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.
Philippians 3:12
Almost all of my youth and young adult years were spent on sports of various kinds; from all my experiences I learned two things: don’t ever quit until the game/contest is over and you have to learn to be a team player who values success for everyone over personal acclaim. To slack off before you get to the finish line or the game being over is to invite loss for the team and/or injury to yourself as you are not focused. To value personal success over the team’s success is to create discouragement and rivalry that will destroy team unity and cooperation. If we are truly “born again” believers in Christ, we are on “Team Jesus” together. Our competitor in this life is the world, the flesh and the devil. We are to work together and seek the best for our Lord who died for us and one another as members of the body of Christ. Christ has saved us by grace through His Word and Spirit to become servants for Him in His enterprises of promoting the gospel message and learning to love God and one another as the two greatest commandments teach. The world system, the devil himself, and our flesh all oppose God’s purposes, and we must recognize this and work together to let God use us for His victories. One of my “assignments” in life has been to serve the Lord and His people as a pastor in His fellowships/church. After over 30 years of full-time service as a pastor, over 25 years of which have been at Golf Road, I am now close to finishing that assignment. Let me assure you it is my heart’s desire to finish well and press on to the very end. However, this is only one of my assignments I have been given, and the larger one is to serve my God wherever I go all the days of my life. I am to love God, love people and share the gospel until I draw my last breath or Christ returns to bring me into Heaven. I have a wife, four kids and 11 grandkids, with number 12 on the way, to love and invest myself into. I have people the Lord has put in my life that I am to love for Christ so they too may know and love Him. I am not done yet, only close to finishing one of many assignments I have been given. It is no time for slacking off or falling short as that would affect the team and dishonor my Savior. What I am sharing is true for all of us. Let us examine the above verse closely that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. We have been taken hold of by Christ for His purposes, not our own. Let us not shrink back or slack off before our time is up. Let us work as a team for our Lord and love one another so we can be a witness for Christ to a lost and dying world (see John 13:35). I don’t know how much time any of us has left in this life, but I do know we need to redeem each and every day for His glory, not our own, and therefore let us press on in faith and love. Blessings!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Gary Houdek