November 21, 2015: Press On to the Prize

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 324  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a video of the group Selah singing… Press On, … declaring the goal of all Christians … to press on to the prize of knowing our God more intimately … day-by-day-by-day.

Highlight Passage:   Philippians 3:14 [NKJV] …  
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.
 … Paul was driven onward to reach THE ULTIMATE PRIZE of knowing his Lord intimately. 
============ 
Highlight Context – Philippians 3:7-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Paul’s goal was THE PRIZE of knowing and serving His Lord.
============      

Reference Passage #1 - 1st Corinthians 9:24-25 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul on running the race of life in such a way to win the crowns in glory that God has for all in HIS RACE, running for HIS GLORY.

Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … … At the end of Paul’s live he exhorted his protege, Timothy, to finish his “race” in life well as Paul felt he had done.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David C McCasland, used a word picture illustration to teach about the goal of all Christians. And the author writes … In every field of endeavor, one award is considered the epitome of recognition and success. An Olympic gold medal [see attached photo], a Grammy, an Academy Award, or a Nobel Prize are among “the big ones.” But there is a greater prize that anyone can obtain. 

And today’s ODB teaching goes on to make reference (in the highlight and reference passages above) to the Apostle Paul’s teaching and exhortation of running in the race we call life. He often used the word picture of a spiritual athlete, such as himself, running God’s race - for HIS glory - and to pursue and win God’s prize (i.e., His crowns in glory), awaiting all who “press on” (as Selah sings) to win the Lord’s prize.

 How about it, dear one? … Let’s you and me keep-on-keeping-on and run the race … today, tomorrow, and onward, … pressing onward to know God more intimately daily and to win the crowns awaiting us in Glory.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … I run the race today and always for Your glory. … Amen  

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.