The Thursday after the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on November 21, 2024 by under
Scripture: Philippians 3:12-16 (NKJV)
3:12 Not that I have already attained, 3 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. 13 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, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Devotion
As strong as St. Paul’s hope was in Jesus Christ, he understood that it would potentially be a long road before he attained that for which he hoped, and for which we hope: eternal life with Christ in the world to come. For St. Paul, a big part of looking forward to what that attainment would mean for him was leaving behind the concerns of the flesh, and the trust in the flesh, as was the focus of yesterday’s reading.
It must have been hard for Paul to wait as he did, knowing what was ahead for him. He saw the trouble and travail that was caused by the false teachers that he had to contend with during his ministry. But waiting, pressing forward, and, most importantly, trusting in God to fulfill His promises are exactly the things that Paul encourages us to do. This is what Paul himself did, as an example for us and all the Church. We, too, when we feel weighed down by the troubles and cares of this world, can do what St. Paul did and be encouraged by the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” and press on toward it in faith.
Collect: O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Thy Holy Spirit, that being ever mindful of the end of all things, and the day of Thy just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here, and dwell with Thee forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
