“One factor I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining ahead to what lies forward, I press on towards the objective for the prize of the upward name of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14 ESV)
Athletes set objectives for years of coaching, understanding their progress might be gradual however regular. Equally, a Christian’s objective of changing into like Christ might be incremental and difficult, requiring years of obedience to His calling. Educating from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Alistair Begg exhorts all of us—and challenges younger males specifically—to dwell with a decided, singular pursuit of Christlikeness, encouraging believers to passionately and actively search Jesus in all we do.
Do you’ve a plan? And do you’ve a ardour about your plan? Is there something about your life that’s marked by an all-consuming ardour? “I’d die if I couldn’t do that! You could as nicely put me in a house if I can’t do that! I have to do that!” See, that was Paul: “One factor I do…” When you spend any time in any respect with Paul, you understand what that one factor was. Doesn’t matter whether or not he’s in Athens, Ephesus, Colossae, anyplace, anytime: “One factor…”
“What are we doing at present, Paul?”
“We’re going to do the one factor!”
“And what is going to we do once we end that?”
“We’ll do it once more! One factor I do…”
Can I converse only for a second to younger males? I’ll always remember the person within the kilt in Scotland. My spouse will keep in mind. We have been over on the treasurer’s home for lunch. The treasurer had a son who was about fourteen—a form of kindly, aimless chap. And one of many males who’d been invited to lunch was an enormous, large man who wore a kilt and had large, furry legs protruding of his socks. And in the midst of the lunch—in reality, we have been within the backyard earlier than lunch—as we sat speaking, he turned to this boy, and he stated, “So, sonny, what are ye gonnae make o’ yoursel’?” The boy stated, you understand, “Pardon?” He stated, “I stated, sonny, what are ye gonnae make o’ yoursel’?”—which, being translated, is “What are you planning on doing together with your life, child?” He didn’t have any reply in any respect. And I can keep in mind the guy form of harumphing in his mustache and saying to himself, “Aye, the children at present, they only don’t know what they’re doing, you understand. Aye, aye, aye, aye…” And the boy was gratefully saved by being referred to as from lunch.
And I don’t say that to remind myself of the boy, as a result of loads of fourteen-year-old boys don’t know they’re doing. However you should begin discovering out. And I need to inform you, I need to provide you with one factor to do with the remainder of your life, and it’s proper right here. You can also make a dedication proper at present, January 5, 1997—you make a dedication to say, “It doesn’t matter what I do, this one factor I’m going to do. If I’m an athlete, I’m going to do that one factor. If I am going into enterprise, I’m going to do that one factor. If I work on a manufacturing facility ground, I’ll do that one factor. If I dwell on the East Coast, the West Coast, the North Coast, the South Coast, it doesn’t matter what I do, I’m going to do that one factor: I’m decided, God serving to me—I by no means actually considered it earlier than—however I’m going to utterly commit myself to pursuing, urgent on in direction of the objective to win the prize for which God has referred to as me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
And I need to inform you, younger man: If you’ll give your self to that all-consuming ardour, your life might be revolutionized. And it’ll all the time be the purpose to which you deliver your self again, on a great day, on a foul day, when your profession goes nicely, while you’re in nice issue, in marriage or in singleness. It received’t matter. You’ll all the time say, “However there’s this one factor that I do: I’m passionately dedicated to this. I’m going to pursue the objective of the prize of the upward name of God in Christ Jesus. If meaning I’ve to be a minister, I’ll be a minister. If I’ve to go to Africa, I’ll go to Africa. If it means I’m a financial institution teller, I’ll be a financial institution teller. I don’t care what it’s, however one factor—I’m going to provide myself to this.”
The place are the younger males that may arise and make that dedication? O God, the place are they? The place are they? We’re dwelling in a technology of aimless clowns fed by aimless dads and underpinned by praying moms. Do you’ve a ardour about something? Would you die for something? That’s the problem. That’s the problem.
You see, the cornerstone of Christianity is Jesus, understanding Jesus—understanding His mercy, understanding His grace, understanding His energy, understanding His peace. “I need to know a great good friend,” says any person. Effectively then, know Jesus Christ, as a result of He’s a good friend that sticks nearer than a brother. “I need to know what it’s to be cleansed, as a result of I really feel unworthy, and I’ve tousled so badly.” Then come to Jesus Christ, as a result of although your sins be as scarlet, they’ll be as white as snow, and although they be purple like crimson, they’ll be as wool. “I don’t know if I’m capable of observe Him as I ought to.” Come to Christ. He’ll give to you the ability of the Spirit to dwell in your life, to fill you and gasoline you and preserve you and use you. All of the damaged cisterns which can be on the market, all of the empty goals, all of the aimless journeys, all of the dead-end streets—don’t give your life to that. Don’t promote your self brief on that journey. Get this one factor, and decide to do it.
