Jesus' arms, I can truly rest.

Press On

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Paul is teaching his followers about life; especially life as a Christ follower.  He is instructing the people in the ways of the heart.  Press on he encourages.  That was then, this is now, is his message.  Take hold of the moment and make the most of it.  Use yesterday's mistakes for today's glory.  Forget what is behind and strain forward.  In the recovery world this type of living is referred to as One Day at a Time.

We know the end of the story; we believe that Christ's victory is ours.  As believers there is comfort in knowing our destiny, but there is discomfort in our current circumstances. Satan still prowls and we must daily command him to 'get away!'  Like Paul, our goal is to know Christ and to be like Him. This takes work, daily relationship building; a daily exercise to strengthen our faith and our knowledge of Jesus.

I find that there are a couple issues I struggle with almost every day.  It is like I don't learn from yesterday.  But, I must press on - move forward toward that goal and the ultimate victory. Press On is our cry.  When we slip up, Press On echoes in our hearts.  When we are in pain or grieving, Press On to wholeness.



Philippians 3