Devotionals for December 3, 2024
Don't forget to pray for your Faith for Five this week!
READ
PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14
But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
REFLECT
A nearsighted person goes through life unable to focus. The angle of refraction created by the corneal tissue does not focus the light entering the eyeball on the retina, and the result is a view of the world that is decidedly unfocused. But then came Lasik, a surgical procedure to removal precise amounts of tissue and bring the world into focus. Paul is suggesting something similar here - he wants to grow our focus through the removal of something (the past) so we can clearly see something more valuable (the future) and as a result, press on to the end.
APPLY
Q: How difficult is it for you to forget your past? How can God help with that?
Q: Have you ever felt exhausted trying to finish a task while unable to see the end? Would seeing the finish line help you cope with that?
Q: What is the future that Paul suggests is waiting for us ahead?
Q: Have you ever felt exhausted trying to finish a task while unable to see the end? Would seeing the finish line help you cope with that?
Q: What is the future that Paul suggests is waiting for us ahead?
SING
PRAY
"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
Lord, our culture is impatient. I am impatient. I want your kingdom to come soon, but the race set before me is often a slower pace and a longer path than I prefer. Grow my faith that you will bring me safely to the end, that I may press on today in following you.
Lord, our culture is impatient. I am impatient. I want your kingdom to come soon, but the race set before me is often a slower pace and a longer path than I prefer. Grow my faith that you will bring me safely to the end, that I may press on today in following you.