“…But this one thing I do…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.3:13)
Many will never succeed in life at what they do because their attitude is not like Paul’s who with single-heartedness said, “This one thing I do….”
Many will not succeed because they will not stick it out. They will be too easily discouraged, too often side-tracked. Not Paul—he said “This one thing I do.” Every thing else was secondary at best. Nothing else was more consuming! He could not be dissuaded; he would not be deterred. He had one compelling drive—to keep on going for God.
Many times he was down, but never was he out. Why? “This one thing I do!” At Lystra he was stoned and left for dead, but he revived and went on preaching. Why? “This one thing I do.”
In Antioch of Pisidia he, along with Barnabas, was expelled from the city but he went to Iconium to preach the same gospel. Why? “This one thing I do!”
From Iconium, Paul and Barnabas fled for their lives, but they went to Lystra, then Derbe, to witness. Why? “This one thing I do.” Paul and Silas, on a 2nd missionary trip, had to flee from Thessalonica for their lives—under the cover of darkness—but they went to Berea to preach, because “This one thing I do!”
Paul had one all-consuming motive that governed everything he did: “….this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13)
What is the ONE THING that you do? The one thing that drives you? Consumes you? Compels you? Ought not those of us who are His followers at this very hour be driven by a “One Thing” mind-set? If so, then, how can we have it?
1. Keep the right attitude about “things” in relation to life, v. 8
• Paul counted “all things” but loss (“dung”)⇒ His religious heritage
⇒ His educational achievements
⇒ His knowledge of the Law
⇒ His track record as a Pharisee
• Things we can count but loss:
⇒ Who we are; what we have; where we’ve been; who are parents are; what we’ve achieved; what we know; what we can do; who we know; how much we earn.
Remember Moses, reared in Pharoah’s palace, counted it as nothing to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter so that he could stand with and for the people of God.
2. Make the knowledge of Jesus your number one priority, Phil. 3:8
⇒ For Paul, knowing Jesus was “the excellency” of life, v. 8
⇒ Knowing Him involved knowing the power of His resurrection
“Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Col.3:3)
“Like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we also should walk in the newness of life.” (Rom.6:4)
“Reckon yourselves dead to sin, alive to God. “ (Rom. 6:11)
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ… and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:5,6)
Characteristics of a Resurrected Person:
• Not afraid of death—has hope
• Not afraid of judgment—has confidence
• Not at home in this world—affection is on things above
• Not overwhelmed by temporal problems—rejoices in all things
• Not a servant of the god of this world
• Not in love with this world system
• Not in bondage to any sin—bond slave of Christ
⇒Knowledge of Him includes the knowledge of His sufferings
“…If so be that we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom.8:17)
“Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps.” (2 Pet.2:1)
⇒ “Yea, all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim.3:12)
3. Don’t ever relax thinking that you have “arrived!”
• Your job is never done—the “upward calling” (Rapture) will signify the completion of your work!
Think you’re not fit/able to work for Christ?**
⇒ Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed his chief oratorio, the Ninth
⇒ Milton was blind when he dictated one of his most sublime poems
⇒ Thomas Edison was severely hearing impaired
⇒ Lord Byron had a “club foot”
⇒ Admiral Nelson had sight in just one eye
⇒ Julius Caesar suffered from epileptic-like episodes
⇒ Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected 4 times as president of the United States yet was wheel chair bound much of his adult life due polio which he contracted at the age of 39
Think you’re too old to work for Christ?
⇒ Toscanini did his last public performance at the age of 87
⇒Verdi wrote “Falstaff” at the age of 80
⇒ Picasso was still painting at the age of 91
⇒ Will Durant finished his massive volume “History of Civilization” at age 82
⇒ Michelangelo took charge of the dome construction of St. Peter’s Basilica at age 71 and gave it a final inspection when he was 89 years of age
⇒ Winston Churchill was 65 when he first became prime minister; and he was a few weeks shy of his 77th birthday when he began his 2nd term as prime minister of hi beloved country
Excuse me…what did you say your excuse was? So, you are only one; but you are one; and what you can do you should do; therefore, by the grace of God, go get busy and do it! “One life, ‘twill soon be past—only what’s done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd, British Missionary)
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11)
(**This paragraph on disabilities and accomplishments, and the paragraph that follows on age and accomplishments were copied, the original source unknown; I did confirm the veracity of the statements through Wikipedia)
YOU and GOD 