As we reach the end of 2022 and move into a new year, does this passage not ask us to define what our aim is for 2023? Is it the “one thing” that Paul and Mary embraced?
“Your next step now is this: set some clear objectives. Ask yourself: where would I like to be a year from now? Robert Mager, a consultant in the field of education, says that a well-stated objective defines where a person will be once he or she has achieved the intended outcome. ‘Clearly defined objectives,’ it has been said, ‘enable us to see truth as actions, not abstractions.’ If this sounds too regimented for your temperament, consider that your goal in life may actually be to remain comfortable rather than to be conformed to Christ. Don’t settle for a decaffeinated form of Christianity – one that promises not to keep you awake at night!” (Selwyn Hughes).
What is my “one thing” – decaffeinated or strong brew?
Paul offers an awful alternative. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things” (vv18-19).
‘Many’? Is it different today? Is it different from me? “Furthermore, some one-time followers of Jesus had given up and were now living as ‘enemies of the cross of Christ’ (v18). There was a danger that some Christians, in making their lifestyle choices, might follow them in abandoning the logic of the cross, opting instead for human wisdom and power and the self-interest they spawn.”
Selwyn Hughes defines that “one thing” very clearly. “Christians need not be in any doubt about the direction in which God wants them to go, or what is the Creator’s highest purpose for their life. It is receiving God’s love, and then channelling that love into the lives of those around us, including those who are discouraged or wounded. God wants you to be a caring person, sensitive to the needs of others, and aware of how He wants you to minister to them. Whatever else God may have for you to do in this world, His highest purpose is to make you a channel of His tender, loving care to others. Once you grasp this, then you are on your way to fulfilling your highest destiny.”
For that I need to press forward, “eagerly waiting for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (vv20-21). I need to be running that way myself and helping as many as I can in the same direction, so my life and my message are “one thing”. Is that not a great 2023 ambition?
A final thought. “Passion shines bright, with the energy of a sprint, but can be over in an instant: someone launches into a project with wonderful ideas, but flakes out at the first hurdle. Perseverance may seem very dull in comparison, like a slow marathon. The faithful plodder, reliable and self-disciplined, may be less noticed but invariably respected. In this text, both qualities are beautifully combined in Paul as we witness his single-minded perseverance inspired by a passionate response to God’s grace.”
What do I need for that special race, holding on to both ‘passion’ and ‘perseverance’?
“(1) We must forget our sins. Obviously we must remember our sins in order to confess them. But having done so, we must let them go. The fact that God forgets is like calling Heaven and hearing, ‘There is no record of any offence.’
(2) We must forget our shame. Paul could have been a prime candidate for shame. He had presided over the harassment, imprisonment, torture and murder of innocent human beings. But God's grace is stronger than our shame. It was defanged when Jesus died and rose again” (Word For Today quoting Ellen Vaughn).
(3) Then “I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (verse 13 NLT).
