As the people of God we have an obligation to continue to grow as long as we live. We are not to retire in our service to the Lord until we are called home to glory. I recognize as you get older there are somethings you take longer to do, but that does not mean you stop doing them. Understand if the the Lord still has you here, that means He still has work for you to do.

In Philippians 3:12-16, Paul is letting the Church in Philippi know they must continue to press forward. There will be times when you press forward that  minimum effort will be needed. However, as they grow there will be times they will have to put forth maximum effort to move forward. When this type of effort is needed, there will be some that raise the question: is it worth it? That’s when you remind them that in verse 12, Paul states “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own”. Think about all that Jesus went through to make us His own. There were times He had to put forth maximum effort to move forward. Especially when He made His way to Calvary to give His life on a cross for us.

During this season of Lent, take sometime and reflect on your relationship with the Lord. Think about the times you had to put forth maximum effort to move forward, and how much you grew every time you did. Thank you Lord for the growth, and continuing to grow me as I live. Hallelujah!