Philippians 3:12-14, "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."

Think

We all love the idea of setting big goals and obtaining them, but oftentimes we don't feel like doing what it takes to reach those goals. We want to grow spiritually, but "there is too much to do in a day already." We want stronger relationships, but "intentionality takes so much effort." We want to make more money or get that promotion, but some days going into work is the last thing we want to do, so we think "eh, it's easier to call in sick." We want to eat healthy and get to the gym, but we find every excuse to justify doing the opposite. We are constantly letting our feelings get the best of us. What do we do when we get caught in all of our feelings? Take ACTION! Actions overtake feelings. That's commitment. We don't feel our way into an action. We act our way into a feeling. Jesus was committed. While He was hanging on the cross, do you imagine He was thinking the entire time, "I am so happy about what my sacrifice is going to do for all of humanity." No! Jesus was in pain and agony, yet He remained committed to His purpose. Every time we follow through and press on toward our goals, we are acting more like Jesus.

 

Act

Find an Expo marker. On your mirror, write "I press on toward the goal to win the prize in Christ Jesus." When you wake up each morning this week, look at your reflection and read this phrase out loud. Then, take action. Use the revolutionary three-second rule. When freaky feelings start to come up, recognize them, count to three, and immediately step into action toward the thing you should accomplish.

 

Pray

God, thank You for calling me to do great things. Honestly, I don't always feel like doing the things that I know I need to do. When my feelings get freaky, remind me that because of Your Son, Jesus, I can overcome them. Amen.