I Press On

To say that I am not the most athletic person on the face of the planet is understating my situation by a longshot. However, I did have a brief track career running the mile in Middle School. And I don't mean to brag but there was once or twice that I didn't come in last. Stand and be amazed! Running the mile is not the easiest race to run either. You have to find a good and steady pace and push through a lot of pain to outrun your opponents. My dad gave me a good bit of advice in running this race. He said "Matt, just give up." Kidding, he didn't say that but he did say, "Breathe through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Then pick a point on the field and fix your eyes on it and don't look away from it." It turns out, that was really good advice.

I was reminded of that piece of advice when I was reading through Philippians 3:13-14 the other day.

13"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,"

• Having Laid Hold of It – Paul does not consider himself as having arrived. But arrived at what? What is it that Paul has not yet grasped? In lieu of the previous discussion (v8) it would seem that Paul is talking about the value of knowing Christ. Knowing Him, for Paul, was not just head knowledge because he made it very clear in verses 2-6 that at one time his intellectual knowledge was superior to anyone’s but more about a relationship with the Jesus he had come to know. He was still pursuing an active relationship with Christ that would only be perfected when he saw Him face to face at the resurrection. That relationship was being perfected through suffering and consequently knowing the power of His resurrection. Because you can’t fully understand real life until you know what death is. So it is important to Paul in this passage that the reader realizes that even though Paul has had superior training, mountaintop experiences and has endured extreme suffering for the sake of Christ, He has not attained some “special knowledge” about Christ. In Christianity there is no “nirvana” that you can achieve. It is a constant work in progress.

• Forgetting is the opposite of remembering . I know, I’m brilliant right? But think about this, remembering from a biblical perspective is an active, intentional act. It is not incidental. I will repeat that. Remembering is intentional not incidental. You set aside times to remember. You make a point out of doing it. So if forgetting is the opposite of that, you don’t actually wipe your memory clean do you? The memory is still there but you need to take an active part in forgetting. You set aside times to forget. You don’t hold grudges, you set those aside. You don’t blame people for setting you back, you forget all of that nonsense! There may be real pain in your past (abuse, neglect or wrongdoing) but you must set those things aside (learning from them) and move on to the next part of this passage, so that you can truly know what it means to reach the prize.

• Reaching is essential in seeing fruit in the Christian life. Of course you can’t get here until you have realized the above two. That you will never fully attain some level of perfection. Consequently you must also forget things that might hold you back from your true focus. In Scripture that is called “sin”. Hebrews tells us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” When we do that we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, “ (Hebrews 12:1).

14 press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

• I press on! Once you are resolute in what the goal is, you can begin to pursue it whole heartedly. There will be times, as Paul was well aware of, that you will be met with resistance. Whether it is your schedule, difficult people or even your own flesh, you can be sure that it will happen. When those times come, you must push forward. You are caught in the grip of master passion and no substitutes will quench your thirst once you truly realize this. The perfect job will not suffice, a relationship with a significant other cannot satisfy, and financial goals are useless unless they are all put into subjection to your one major passion which is to KNOW Jesus and make Him known to others.

The verb that Paul uses here for “press” is dioko which means to “hunt” or pursue”. It by no means is a passive act. You don’t do this in your free time, this is your entire schedule! This verb is also used when talking about a foot race. When running a race, your goal is to win right? So when you get to the finish line you will lean in to the finish line to get that half a second that is necessary to win over your opponent. The gospel is to be pursued like a race (1 Cor. 9:24). You must go after it. There is training involved, there are times when it is tough to keep going. When that happens you have to do what my dad said at the beginning. No, not the breathing through the nose part. You have to fix your eyes at a point, that point is Jesus because He is the prize (Hebrews 12:2).

The prize is already but not yet. It is knowing Christ in this life and looking forward to the time when you will see Him face to face. You have to have both of those to endure successfully. Knowing Christ here and now will make you useful to others (salt and light). Realizing that the community here and God’s kingdom here is not perfect will help you stay sane! In the end it comes down to realizing you haven’t arrived, forgetting what’s behind, reaching forward to what’s ahead. Then, in times when it gets difficult, PRESS ON to win the race. God bless.

The Vagabond Warrior

I have heard it said before that we are living in the toughest job market/economy since the Great Depression. I don't know if that's true but it can't be far off of the mark. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistic, the unemployment rate for September was 9.6%! The sad thing is that September was actually an improvement over the previous months. A year previous to that the unemployment rate was at 9.8. That is totally insane!!! Almost 10% of the adult population in the United States was without work. That's pretty scary. Especially for someone who is without work and LOOKING for a job. To be honest, right now that's me.

So I totally get the frustration that a lot of men are feeling during this tumultuous time. I know that men aren't the only ones feeling the crunch right now but it is the only perspective that I am qualified to speak from. Single moms and wives of men out of work also feel the pinch but I will let someone else more qualified speak from that perspective (maybe my wife will write a post in the next few weeks???). This is one of the hardest trials for a man. As men, we thrive off of providing for our families and taking care of them. I know, some might say that this is an archaic, primal instinct that we have outgrown but I personally believe that God created us/hardwired us with that instinct and it is a big part of who we are. So, as men, when that ability to provide for others is taken away, our identity is in question or at the very least takes a hit.

If you are going through this right now, I want to challenge your perspective on that. Over the past week, I started to think about another part of our identity as men, the warrior. I really believe that as men, we have the desire to fight. All you have to do is look no further than your kids to fully understand that. My son, Kaiden, is not even 2 yet. His favorite thing to do right now is punch, kick, hit and bite things to see what reaction he gets. The cats now know to run in fear when they hear his tiny footsteps. I call him, my little barbarian. ALL HAIL KAIDEN THE CONQUERER! He's a total beast.

All that to say, from the moment we are little boys, our dreams are of being soldiers, knights, Jedis, and pirates. We love the idea of going to battle over a just cause. If you are out of work right now, let me challenge you to summon your inner warrior. Strap on your shield and buckler! Just because you are not working right now doesn't mean that you don't want to or that you are somehow less of a man.

Look at it like this, as a warrior, there are times when you fight with the best of weapons and are well taken care of. You fly F16s, you have kevlar vests, you have robot drones to scout out the enemy, you have night vision goggles and plenty of backup. Then there are times when you are out on the battle field and you are cut off from support. Your shoes have holes in them, your clothes are threadbare, your AK47 jams once in a while, your rations are low and you aren't sure if you will return home. There is a verse that I've been chewing on the last few weeks here it is:

Philippians 4:11-12
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Just think of the apostle Paul in a cold, dank jail cell penning this letter. He is waxing elequoent about joy and contentment with holes in his shoes and ragged clothes. This vagabond warrior is resolute in his mission and even witnesses to the jailer that watches him. What perseverance! Paul who calls others "fellow soldiers in Christ" had also taken a few hits. He was "beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;" This same soldier for Christ had learned the secret to winning the battle. First and foremost he let God go before him. Secondly, he learned that a fierce warrior must learn how to be okay with his circumstances regardless of his environment. Warriors train in a variety of settings so that they can be ready for anything. That includes their financial situation. Paul had experienced some pretty amazing highs and some exceptionally bad lows.


When you have been to great depths, something crazy happens. You think to yourself, "I have lived out the worst case scenario...and SURVIVED!" It allows you to realize that you don't have to play it safe to succeed and as a matter of fact it shows a lack of faith to live your life in that way. Suffering need allows you to hunger for the right things and gives you a proper perspective on life. In the times of prosperity he will remember the times when he was hungry and not take it for granted. So that whatever circumstances they are dropped in, their environment won't effect the fight.

What battle are you engaged in right now? Do you feel ill equipped to handle the Enemy? Do you feel his hot breathe breathing down your neck, unable to defeat him? Remember that God is with you. Remember that He is for you and no one can be against you. (Romans 8:31) Remember that a vagabond warrior isn't reliant on his weapons of warfare but the General that fights ahead of Him and trust that He is with you. Trust that He is working "all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Don't let your circumstances destroy God's plan for your life. Fight and know that the best chance of survival that you have is to stay close to the Lord of Lord's and King of Kings.