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 …
Scripture
Philippians
3
12 I
don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that
I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that
perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
13 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,
14 I
press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Observation
Some
people seem to think that since I am a pastor that I am somehow
different than other people when it comes to sin. Some people, I am
sure that I am not talking about you, sort of put pastors and
missionaries up on a pedestal. My friend, that is not a good idea.
It
is okay to honor and respect your pastor. I honor and respect my
pastors Bruce Moore and Brian Elliott, but I also remind myself that
Bruce and Brian are sinners just like I am. They are not perfect and
neither am I.
I
am sharing the Gospel today at our church's Vacation Bible School. I
am taking with me a big paddle. Not to use on the kids, but to use as
an object lesson as I tell them a story about me and what happened to
me when I was a kid.
I
got in a fight with my younger brother after school and the principal
of the school saw us fighting and called us both into his office.
He
told us that he was going to give both of us a spanking because we
were fighting. For some crazy reason, I told the principal that I
would take my brother's spanking and he let me get the spanking for
both of us.
I
guess I want to share this story with our kids for two reasons:
- To show them that Jesus took the punishment for our sins and paid for them with His death on the cross, like I did, in a lot smaller way, for my little brother when I took his spanking.
- And to let the children know that pastors, even though they are spiritual leaders, are not perfect either.
You
and I, no matter who we are, we are still a work in progress! We have
not arrived!
Application
I
am a work in progress. God is not finished with me yet.
How
about you?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, as I speak with the children this morning I pray that You
give them an understanding of the Gospel message. I pray that some of
them will place their trust and their faith in You today. Help them
understand the message.
I
pray for any person reading this blog this morning. I pray for his or
her salvation. I pray if they are a believer that You help them to
grow in their faith. Help them to trust You today with every detail
of their life.
I
pray for my son Eddie today on his birthday. Help him to be the man
of God that You want him to be. Help me be a great husband and father
to his children. Help him to continue to grow spiritually so he can
lead his family the way that You want him to.
Daily
Bible Reading: 1 Kings 13,14; 2 Chronicles 12; Philippians 3
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