Scripture: Philippians 3:12-14
Journal: What does it mean that Jesus has taken hold of you? What have you been taken hold of for? What is the life for which Jesus has taken
hold of you?
Reflection:
“Not that I have already 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.” (Phil. 3:12, NIV)
At times I can misguidedly convince
myself that my relationship with God is dependent upon my ability to hold on to
him, when the truth of the matter is that he is the one who has a hold on me,
and he will never let me go. Thus, it is
the strength on his grip, and not my own, that is the key. The simple and beautiful fact is that Jesus
has grabbed hold of me by the power of his grace. He has seized me with the power of his great
affection. He has firmly grasped me with
his righteous right hand, and he will not let me go.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to remind us that we can’t just
sit idly by. We must then take hold as
well. We must take hold of the life for
which we have been taken hold of. We
have been seized by the power of grace and now must respond to the very grace
we have been seized by. It is a response
of love: Therefore, I forget what is behind, I strain toward what is ahead,
and I press on toward the goal to which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have taken
hold of me and will never let me go. May
my life be an expression of gratitude for having been seized by the power of
your great affection. Amen.
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