Engage

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”  Imagine if Walt Disney had listened to that voice.

Now think of Saul of Tarsus.  How often he must have heard “You will never,” “You can’t,” and “That is just not your calling.”  There were a million reasons why Saul could never become the Apostle Paul.  Who would have ever told this fire-breathing Christian-hater that he could become the greatest church planter the world has ever seen?  God called him, saved him and used him.  Maybe because of just one reason.  The reason was Paul made some radical life choices that he describes in detail to the church at Phillipi.

In Philippians 3:10, he wrote, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”  Paul did not vacillate; his primary mission and aim in life was to engage in his relationship with Jesus Christ. God used him greatly because he saw his relationship with Jesus as his number one priority.  All relationships require engagement, and when engagement is lacking, then a relationship is not growing.  Worst case, it might be dying.

Let’s start with engagement.  To engage means to decide.  Today is your opportunity to set aside all those voices or excuses as to why you can’t engage in your walk with Jesus.  As Paul penned verse 13 and 14, the Spirit of God used him to map out priorities of engaging in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Priority number one is to Focus:  I must say no.  Paul said, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do.”  He reduced his life down to one thing.  Most of us dabble in many things, but Paul says he does “one thing.”  This singular focus was his relationship with Jesus Christ.  Paul knew the power of distraction.  Distraction is the single greatest threat to following Jesus.  If Satan can’t make you sin, then he will make you busy.  We have all experienced distraction – squirrel – and then we are off.  Focusing means you can’t say yes to everything.  In fact, focus requires a lot of no’s.  Can you remember the last time you said “no” to something or someone?

Priority number two in engagement is to Forget:  I must let go.  Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind.”  The past should be your teacher, not your master.  Notice Paul uses a present participle, “forgetting.” Because forgetting is something you will need to do every day. You say it is impossible to forget, and you are right.  The word that Paul uses implies “choosing not to recall,” giving you the daily choice not to dwell on the past.  Looking back rarely moves you forward and failure is not final.  Here is a profound statement:  the past is the past.  It’s high time to let it go.  We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that God has waiting for us.

The final priority is Forward:  I must start moving.  Paul writes, “and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  “Strain” means to stretch intensely.  This stretch is forward towards the prize, the goal, and the upward call of the Creator on your life.  You are shaped by your past, but you are not a victim of your past.  The life that is in front of you is the only available life you have to live.

You can’t do everything, but you can do something.  Make that something your choice to engage in your relationship with Jesus Christ this year.

The next move is yours.