Press On Toward His Purpose

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Can you imagine the feeling that Saul had on that road to Damascus when the Christ took a hold on him? It was an abrupt confrontation. A startling revelation. And a 180 turnaround. All in the scope of what probably felt like an eternity but probably took scant minutes. Meeting the living Christ is like that.

When the shepherd leaves his flock of 99 sheep to go out looking for the one lost one I can only imagine how he must act when he finds it. It might be on the edge of a precipice looking down with sheeplike wonder at the majesty and the terror of what lies ahead. It might be staring in the face of a predator, or even locked in the focus of a predator without knowing it. It might be already struggling for its life in some calamitous predicament. But when the shepherd finds the sheep he must surely and quickly pluck it from whatever condition it is in so that it will instantly recognize him and obey him to follow him back to the flock. It’s a “take ahold” moment.

Some sheep probably don’t feel the immediate grasp of the shepherd. But it’s there. They have been found. They are being returned. There may be a journey back, but the destination is not in question. The shepherd leads the sheep.

For every sheep the question remains, will they knowingly and willingly return to the flock in obedience and gratitude and desire for the shepherd’s destination or will they go only with consistent prodding, unwillingly or half-heartedly? For the sheep, it’s an issue of trust in the shepherd.

Am I not only willingly going to the destination that Christ has taken hold of me for, but do I long for it, am I striving for it, am I pressing on to it with determination and desire and vigor? Paul came to a cross roads on the road to Damascus and when he met the shepherd he made the decision to follow him with all he had. I pray to have the same heart and mind.