Press on to possess

Edmund Burke said, "You can never plan the future by the past." The more we count on the past to define us or our life's path, the harder it will be for us to move forward. Why? The past cannot be relived, and the present is ever-changing. Burke also reminds us, "He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper." Our antagonist is our helper. Could that mean that the 'negative stuff' in our past is actually helping us to grow closer to Christ in our present?

I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Press on to possess. That really sums it all up. We need to 'press on' if we are ever to 'possess'. Notice - it never says we are to continue to do things the way we have always done them. As I have said before, to do what we have always done will ensure we will always get what we have always gotten. If we are to be vital Christians, we have to be willing to let go of what 'we have always done' and embrace what God may be asking us to do now. Possession requires action. Even a gift is received. 

When a course has been established, we move on within that course. Does the movement forward change what we now have in our rearview mirror? Of course it does, because the stuff behind us is now in our past and we have a new vantage point from which to see that 'stage of the course'. What God may desire from us today is to stop gazing so fondly into that mirror. When I drive, I don't constantly focus on what is in my rearview mirror, but what is right ahead of me. Why? The path before me is what presents the obstacles I must be ever aware of, not the places I have just been. 

Possession is realized when we are able to keep our focus on what is front of us, not what is behind. Press on to possess - make forward movement, let go of the past, dwell upon the present, and learn to trust God to bring you into all he has for you in the present. The present prepares us best for the future. Just sayin!

Possess vs. Possession

I wonder how many things / blessings we have been given which we really never take possession of simply because we are "sitting around on our hands"?  Let me just say this as we begin today - we are all a little guilty of "possessing" without really taking "possession".  Israel finds themselves at this crossroad as we look into the scripture today.


Then the entire congregation of the People of Israel got together at Shiloh. They put up the Tent of Meeting. The land was under their control but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had yet to receive their inheritance.  Joshua addressed the People of Israel: "How long are you going to sit around on your hands, putting off taking possession of the land that God, the God of your ancestors, has given you?  (Joshua 18:1-3 The Message)


The battles have been fought - enemies are driven out of the land.  Now, all which remains is the dividing up of the land for their possession.  Yet, instead of moving "into" what they now possess, they are putting it off!  Go figure!  


When we possess something, it "belongs" to us - we own it.  Truth be told, I "own" a lot of stuff I don't ever use!  Isn't this true of all of us?  How many of us have sheds and storage shelves where we tuck things away, planning on maybe using it some day, then forget it is even there?  By the time we discover we need it, we honestly could say we probably never realized its worth until we needed it!  


Something we "possess" really becomes a "possession" when we put it to use.  In other words, when we finally realize the worth of the thing, we put it into use, and in turn, it becomes something which occupies a certain place or purpose in our lives.  For example, we may possess a flashlight which is squirreled away on a top shelf somewhere.  We don't see the value of the flashlight until we are plunged into darkness during a power outage.  Now, the "squirreled away" flashlight becomes a very valuable possession, does it not? In fact, it keeps us from stumbling in the darkness!


Guess what?  God's gifts are often not fully appreciated and placed into "operation" in our lives until we move them from being something we possess to a place where they occupy a place or purpose in our lives!  I possess a voice - it has no purpose until it is used!  I have a mind - it serves very little purpose until it is challenged to perform!  


I wonder what you might possess which is not fully in your "possession"?  Here are some questions to ask yourself:


1.  What talents do I seem to gravitate toward?  What seems to come "naturally" to me?  Oftentimes, the things which come naturally to us are really talents God would love to use for his glory.  If we find it easy to speak with other people, making them feel at ease and welcome, we may not fully realize how this can be a tremendous "gift" within the circles we keep.  God would like nothing more than to have us take this possession and put it to use for him!


2.  What lessons have I been learning over the past two weeks?  I bet if you stopped long enough to consider the messages you have heard at church, the things you have been reading in scripture, and even the messages you have read in blogs / postings, you will find a common theme!  God is placing something into your possession - it is time to take it from a place of ownership into a place of usefulness in your lives!  When we actually begin to "inventory" what we have been given, we begin to understand just how much we put into use!  Joshua took three men from each of the tribes who still had not possessed what they had been given.  He sent them out to divide up the land and then report back on how the boundary lines would be laid out.  Then they GOT what God had already given!  Often, all we need to do is a good "inventory" of what we have been given - then we come into a place where we "GET it"!


Just some thoughts today on the difference between possessing something and making it your possession!  Possess on!  But....don't stop short of making everything you possess a thing of value and worth in your life!  Israel did not reap the crops from the land they possessed until they took possession of the land!  The same is true for us!

Invitation to be possessed

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

(I Corinthians 6:19-20)

This is the beginning of the season of the year when everyone succumbs to the buying and selling of goods in some manner.  The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally called "Black Friday" - the beginning of the bargains of that kick off the season of Christmas shopping.  Thousands will wake earlier than usual, down a quick breakfast, then charge head-long into the hoards of holiday shoppers just looking for the next great "buy".  There is one "buy" that has already been accomplished for us - one that we cannot find or purchase on our own - it is our salvation.

Our passage today reminds us that we are bought at a price - the price of the cross.  God has provided the greatest gift of all - not so that we can squander it anyway we please - but so that we can honor him with the transformation of our lives.  We are no longer our own to do with as we please - we serve a higher purpose after receiving this gift of Christ - the purpose of serving a holy God.

We are purchased at a price that we could never afford to pay.  When something is purchased it is no long the property of the one who formerly owned that thing.  When we buy that shirt from the storekeeper, it becomes ours to wear and place on the display of our bodies instead of the store's manikin.  When the exchange of the "property" takes place, there is a surrendering of the rights of ownership of that "property".  

That which is purchased has had a price paid - there has been a sacrifice of payment that paid the exact price that was owed for that which is purchased.  That is what Christ's sacrifice did for us - paid the exact price owed for our sin - redeeming us from the coldness of being "manikin dwellers".  

We are presented as a gift to another - Jesus.  You and I are God's special love-gift to his dear Son, Jesus.  Purchased specifically for him - to become that which will bring him honor and praise.  We are offered to him, no longer slaves to our sin, that we might fellowship with him in the depth of the communion of intimate friends.  The purchase of our lives had a purpose - bringing honor to God.

That which is purchased becomes the possession of the one who pays the purchase price - to do with as he pleases.  The one who possesses the thing that is purchased has the enjoyment of that item.  We are purchased with a price far greater than we could pay so that we could be the enjoyment of our Savior.  He savors our presence as much as we savor his.  There is a change in us that allows us to submit to the one who is now owner of our lives.  We call this obedience - not just because we have been purchased - but we have been brought into the full possession of the Son.  

It is also true that what is owned requires special attention - in order to keep what is possessed in "tip-top" condition.  We would be silly to buy something of great value and then leave it out in the elements, rotting in the sun, rain, and winds of the storms that come.  We don't place a thing of great value in harm's way - we cherish it, give it a place of honor, and direct our attention to it on a regular basis.  So it is with Christ's treatment of his greatest gifts - us. He places us right in the center of his presence, so that we might be given the direct attention we so desperately need.  In turn, we bring him honor.  He enjoys (delights) in us and we experience the enjoyment of his great delight.

Today, you are invited to be purchased - to be possessed by another.  In that possession comes an exchange of position - being brought into the very presence of a holy God.  In that exchange of position comes the privilege of being the object of his affection - his undivided attention.  Are you ready?