Onward and Upward!

Onward and Upward!
As we move forward into the new year, is more of the same old, same old beginning to discourage you? In this well-known passage, the apostle Paul compared the Christian life to a race and admitted that he had not yet arrived at the finish line. He says, “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.” Paul didn’t wallow in despair as he penned these words from a cold Roman prison, nor did he look back and allow his past to weigh him down or let his many successes make him complacent. Through continuous challenges, Paul persevered by always focusing his eyes on Jesus. He pressed on toward the goal of becoming more conformed to Christ-likeness day by day.
I think we would all agree, nothing worth having in this life comes without challenges. I once heard it said, “If it doesn’t challenge me, it doesn’t change me.” Scripture makes it clear that we can expect challenges and hardships. The question becomes, will we allow our challenges to change us for the better? How will we handle them? Will we give up and give in, or will we persevere and press on. Paul provides us some wise counsel in this passage. We must remain focused on Jesus and press on in faith! We can take comfort knowing we are not alone in these challenging days; our loving God is with us! And like Paul, despite our past failures or successes and the challenges still before us, we must keep pressing on toward the ultimate goal of becoming more Christ-like with each passing day. As Paul tells us, we’re not competing for an earthly prize, but the ultimate reward of eternity with our savior. So, remain faithful and focused dear brothers and sisters, and keep pressing onward and upward!
Grace and peace always,
Fr. Greg+  

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