A New Devotion - Forward Ho!

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Philippians 3:12-21

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. 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

Forward Ho!

When I was a kid, I really enjoyed westerns, and I’m not talking modern, Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. No, I liked the old, black and white movies from the 40s and the 50s. And you know, it was interesting, whether it was a wagon train moving west or the United States Calvary entering hostile territory, there was a better than even chance that someone would say “Forward Ho!” And usually that was the cue for the orchestra to play music in keeping with the mood of the scene. But whether the sound was majestic or menacing, you knew the people involved were about to move forward. They weren’t looking back. Instead, they were heading into the future.

And that’s what Paul described to the Philippians. Rather than looking backward, he was moving forward. And even though he couldn’t be sure about the specifics, he did know that his ultimate destination was going to be wonderful, because it would be grounded in God himself. And he trusted that on that day his body of humiliation would be conformed to the body of Christ’s glory. Now that’s what he believed.

And since Paul challenged us to imitate him, so should we. In other words, it’s important for us to move forward; in other words, to claim the freedom we have through Jesus Christ and to look into the future with confidence and hope. And this is possible, as soon as we make the decision to trust that God holds our ultimate destinies in his compassionate and loving hands. And so, believing in God’s immutable grace and mercy, let’s respond to the call, Forward Ho!