Pressing Toward the Goal

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

The apostle Paul says that his goal is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and the be all Christ has in mind for him. This goal of absorbs all Paul's energy. This is a helpful example for us. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal of knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that will distract us from being effective and productive in our daily lives. You must ask yourself, what is holding you back? Once you pinpoint what those things are that are holding you back, you must let them go. We all must shake off the things that hinder us. All of us have baggage. Some of us carry baggage around with us for years before we decide to finally let it go. It may be baggage of the past, baggage of habit, baggage of hurt or resentment. It doesn't matter what it is. The point is that it is doing nothing but slowing you down. It is time to let go. Strive forward and attain what God has for you.

God Bless you,

JH

The Power of Living

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Philippians 3:10-12

When we are united with Christ by trusting in Him, we experience the power that raised Him from the dead. That same mighty power will help us live morally renewed and regenerated lives. But before we can walk in the newness of life, we must also die to sin. Just as the resurrection gives us Christ's power to live for Him, His crucifixion marks the death of our old sinful nature. We can't know the victory of the resurrection without personally applying the crucifixion. James says, "Faith without works is dead." This is not speaking of works in the outward sense, that we need to earn God's grace or earn our ticket to heaven. This is simply talking about the application of the new covenant; the application of the cross in our lives. Faith that we have for what Christ has already done will ensure His power working in us and through us on a daily basis. The power to change our nature, and to become more like Christ is not in us, the power resides with Him who chose us. The sooner we realize how powerless we are as mere frail human beings, the sooner we will be filled with His power from above.

God bless you,

JH

Walking in Victory

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

Why does forgiveness require the shedding of blood? This is no arbitrary decree on the part of a bloodthirsty God, as some have suggested. There is no greater symbol of life than blood; blood keeps us alive, Jesus shed His blood - gave his very life - for our sins so that we would not have to experience spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Jesus is the source of life, not death. He gave his own life to pay our penalty for us so that we might live. After shedding His blood for us, Christ rose from the grave and proclaimed victory over sin and death. In that, we need to realize that the victory has already been won. It is time that Christians all over the world take hold of that victory and share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. It is time that we walk victoriously, not in our own power, but in the power of him who had the ability to do what could not be done by anyone else. We have all received a great gift. But some of us have taken it for granted. We continue to act as if no sacrifice had ever been made. We continue to act as if we are the ones who are making all the sacrifices. We need to start to pay attention to the Truth and walking in the victory that He has given us.

God Bless you,

JH

I just like this

The Final Sacrifice

Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices, day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.

Hebrews 7:26-27

In the Old Testament when animals were sacrificed, blood was demanded as atonement for sins, and God accepted animal blood to cover the people's sins. Because of the sacrificial system, the Israelites were generally aware that sin cost someone something and that they themselves were sinful. Many people take Christ's work on the cross for granted. They do not realize how costly it was for Jesus to secure our forgiveness - it cost him His life and painful, although temporary, separation from His Father. Because Jesus died once for all, He brought the sacrificial system to an end. He forgave sins - past, present, and future. The Jews did not need to go back to the old system, because Christ, the perfect sacrifice, has completed the work of redemption on the cross. You do not have to look for another way to have your sins forgiven - Christ was the final sacrifice for you.

God Bless you,

JH

The Past and the Present

Because of this oath, Jesus has become a guarantee of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:22-25

No one can add to what Jesus did on the cross in order to save us; our past, present, and future sins are all forgiven, and Jesus is with the Father as a sign that our sins are forgiven. If you are a Christian, remember that Christ paid the price for your sins once and for all. As our high priest, Christ is our advocate, the mediator between us and God. He looks after our interests and intercedes for us. The Old Testament high priest went before God once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the nation's sins; Christ makes perpetual intercession for us. Christ's continuous presence in heaven with the Father assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven. This wonderful assurance frees us from guilt, and from the fear of failure. We no longer need to feel bad and beaten up over past deeds that we regret. Christ has let us off the hook; it is time that we do the same for ourselves. The key to living a joyous life is realizing the significance and reality of the cross and finally being free of the past. God does not hold it against you; it is time for you to let go.

God Bless you,

JH

Down on the Farm

Life on the Farm

By Henry M. Lorang



Down on the farm, about half-past four

I put on my pants, and sneak out the door,

Out through the yard, I run like the dickens,

Milk the cow and fee all the chickens.

I clean out the barn, curry Prince and Jiggs,

Separate the cream and slop all the pigs.



Work about two hours, then eat like a Turk,

Then by Heck, I’m ready for a day’s work.

So I grease up the wagon and put on the rack,

Throw a jug of water in an old grain sack,

Hitch up the horses and hurry down the lane,

Must get the hay in, ‘cause it looks like rain.



Look over yonder, sure as I’m born,

Cattle on the rampage, cows in the corn,

Start across the meadow, run a mile or two,

Heaving like a windbroke, wet all through.

Get back to the wagon, then for recompense,

Prince gets straddled in the barbed wire fence.



Bones all aching, muscles in a jerk,

I’m as fit as a fiddle for a full day’s work.

Crops all in, and winter is nigh,

Check up the books and heave a big sigh.

Worked all season, didn’t make a thing.

Got less cash than I had last spring.



Some people say there ain’t no Hell,

But they never farmed, so they can’t tell.

But a spring rolls ‘round, I take another chance,

As the fringe grows longer on my old blue pants,

So I give my suspenders another big jerk,

And by Heck, I’m ready for a full day’s work.