It's War
Happy Birthday
By Allen Edge
Today, September 13th, is my birthday. Fear not. I am not trying to solicit gifts, although none will be rejected. I mention it because like many of you, birthdays are usually a time for reflections and projections; especially when you get a little more "seasoned". I have had my period of reviewing and stewing about what I "woulda, shoulda, coulda" done or not done. Let's be for real. Christian or not, minister or not, I know that I am not the only one that has entertained thoughts of regret. If you have read any of my articles, you know that I am big on fulfilling one's God given assignment and purpose. Therefore, it is only natural that I judge my life progress or lack there of based upon this premise. The older I get, the more I realize how many gifts and talents God has given me and others. I have also come to realize how much God has given me and others in the way of covenant promises and access to unlimited power visa vie our covenant relationship with Him. So, being a fifty-plus, card carrying member of AARP, and a covenant child of God Almighty; I tend to expect a lot more out of myself.
However, valuable time and emotional energy spent reviewing and stewing can paralyze you and give you more stuff to regret not doing next year. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul. A man who by all accounts had risen to great heights in the ministry. He was considered to be a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was well educated and well versed in the scriptures and the Torah. He was also well respected among his peers. However, Paul discovered on the road to Damascus that when he reached the top of his ladder of success that the ladder was leaning up against the wrong building. He had to start all over from the very bottom. Just about all that he had done to further the cause of God had actually been against God. Yet he was now being commissioned by Jesus, Himself to go right back out there among the very people he had persecuted, imprisoned, and killed, to preach the Gospel with authority.
Reviewing and stewing would have paralyzed him and he wouldn't have been responsible for writing two thirds of the New Testament. How did Paul move pass his life mistakes? It is written:
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained." (Philippians 3:13)
This is a rich passage. I will, however, only extract three points of particular interest to me on my birthday. 1) Paul honestly assessed his short comings without excuse and reassessed true value. 2) He makes a life purpose statement that will guide him and keep him on track for future endeavors. Knowing Christ and being transformed into His image is paramount. Anything that does not assist in that end is a distraction and should be avoided. 3) While Paul recognized the limits of his knowledge, but he also gave himself credit for what he does know and has accomplished in his spiritual journey. He, therefore, determines not to review and stew, but to move forward with what he has and he encouraged others who have made significant strides in their development to do the same and trust God to take up the slack where they might be deficient. Paul later mentions in his letter to the Philippians... "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)
It is so important to remind ourselves that it's not about "ME". It's not by our power and strength, but by the Spirit of God that we move and have our being. It's God's kingdom and if He chose you to minister in it, He knew all about your frailties and shortcomings long before they became evident to you. So, if God is satisfied, you might as well be thrilled. Besides, if you're like me, you are going to serve God regardless of your mistakes and shortcomings. It's the only life we have or want. Besides, I have a beautiful and anointed wife who loves me, an outstanding son and seven remarkable grandsons. My family is safe and well and I know that I know that I am an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ Jesus. God has even blessed me to work and thrive in the calling that He pre-ordained me to do. Not bad for an old man. So, I might as well suck it up, and rejoice over my blessings in the Lord and press forward to the fulfillment of even greater promises of revealing Himself to me in ways that are above and beyond anything that I am able to imagine. The best is yet to come. It is written: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) So I say, "Al, Happy Birthday". Selah
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