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David Stellwagon
Several years ago, while I was in Japan, I heard a story of a
marathon runner who ran in one of the big marathons in one of the
cities in Japan. The runner was one of several runners in the lead
pack and was approaching the last few miles of the race when she got
her foot hung up in one of the other runner's feet and tripped and
fell.
How exhausted she must have felt. She also must have hurt in the
places she hit when she fell. Thoughts such as, "There's no use
going on. I'll never be able win the race now." must have been
running through her mind. But this girl slowly got up, brushed
herself off and started running again. She ran and ran and ended up
passing all the others and winning the race.
The remarkable thing in this story was the fact she decided to
press on anyway. To get up and complete the race she had started.
The fact that she ended up winning was just icing on the cake.
We as believers can learn from this story. Paul speaks of this
very thing in one of his writings. We find Paul saying in
Philippians chapter 3 verses 13 and 14,“Brethren, I do not regard
myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting
what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.”
There was a goal that Paul had in his sights. It was a prize that
he was eager to attain. Yet there were things which he had to forget
and leave behind so he could continue on toward that goal. What was
that goal?
In the verses preceding the quoted verses we can get a hint of
the goal. In Philippians chapter 3 verses 10-12 Paul says, “that I
may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of
His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may
attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already
obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I
may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ
Jesus.”.
Now we know that Paul would not actually be speaking of attaining
a glorified body before the second coming of our Lord. It was Paul
who gave us a detailed explanation of when we would be glorified and
how. So he would not be speaking of the actual resurrection before
the time. So what is he talking of. What is one of the
characteristics of our glorified selves to be?
Besides living forever, we will be free from the struggle to sin.
No longer will that rebellious flesh be popping its ugly head up
anymore. We will be completely free to obey and please the Lord, who
died for us that we might be dead to sin and be alive to God. In
other words, that we would no longer live to please our sinful
desires but to fully and wholeheartedly be given over to fulfilling
the desires of God in our lives.
That was the thing that Paul wanted more than anything. He would
mess up. He would stumble and fall. But he didn't give up at that.
No, he would get up, brush himself off and set off for that goal
again.
 We as believers may have
failures in our walk before the Lord. We may really get off track or
get caught up in a sin that really throws us down. We could just
give up at that point and let the sin have continued control over
us. We could just quit, thinking that it's no use going on because
we messed up too badly. But Paul tells us that we need to forget
those things which are behind. Put them behind you. Ask for God to
forgive you. Then get up and continue toward the goal of being
completely pleasing to him.
The Lord is more eager for you to make it than you are. He is
your greatest fan who is cheering you on each step of the way. If
you fall He is cheering for you to get up and go on. When you start
to tire He calls to you to Press On. So let's be as that marathon
runner who decided that no matter what, she would press on till she
reached her goal. Let's press on toward our goal!
David Stellwagon and his wife Kathy were missionaries to Japan
for 11 years. David is the son of life-long missionaries to Japan
and David and Kathy's three sons were also born in Japan. David and
Kathy returned to the states in 2000. David currently teaches Sunday
School and the New Testament Bible Survey in our School for
Christian Workers.
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