I am not muscular. True I work out, exercise and eat right but muscle mass still eludes my form. I’ve come to accept the fact that a physique worthy of the Greeks should no longer be on my ‘to do’ list. It truly is unattainable for me. At this stage in life good health is better than a “perfect” physique.
Paul must have been a true sport fanatic, if they existed back in the first century. He constantly refers to running, wrestling and fighting. It seems he might have been a fan of the Olympics or at least knew some of the athletes or even possibly the gladiators. No doubt we will get the chance to meet some he led to Christ. Philippians 3:13 & 14 states, “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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
For what are you pressing towards? Paul tells us to forget the past. Hard to do as we are told to learn from our past, but this refers to our past life before meeting Christ. That old, sinful life will only either drag us down, slow us down, or take us back into it. We should reach forth to what Christ has for us in our new life lived in him. The fruits of the Spirit, his strength and power, and reaching souls should be what we desire. Pressing toward the end of our life, or mark, when God welcomes us home to Heaven. And the prize? The privilege of casting our crowns we won at the feet of Jesus. Oh, what a glorious day!
Now that is something worth pressing for! Earthly honor will only fade. What’s stored in Heaven is worth the wait.
Grace and peace, James
*Scripture from ESV, Crossway Publishing, 2001