Pressing On with Post-It Notes

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus...let us hold true to what we have attained." (Philippians 3:14, 16)

Post-it notes are somewhat of a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, they are a very convenient way to leave myself reminders and important memos. They are convenient in that they can be attached to pages, desktops, and other important, relevant places. They do not take up space. From all accounts, the post-it note is very helpful. They even make for nice bookmarks from time to time.

However, there is a downside. They become outdated so often. Old news. Old information. They are easily misplaced. They are small, so they are often lost in the clutter. Also, they are known to fold up and become a source of unwanted desk-trash if they are not eventually discarded and maintained all along. Although they are extremely convenient when we need them, they also can become a source of aggravation.

Paul introduces an interesting concept as he relates our spiritual walk with the concepts of both pressing forward and living up to past attainments--old information, old growth. Sometimes, we can become frustrated with our spiritual lives because we, like a post-it note, just seem so cluttered with spiritual information that we have no clear direction. So much bible knowledge. So little clue as to what to do with it. So much church clutter. So much Scripture scribble. And before we know it, we feel almost overwhelmed with the clutter of the Christian life. Maybe we don't feel like we've grown enough in comparison to the amount of knowledge we've gained over a specific amount of time. We have all of these spiritual "post-it notes" and "bookmarks" to show with little or no feeling of spiritual growth in our lives. Sometimes we all can feel like we are spiritually "lost in the clutter". Lost in past growth. Lost in yest er-years growth. Yet, Paul tells us to press forward. Then he tell us to remember back to be "true to what we have attained" already. What is Paul really saying here?

In a way, Paul is telling us to press on with post-it notes.

As we go about our walk with Christ Jesus, we have all of these reminders of the times that God has spoken to our hearts. We have all of the spiritual "post-it" notes that remind us of the things we have been taught. We need these. But, we are not to be content with them. We should strive to continually balance the desire to grow forward while remembering and putting into practice what God has already shown and made fruitful in our lives in the past.

So if you are frustrated today that you aren't farther along in your Christian life by now. If you feel as though you are walking through your Christian life with "post-it" notes stuck all over you. If you just don't feel like you have made much forward progress lately. Take heart. We need the reminders. We need the guidance they provide. But more than that, we need to be able to press forward even when we feel like we've accumulated a bunch of spiritual clutter.

After all, reminders are a good thing. Let us live up to what we have already attained. And after doing so, continue to press on in Christ Jesus our Lord. Post-it notes and all.

Purity in the Midst of Pain

"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." (Job 31:1)

It seems a bit awkward when you read it for the first time. In fact, Job 31:1 seems to be completely out of place. In the middle of turmoil, suffering, and personal loss, Job includes this important, yet seemingly out-of-place statement. The first time I read this verse I remember thinking, "Where in the world did that come from?" A covenant with my eyes? Look lustfully at a girl?

Just what are you saying here Job?

Job had been devastated. He had experienced more loss and tragedy in the last passing hours than an entire community of families could expect to face in a lifetime. He was in complete agony. He was suffering in physical torment and sickness. Yet here, he turns his attention to purity. Here, Job proves to be resilient. But, his resilience isn't directed toward his physical pain; rather, it is aimed at the temptations of the flesh. Why is this? Why is Job worried so much about purity during this tragedy? In the middle of all of his questions, he guards his purity. In the middle of all of his pain, his focus is on keeping a clean heart.

I believe that this one verse is pivotal to the rest of Job's story.

Although Job doesn't know the answers, he desires to stay pure before the One that does. He desires to stay pure before God, even though others (specifically his wife) had told him to curse God and die. The result of Job's purity in the midst of pain was that God ultimately blessed and restored Job. Because Job remained pure before God, he was restored and blessed beyond measure. Ultimately, Job would understand that God had a great purpose in his sufferings. We can see the same truths through the promises found in Romans 8:28, 29.

Last week, my hometown of Samson experienced tremendous tragedy and pain. And like Job, many people were left wondering why it all happened. During times like this, we often make two major mistakes. The first mistake we often make is that we blame all of the tragedy on God. Just like Job's wife, we desire to curse God for any evil that takes place in our lives. We blame him for tragedy. And although God allowed these things to happen to Job, He was not the culprit. The culprit was Satan. The second mistake we often make during these times is that we often dismiss God's association with tragedy altogether. Though God could not be accused as the culprit, we must acknowledge that God was sovereign over the circumstances. He did, for His perfect reasons, allow these things to happen to Job.

It would be outrageous for us to blame God for what happened in Samson last week. However, it would be just as outlandish to say that He had no control at all over the measure of the happenings. That would be saying that God isn't sovereign. Whatever the reason, we need to understand that we will never truly be able to see God's purpose on the other side of our pain unless our hearts are determined, like Job, to remain pure in the midst of it.

I believe Job understood what Jesus would later teach in Matthew 5:8. Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." We should be careful not to blame God. We should also be careful not to dismiss His purposes. Our sole priority in pain and disaster should be to emulate Job's example. We should desire to remain pure in the midst of pain. We should pour out our hearts to God. We should ask the questions that dwell in our hearts. We should ask for comfort and mercy. But most importantly, we must seek to remain pure before Him.

God give the communities, families, and the individuals involved in this tragedy the mercy and strength to remain pure during this time of pain. And, may they experience your blessings and provisions on the other side of it. Amen.