Instant Christianity tends to make the faith act terminal and so smothers the desire for spiritual advance. It fails to understand the true nature of the Christian life, which is not static but dynamic and expanding. It overlooks the fact that a new Christian is a living organism as certainly as a new baby is, and must have nourishment and exercise to assure normal growth. It does not consider that the act of faith in Christ sets up a personal relationship between two intelligent moral beings, God and the reconciled man, and no single encounter between God and a creature made in His image could ever be sufficient to establish an intimate friendship between them. By trying to pack all of salvation into one experience, or two, the advocates of instant Christianity flaunt the law of development which runs through all nature. They ignore the sanctifying effects of suffering, cross carrying and practical obedience. They pass by the need for spiritual training, the necessity of forming right religious habits, and the need to wrestle against the world, the devil and the flesh. Undue preoccupation with the initial act of believing has created in some a psychology of contentment, or at least of non-expectation. To many it has imparted a mood of disappointment with the Christian faith. God seems too far away, the world is too near, and the flesh too powerful to resist. Others are glad to accept the assurance of automatic blessedness. It relieves them of the need to watch and fight and pray, and sets them free to enjoy this world while waiting for the next. Instant Christianity is twentieth century orthodoxy. I wonder whether the man who wrote Philippians 3:7-16 would recognize it as the faith for which he finally died. I am afraid he would not.

A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

Those Sanctifying Effects of Suffering

The true Christian, though he is in revolt against the world's efforts to brainwash him, is no mere rebel for rebellion's sake. He dissents from the world because he knows that it cannot make good on its promises. He has tasted the pleasures of society and he knows that they leave a bitter taste; and he has found that blessing of the Lord of which the wise man speaks, which maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it.And the Christian is not left without a "norm" to which he seeks to become adjusted. The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the norm, the ideally perfect model, and the worshiping soul yearns to be like Him. Indeed the whole drive behind the Christian life is this longing to be conformed to the image of Christ. The energy with which the believing man revolts against conformity to the image of unregenerate society will be in exact proportion to the intensity of his yearning to be like Christ.The classic expression of this burning desire to be Christlike is, of course, Paul's personal testimony in his letter to the Philippian Christians which begins, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ," and ends with the fervent declaration, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" ( Philippians 3:7-14).

Running Toward the Goal

For Reading and Meditation:      Philippians 3:1-14We spend one more day setting the stage before lifting the curtains on this most important subject of the nature and character of God. It must not be assumed from what has been said over the past couple of days that the study of Scripture and contemplation of the principles which God has built into His Word are unimportant. They most certainly are. What I am saying is this - let us be on our guard that we do not fall into the trap of contemplating the principles which God has built into the universe more than God Himself. I have often seen students of Scripture fall into this trap when, in reading their Bible, the only things that get their attention are the principles that relate to godliness. They underline them in their Bible, mark alongside them other Scriptural references, and think that by doing this they are growing spiritually. The problem, however, is that only the principles of daily personal godliness capture their interest; their heavenly Father does not. Imagine treating a love letter that way: identifying and underlining the principles, reflecting on the profundity of some of the insights, marvelling at the clarity of the language and yet missing the main purpose of the letter - romantic passion and love. Yet this is the way some people approach the Bible. Our aim in studying the nature and character of God must be to know God better (not merely know His Word better), and we must seek to enlarge our acquaintance not simply with the characteristics of His nature, but with the living God whose characteristics they are.O God, help me never to approach the Bible content to know only the written Word. Give me a passion that never remains satisfied until, through the written Word, I discover more of the living Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Revelation 2:1-7</li><li>2 Corinthians 5:14</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was the church in Ephesus commended for?</li><li>Why was this insufficient?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection " (v. 10)

For Reading and Meditation:      Philippians 3:7-21Today we ask: What happens to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? The answer is clear: they will be filled. Make righteousness your goal and you will be eternally satisfied. If, once again, I might venture upon a paraphrase of my own, I would put it like this: "Congratulations to those who ardently crave to become more and more like Me and to know My righteousness, for they shall find a satisfaction that will never vanish or be destroyed." May I be permitted to ask you this personal question: What are you most hungering and thirsting for? Is it health? Is it relief from pain? Is it freedom from anxiety? Is it financial security? All of these are legitimate cravings, but if your primary hunger and thirst is not to become more and more like Christ, then you will experience an inner emptiness that nothing you chase after can fill. Let me point out one more thing - something that might astonish you: to the extent that your deepest hunger and thirst is not for God, to that extent you will experience spiritual and psychological problems. If you are not hungering and thirsting after Him, you will hunger and thirst after something else. When we make it our goal to glorify God, then we will enjoy Him. We must not make it our goal to enjoy Him in order to glorify Him. Remember the goal of happiness is elusive, regardless of how well- thought-out is our strategy. But the by-product of happiness is freely available to those whose goal is to know God and be found in Him.Father, You are teaching me Your ways - written in Your Word and also in me. Help me to surrender to Your purposes so that I might be the vehicle of victory. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Psalm 38:9</li><li>Psalm 73:25</li><li>Isaiah 26:1-9</li><li>1 Peter 2:2-3</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was the psalmist's confession?</li><li>What did Isaiah's desire cause him to do?</li></ul></div></div>

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection '" (v. 10) 

For Reading and Meditation:      Galatians 6:1-18Whenever I hear a person saying that all religions are the same, my mind runs immediately to the cross. If what is found here is true (and I believe it is), and represents the meaning of life, then clearly all religions are not the same. No authentic note of divine self-sacrifice comes from other faiths. The cross stands out in absolute uniqueness. As Toplady put it in his beautiful hymn: In the Cross of Christ I glory, Towering o'er the wrecks of time, All the light of sacred story Gathered round its head sublime. For weeks and months after I became a Christian I wondered why anyone should preach anything except the cross. The redemptive glowing mystery of it took hold of me in the early days of my conversion, and I think I can honestly say it has never ceased to magnetize my heart. Among the ancient inscriptions and paintings on the tombs of Egyptian kings, so I am told, one finds everywhere the symbol of the key of life. Strangely enough, it is in the form of a cross. Christ's cross is the only true key to life. This and this alone unlocks the doors to some of life's greatest mysteries. Other religions try, sometimes with great sincerity, to unlock the doors to these profound mysteries, but they are unsuccessful because they do not have the right key. They do not have a cross. Father, how can I cease thanking You for the cross? For in it I find the key that unlocks the door of many a mystery, not least the mystery of Your nature - a nature shot through with eternal love. Help me see it even more clearly. In Christ's Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Philippians 3:1-18</li><li>Colossians 2:14</li><li>Hebrews 12:2</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What brought Paul to tears?</li><li>What has the cross abolished?</li></ul></div></div>

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ..." (v. 14) 

Just as Abraham's servant had a sense of urgency in connection with his mission, so should we. This does not mean we must race around in all directions at once. It does not mean that we must do everything in nervous haste. But it does mean that we should give ourselves to the task before us as a matter of top priority.We should adopt the attitude expressed in Robert Frost's lines:The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keepAnd miles to go before I sleep.Amy Carmichael captured the spirit when she wrote: "The vows of God are on me. I may not stay to play with shadows or pluck earthly flowers till I my work have done and rendered up an account."In another place, she wrote:Only twelve short hours - O neverLet the sense of urgencyDie in us, Good Shepherd, everLet us search the hills with Thee.It is said that Charles Simeon kept a picture of Henry Martyn in his study, and that everywhere he went in the room, it seemed that Martyn was looking at him and saying, "Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't trifle." And Simeon would reply, "Yes, I will be in earnest; I will, I will be in earnest; I will not trifle, for souls are perishing, and Jesus is to be glorified."Hear the urgency in the words of the intrepid Apostle Paul: "This one thing I do… I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).And did not our blessed Savior live with a sense of urgency. He said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Luke 12:50).There is no excuse for Christians to rest on their oars.

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"I will not eat until I have told my errand." (Genesis 24:33)

The Apostle Paul did not think that he had arrived, and neither should we. We are all in need of change. Liu Shao-chi said, "Men should regard themselves as being in need of and capable of being changed. They should not look upon themselves as something unchanging, perfect, holy, and beyond reform… Otherwise men cannot make progress."The trouble is that most of us resist change in ourselves. We are desperately anxious to see others change. Their personality quirks annoy us and we wish they would reform. But we are either oblivious to our own idiosyncrasies or satisfied to perpetuate them. We want to remove the splinter from someone else's eye but rather admire the pole in our own. Their faults and failures are hideous whereas ours are darling.The problem lies in our own will. We can change if we really want to. If we face up to the fact that we have some undesirable traits in our character, we have made a start toward becoming better persons.But how can we know what changes are needed? One way is for us to let the Word of God act as a mirror. As we read and study it, we see what we should be, and how far we fall short of the standard. When the Bible condemns something of which we are guilty, we should face the fact bravely and determine to do something about it.Another way to learn ways in which we are unChristlike is to listen carefully to our relatives and friends. Sometimes their suggestions come in a velvet glove; sometimes they come like a sledgehammer. Whether the remarks are veiled or blatant, we should get the message and accept it gratefully.In fact, it is a very good practice to cultivate the loving criticism of friends. For instance, we could say, "I hope you will feel free to let me know of any undesirable traits in my personality or any ways I have that prove irritating to others." A real friend will do just that.It is sad to think of people who go through life, making pests of themselves in the church, in the home, and in society, just because no one was willing to level with them or they were not willing to change.If we take the time and trouble to find out the areas where we rub people the wrong way, and if we then take positive steps to eliminate these areas, we will be better people to live with.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended." (Philippians 3:13)

Ordinarily when we read these words, we tend to think that Paul was speaking about his past sins. He knew that these sins had been forgiven, that God had put them behind His back, and that He would never remember them again. So Paul was determined to forget them too and to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."I still think that is a valid application of the verse. But Paul is not thinking about his sins in this passage. Rather he is thinking about the things in which he might have boasted - his lineage, his former religion, his zeal and his legal righteousness. Now these things meant nothing to him. He was determined to forget them.I am reminded of John Sung, the devoted Chinese evangelist, who had come to the United States for training. Now he was on his way back to China. Leslie Lyall writes that "one day, as the vessel neared the end of its voyage, John Sung went down to his cabin, took out of his trunk his diplomas, his medals, and his fraternity keys and threw them all overboard except his doctor's diploma, which he retained to satisfy his father. This was later framed and hung in his old home. The Rev. W. B. Cole saw it there about 1938. Dr. Sung noticed Mr. Cole looking at it one day and said, 'Things like that are useless. They mean nothing to me.'"'"There must be great renunciations if there are to be great Christian careers!' Dr. Denney's words might have been written with Dr. Sung in mind. It is probably the chief secret of John Sung's career that there came a day when he made just such a renunciation of all that this world holds dear."Forbid it, Lord, that I should boastSave in the Cross of Christ my God;All the vain things that charm me most,I sacrifice them to His blood.Man's honors are transient, empty things. They are cherished for a moment, then gather dust for decades. The Cross is all our glory. We make it our ambition to be well-pleasing to Him who died for us and rose again. All that matters is to hear His "Well done!" and to be approved unto God. We are willing to renounce everything else to win that prize.

"…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind." (Philippians 3:13 b)

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on. 
(Philippians 3:13-14 NIV)


The Lord desires us to go on. Sometimes going 
on means loneliness in going on where others cannot go 
with us. That means a price is bound up with obedience. It may mean a big break, 
a big change. It is the challenge of whether we are adjustable before the Lord. 
Our adjustability is the proof of our utterness for the Lord. That proof being 
there, the Lord is able to bring us on into all His thought. Let us remember 
always that we shall never get to a place while we are here where there is not 
some higher level and some greater fullness of Christ. There will always be yet 
another step, and perhaps another after that, higher on. Let us have our hearts 
set upon reaching all. The Lord will so graduate things as to make the challenge 
not too severe. He takes us a step at a time, and He does not want us to take 
six steps at a bound, or to contemplate six steps at a time. He shows us our 
next step, and that is all we have to be concerned about now. The other steps 
will come at the right time. Every step prepares us for the next.
Very often our lives are like mountain 
climbing. You see from below to a certain height, and that seems to be the top, 
and you make for it. And when you get to it, you see a little further on that there is 
another top. You think that must be the very top, and so you make for it, and 
when you get to it there is something still further. You never do seem to get to 
the top! But we shall arrive at last. The Lord hides the other things and says: 
"Now, that is your next step; obey that and fuller revelation will come after 
that." Those of us who look back and see how terrible 
a thing it would have been if the Lord had shown us at one time all that to 
which we have been brought, know that if we had seen it all at one time, we could 
not have gone on. We see that He brought us by stages, and today we are not 
ungrateful for the price paid, in view of the measure of Christ which we enjoy 
and the greater fullness of revelation. Let us ask the Lord to put into us the spirit 
of His servant: “Not that I have already obtained it... but one thing I do... I 
press on....”

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

That Which Was From The Beginning - Chapter 3

 That Which Was From The Beginning 

Father, I desire that they … whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me. § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. § Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. § Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. § Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness. Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. § Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. § Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.

 Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 

Arise and depart, for this is not your rest. § Here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. § There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. § Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. §  One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind.

 Thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist. . . . So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected … I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. § We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus spoke these words: . . . “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.”

Evening Daily Light

 I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind<cr>1</cr> and straining toward what is ahead,

Philippians 3:13

 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind   and straining toward what is ahead,

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind   and straining toward what is ahead,

Bible Verse of the Day

April 21, 2022

Philippians 3:13 NIV

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