One Thing…

What is the one thing that keeps you pressing on?

We all have at least one thing that gets you up in the morning…

… the one thing that gives you reason to keep on keeping on.

Maybe you can relate to the Apostle Paul who had many ambitions.

Maybe you find it hard to concentrate on one thing and consecrate yourself fully to that one thing.

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Romans 15:20 (NIV)

If you were to choose, what is your one greatest ambition—the one thing that’s essential in your life?

Have you whittled them all down to just one thing as Paul did?

“… one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

Paul’s dreams and ambitions were all subservient to this one thing—the prize and call to Christ, to know him and become like him.

Is that the order of your things?  Is your one thing—at the top of all goals and plans—to know Christ and be conformed to his image?

Even Paul, possibly the most driven missionary to reach the unreached people groups for Christ, did notn’t make that ambition his one thing.

His one ambition was Christ himself.

How do your dreams and ambitions line up with Christ?

Christ has preeminence. Is he preeminent in your goals and plans?

You know that he must be first and foremost above all things because he is the First and the Last, the Lord above all things.

As Paul pressed on toward this one thing of knowing Christ, he consciously did two things: 

forgetting what lay behind

and

straining forward to what lay ahead.

We cannot fully forget the past, but we must leave it behind in order to press on.

There is only one direction — forward and upward to Christ.

The whole sight of the sprinter is set toward the finish line.

The entire focus of the archer is fixed on the bullseye.

If you are a Christian, the one thing to run after and focus your aim upon is:

complete knowledge of Christ

and

perfect conformity to Christ.

To attain this one thing, you will need both:

concentration upon Christ

and

consecration to Christ.

Concentration is being single minded and undivided in the pursuit of this one thing.

Consecration is being set apart for this high calling to press on toward this one thing.

There is only one worthy of your life—the one who gave his life for you, so press on to Christ.

His glory is the one thing worth living for.