Spiritual Strength For Each Day
“Man goes to his eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5, NIV).
We are all hastening toward a goal: the Lord Himself. What does this mean, to hasten toward the Lord? It means progressive sanctification, and nothing other than concerning ourselves more and more exclusively and concretely with the person of Jesus Christ. Paul is a shining example in this, for he pursued this goal. He was so one with his goal that he and Jesus were almost inseparable. This is why he could say, “For me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). And in another place he testifies, “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). Therein lay his immense power. He was indeed one with Jesus, toward whom he hastened. Progression in sanctification can never be separated from hastening toward the Lord. The tragic tension in which many believers live is that they want to separate these two inseparable things. Whoever does this, however, falls prey to a great self-deception. Whether you like it or not, you are hastening toward the Lord timewise, but inwardly you are lagging behind. Examine yourself, in whether you are separating the inward from the outward.
