PRESSING ON
31st Aug 2022
As most of you are already aware, we are in the process of moving house. We are saying goodbye to 34 years living in our present home and will be relocating to a smaller house in the next village.
As we go through this process we have various emotions, the home we are leaving is now filled with boxes and piles of stuff ready to move, and the purchase our next home is not yet complete. However, we have been greatly blessed as some friends have made available to us a beautiful apartment where we can spend this waiting time. We have been living there for the past few days, and it is a so good to leave the stuff that is ready for the move and retreat to our bolt hole, to rest and gain strength for the next days work.
We have quite surprised ourselves that leaving our old home has not been difficult, we are full of thanksgiving for all that has happened during our time there, but we are now looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.
This reminded me of Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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 call me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
So this is the time of “forgetting what is behind” we look back on wonderful memories of family events and other significant occasions, but we do not live in nostalgia, we “press on toward the goal”. This is a time of new beginnings, new opportunities and new relationships. The scaling down means that we have had to dispose of lots of stuff, but we are determined to trim down to the essentials so that we are free to do whatever God leads and directs.
Jesus commanded us in John 15:16 “You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last.”
That is God’s calling on all believers - don’t live in the past, press on.
by Charles Sibthorpe
