Most books are bought online these days, but in the not-so-distant past, bookstores were extremely popular. Most malls, another thing going the way of the dodo bird, had at least two bookstores where the latest best sellers would be displayed at the entrance. Inside you would find various sections or genre’s and you could browse the shelves. Some of the bookstores even served coffee so you could sit and read. Motivational books, books on success, and inspiration were always popular. Two of my favorite non-religious books of all time were “The Wealthy Barber” and “The Richest Man in Babylon.” I still recommend these two books to young people that are just starting out on their financial journey.
The Bible is the ultimate guidebook when it comes to being successful. It is the road map laid out by the Lord. He knows the beginning from the end and sees everything from eternity past to eternity future. What does the Bible tell us about how to live and thrive as a Christian? Philippians 3:13-14 begins “Not as though I had already attained…” Paul didn’t think he had already reached the pinnacle of the Christian life. He realized he still needed to grow and be successful in the calling God had placed on his life. I want to give you three words from this passage in Philippians. If we will focus on these thoughts, I truly believe it will help us thrive in our walk.
- Forgetting. “…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, …” The ability to leave the past behind is huge. Think about the past that Paul had for a moment. Before he met Christ, he was a hater of those Jews that had converted to this fake Messiah called Jesus. He received authority to arrest them. He had them beaten and in at least one instance consented to the stoning of a Christian, Stephen. Have you beaten yourself up over the past? Those failures that haunt you and the sins you committed now eat you alive with the guilt, don’t they? Well, if you are a Christian, you need to forget it. God has. He placed all your sins on Jesus. All your unrighteousness was transferred to Christ and His righteousness was transferred to you. Those sins have been cast into the deepest part of the sea. You can’t do a thing about your past and I can’t do a thing about mine, but the great news is we don’t have to. All we need to do is forget it. Don’t let the Devil sit on your shoulder and accuse, accuse, and accuse. He might remember but God doesn’t.
- Reaching. Our second key phrase says this, “Reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Think about that word reaching. A preacher friend and mentor of mine shared a story about his dad. The preacher was sitting in his office one day and his 70-year-old dad came in. “Well son, I ordered some fruit trees today.” He asked his father “Who do you think will eat the fruit off those trees?” His dad replied, “I’m planning on it.” Isn’t that a great attitude? No matter our age we ought to have something in the works. A few days ago, Dr. Don Davis called me asking if I had any books on Hermeneutics. This topic is a study of the interpretation of the Bible, the correct way to understand the Word of God. Dr. Davis is in his 90’s, but he still has a desire to grow and learn. He has been a professor of Theology for 60 plus years yet he’s still reaching. Do you have something the Lord has put in your heart? I hope so. If you want success in the Christian life, you need to reach for it.
- Pressing. What is pressing? A couple of definitions can be found in a dictionary. One, it is something that is urgent. Two, an action of pushing something. It is this second meaning that I believe Paul has in mind as he gives us our pathway to thrive. When you press, think about lifting weights. As a young man I wasn’t much on weightlifting, but I’d do it occasionally with some friends. Those weights always gave resistance. There would be push back on my efforts. That is the mental picture I want you to see. If you truly seek to thrive in your Christian life you will have resistance. It will come from many sources. Three major enemies the Bible tells us about are found in I John. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life all will give us resistance, but we must press on. We don’t quit. When tired, we keep moving forward. When discouraged, we keep moving forward. When attacked by the world, the flesh, and the devil, we keep moving forward. We press on. Let me close with a little poem.
One ship drives east and the other west
With the selfsame wind they blow;
It’s the set of the sail and not the gale
That determines the way they go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate
As we journey along through life;
It’s the will of the soul that decides it goal
And not the calm or the strife.