BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

The Press The winning life isn’t a casual stroll. It’s a press. We’ve heard this term used frequently concerning very spiritual matters. We’ve been urged to “press in to prayer” or “press in to the Word.” And certainly we need to press toward those things. But we mustn’t stop there. Our life is comprised of more than spiritual things. Among others, there is a press to make relationships work, a press to keep your body healthy and a press to succeed in business. These are areas that have very natural or physical components to them. Life itself is a press—a determined movement toward a goal or ideal. Paul knew that. He was a winner because he knew what to press toward—“the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.” The Prize What is the prize of the high calling of God? In a nutshell, it is life—eternal life. The Greek word the New Testament uses to describe this kind of life is zoe. It is a word that refers to the very life of God Himself. And God’s Word says you have that life inside of you if you’re a born-again believer. Too often, we think of eternal life as beginning in heaven. But that’s simply not the case. Our eternal life has already begun. It is here and now. Furthermore, zoe refers to a quality of life as well as a “forever” length of life. It literally means, life as God has it. Does God experience sickness, poverty, strife-filled relationships, unforgiveness or bitterness? Of course not. I realize it may seem almost sacrilegious to your natural mind, yet that kind of life—the life of God Himself—is the prize Paul is talking about. That’s the prize God has made available to us, not just in heaven but right here on earth. It can be ours now! The High Calling of God To really experience the fullness of zoe life this side of heaven, you’ll have to lay hold of God’s high calling. What is that high calling? It’s different for each of us. Basically, your high calling is God’s perfect will for your life. It is your divine destiny. It’s being in the place for which He uniquely created you. Please understand, I’m talking about much more here than just finding the right career. God’s high calling touches every area of your existence. Certainly it involves your vocation, but it also includes your relationships, your health and your material wealth as well. God’s high calling is a wonderful place to be. It is a place of all-sufficiency. It is a place of great influence. It is a place of supernatural health and harmonious relationships. Most of all, reaching God’s high calling means realizing and living the dream that He has placed in your heart. That dream may be crystal clear to you. Or it may be only a vague idea stirring in your heart. But don’t worry! As long as you are moving in the right direction, you’ll eventually find your high calling. So just look for “the mark” and go. The Mark In many respects, the concept of “the mark” is the most important of all in Paul’s statement about “pressing toward the mark of the high calling.” Notice that Paul didn’t say, “I press toward the prize.” Nor did he say he was pressing toward the high calling. No, it is the mark that he has his sights set on, but why? The mark, as Paul describes it here, is an intermediate goal or objective. If you’ll focus on it and move toward it, it will keep you on course. If you know anything about bowling, you know that each lane has on it a series of marks that lie just a few feet in front of the bowler. Good bowlers use these marks to aim their ball so it ultimately strikes the pins in the proper place. The bowler doesn’t aim at the pins—he focuses on the mark. That’s what Paul is talking about here. You may not yet know what your high calling is. The dream God has placed in your heart may not be well-defined enough for you to know what to do next. But, praise God, His Word has given us a mark to press toward. +++++++++++++++ Read Through the Bible January Old Testament/New Testament Sun 1 Ex. 18-19 / Mark 9 Mon 2 Ex. 20-21 / Mark 10 Tue 3 Ex. 22-23 / Mark 11 Wed 4 Ex. 24-25 / Mark 12 Thu 5 Ex. 26-28 / Mark 13-14 Fri 6 Ex. 29-30 / Mark 15 Sat 7 Ex. 31-32 / Mark 16 Sun 8 Ex. 33-34 / Luke 1 Mon 9 Ex. 35-36 / Luke 2 Tue 10 Ex. 37-38 / Luke 3 Wed 11 Ex. 39-40 / Luke 4 Thu 12 Lev. 1-3 / Luke 5-6 Fri 13 Lev. 4-5 / Luke 7 Sat 14 Lev. 6-7 / Luke 8 Sun 15 Lev. 8-9 / Luke 9 Mon 16 Lev. 10-11 / Luke 10 Tue 17 Lev. 12-13 / Luke 11 Wed 18 Lev. 14-15 / Luke 12 Thu 19 Lev. 16-18 / Luke 13-14 Fri 20 Lev. 19-20 / Luke 15 Sat 21 Lev. 21-22 / Luke 16 Sun 22 Lev. 23-24 / Luke 17 Mon 23 Lev. 25-26 / Luke 18 Tue 24 Lev. 27-Num. 1 / Luke 19 Wed 25 Num. 2-3 / Luke 20 Thu 26 Num. 4-6 / Luke 21-22 Fri 27 Num. 7:1-48 / Luke 23 Sat 28 Num. 7:49-78 / Luke 24 “Read Through the Bible in a Year Plan” written by Marilyn Hickey, and used by permission. BVOV : 22

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