Higher Ground

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ July 12, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

I’m pressing on the upward way
New heights I’m gaining every day
Still praying as I’m onward bound!
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Refrain: Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith, on Heaven’s table land
A higher plane than I have found
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Hear now the reading of God’s Holy Word

Philippians 3:12-14 (NRSV) 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Let us pray: Dear Father, may the Words found in this letter to the Philippians encourage us to continue walking on the pathway to holiness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you consider yourself to be goal oriented? Are you so focused on reaching a specific objective or accomplishing a given task that you can see little else? Or, do you consider it enough to live for today?

If anyone fits the description of being goal oriented, it was Paul. Before Saul of Tarsus was transformed into Paul, he persecuted the Christians with a zeal that was unmatched. Is there any doubt that upon being called by Christ that Paul would utilize that same zeal to bring Christianity to the lost?

It is vitally important to recognize the reality of our situation. Paul understood that he could not slow down, not relinquish the struggle to continue to seek after God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength. After all, God had literally knocked Paul off of his feet on the Road to Damascus to capture his attention. So for Paul, there was never a choice as to whether to continue onward or turn back. He could not be deterred by his past, nor swayed by the future. For Paul it was all about the call.

What keeps you moving forward? Do you understand that the gear shift in the Christian vehicle only has a forward or a reverse—there is no neutral.  We are either striving to attain that heavenly goal, or we are sliding backwards.

If you have grown weary, I get it. Anyone who has not felt fear, or doubt, or even anger during 2020 is not someone to whom I can relate. But keeping our eyes upon Jesus makes all of the difference in the way we see things, and in the way we behave. Keep pressing on the upward way, continue to pray, and before you even realize what has happened, you will have attained that higher ground!

Receive now this blessing: Remember, we don’t live on the mountaintops, nor do we live in the valleys.  Our dwelling place right now is somewhere in between. Let God lift our spirits to the place where we can feel that holy ground beneath our feet, and we can sing His praises now and forever. Take the name of Jesus with you and share Him with all you meet.