He Has Made Me His Own.

Philippians 3:12-13

“Not that I have already obtained this

or am already perfect,

but I press on to make it my own,

because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
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.”

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect.” Paul is referring to the resurrection of the dead. How he must have longed for that even as the psalmist did when he said “I will be satisfied when I awake in your likeness”. How I long for that. Everyday I fall short as I live in this body, a body that is never satisfied, that is always longing for the wrong things. “but I press on to make it my own,”

Where does Paul get this energy to press on? It's easy for me to just look at any circumstance unpleasing to me and want to give up. The reason Paul presses on is one of the most precious pieces of scripture I think I have read, “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” I cannot say those words enough, I cannot say enough about this. Jesus wants me, He wants me, He has made me His own. He bought me with His own blood, His own life. Jesus has Died for me to make me His own, and has sealed me with His precious Spirit, as I am being sanctified until someday I awake in His likeness. He loves me that much.

In a way pressing on seems to be walking in the belief that He truly has made me His own. And I think a lot of the time I can fall into the belief that I am not His. Now I know for a fact I am saved and His, but when I fall into sin yet again I can come to believe that God has disowned me in a sense. I feel I can't come to Him and ask for grace and forgiveness. I feel I don't deserve to lead a group prayer, or speak in a bible study, or be a part of an outreach. It's ok to grieve over sin, but sometimes I stay there way to long, to the point that I become ineffective. To the point I let it drive me from God instead of coming to Him. Yet in spite of everything I need to remember this truth. That Christ Jesus has made me His own.

Again Paul says “Brothers I do not consider that I have made it my own,” And then goes on to say “But one thing I do:”. Want to be like Paul, it only takes one thing. “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” How wonderful, many times I carry yesterdays with me. When In reality God wants me to hand them over to Him, to just let them go. Next is to keep our minds focused on what is ahead. Hope of heaven for one, and for another a patient expectation, a seeking out of what Jesus has for us each day. God has a call on my life, He wants to do a work in me, and work in others lives through me. This is convicting for me as well as encouraging, during my time here I have gotten a bit worn out. I have begun to get comfortable and am not seeking out what God wants to do in my heart as much as when I first got here. This is the dangerous place to be, I say so often I want to be closer to God, but what am I doing to seek Him out?

 

Application.

Walk in the knowledge of belonging to Jesus, and press onto knowing Him more.

How?

Each day until Friday this week I will ask God what He wants to show me, and what He wants to do in or around me.