Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  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. (Philippians 3:12-14)  Please read Philippians 3:1-15

I can remember when I was younger thinking I had to be perfect to believe in God and to serve Him.  Later, I realized that I was trying to do it all on my own.  I was constantly beating myself up because of all the mistakes that I was making.  The only way for me to reach that perfect status was for me to give my life and all that control over to God.  Well I’m still not perfect, not yet.  But I am trying every day to get a grip of the promises that God has planned for my life.

The one wall that I run into every time God gets things rolling in my life is me, myself.  The only way to get anywhere in Christ is to allow self to die daily.  The only thing that hinders growth is me because I allow all distractions in and block the blessings that could take place in my life.  Once we realize what God’s plan is for us and move towards that, then we can start seeing the things that once slowed us down begin to fall away.  As we reach for the things that are pleasing to God, we are covering ourselves with protection from the sinful things in life.

I can’t say that I comprehend or understand everything in the scriptures.  One thing I do know is if I forget about all things that hold me back from receiving the things of God and reach for the things that are pleasing to God, I will see the perfected life that Jesus Christ proved can happen.  Think about this:  How can I make God happy today?