Advance

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

About this time next week, we will be toolin’ down the highway on the way to our annual Men’s Retreat at Camp Windermere in the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. It is a great time to get away from the daily grind and spend a couple of days with some awesome fellowship and preaching of the word of God. Jesus took his disciples “apart” a few times because he knew they needed it. Times like this can refresh the soul and provide a “jump start” for further ministry.

We call this a “Retreat”. But sometimes, I wonder why we would use that term. Wouldn’t it be better to say “Charge!” or “Advance!”? It shows us yet another example of the basically negative mindset of humanity. Intersections are controlled by stop lights, not go lights. Murphy’s law is based on what can go wrong, not right. We program ourselves to think it can’t be done, and to shy away from success. Many people will even go so far as to purposely sabotage success because they are afraid of it. I know that sounds strange, but it is a documented fact and the subject of studies done by many professionals in the field of human behaviour.

The Christian life is a race. Paul used that analogy in I Corinthians 9 when he said, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” If you are going to play, play to win. Hebrews 12 says to run with patience, so our lives are indeed a marathon. But that does not mean we run lazy. Now is not the time to let off the gas. I know your lungs are about to explode out of your chest, your legs feel like boiled linguini, and every muscle in your body is screaming. But the finish line gets closer every day. Maybe Jesus won’t return in our lifetime, I don’t know. Every day I wonder more why we are still here. But we can see the end in sight. We have at least rounded the final curve and the tape is visible. Whether you are caught out in the rapture or live out your full “threescore and ten” (or more), there is never a reason to give up and “retreat”. There may be times when we need to pull back a little on certain areas to “consolidate gains” or to regroup for further service. That is one of the main reasons for “retreat” weekends like these. There are also times when we need to cut certain things out of our lives, and not just sinful things. Life is a continual adjustment. John 15:2 says that the Lord will purge our lives so that we can bring forth more fruit. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” We understand laying aside sin to please our Lord, but the verse also mentions “every weight.” Those are the things in our lives that are not sinful, but weigh us down and keep us from running the race of the Christian life in full victory. Have you ever held a pair of real running shoes? I am not talking about the ones you get at WalMart or Foot Locker; I mean real professional shoes that real professional runners wear. It’s like holding a helium balloon. No runner in his right mind would carry a bunch of stuff in his pockets while trying to win a race. Then why do we as believers load ourselves down with so many things that make it impossible to run for our Lord?

We will never reach the point when we have done all that we need to do for our Lord while we are still in this race. Jesus went all the way up the hill of Calvary. Even when he physically could go no further, and got some help from Simon the Cyrene, he kept going. He could have called 12 legions of angels to deliver him, but he did not. He was badgered by the crowd to “come down from the cross”, yet he stayed. He was begged by the dying thief to “save thyself and us”, and he remained on the cross for our sins. He saw his mission through to completion with the words, “It is finished”. We need the same persistence. Advance; never retreat. One day soon, he will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord.”