October 2 - One Thing
Someone once suggests that the key to success is just to do one thing and do it right. If you cannot do one thing well, how can you do other things? This is definitely a word of wisdom, not only for the physical world but also for the spiritual world. The apostle Paul is a “one thing” person when he says, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Like many of us, Paul had a terrible past. He was an enemy of the gospel and a persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ. The past, as a heavy baggage he had to carry, became the first part of the “one thing” he did. In order to go forward, we have to forget our pasts. In the past, we have experienced many failures, setbacks, hurts and wounds. These are our personal baggage that if we want to move forward, we must let it go. Forgetting is not easy for such horrible experiences seem to be sticking with our memories all the time. You have to make a decision to forget them and ask the Holy Spirit to erase them from your memory through His healing touch. When you are healed, like Paul, you can then forget and surge ahead.
The other part of Paul’s “one thing” was to strain forward to what lies ahead. The future is a vast unknown and no one knows what is ahead. Such uncertainty can be paralyzing for us. However when Paul looked at the future and what lied ahead, he could only see the call of God in Christ Jesus. His goal was not doing some ministry and achieving some goals, he was only responding to God’s call in his life. The fear of the future was gone when he realized that God is eternal, encompassing the past, present and future. God is in his past, healing his wounds; God is in his present, guiding his every step; God is also in the future to welcome him into glory.
This is mature thinking, relying not on your own plans and goals but totally rely on God and His revelation about your life. This is the easiest way to live your life, with God and not by yourself alone. Your goal is Christ and Christ alone. You need to know Him and the power of His resurrection so that you may have a part in sharing His suffering and become like Him in His death. When you have died, buried and risen with Christ, your life will not be the same.
Get out of your spiritual complacency and false satisfaction right this minute. Ask God to heal your past, guide your present and take you to the future. What is the “one thing” you do today? Is your “one thing” similar to Paul’s? What is your goal in life? Is your goal the same as Paul’s goal? Turn your eye upon Jesus now, He is your life’s goal.
Ps 107:33-43 Isa 66:1-24 Phil 3:4-21 Prov 24:15-16