April 2010 - The Boys' Brigade

Press on towards the goal
One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards
the goal for which God has called me heavenwards
in Christ Jesus Philippians 3:13-14
by Stuart
Jennings
Iwould never have dreamt that running a race and
ploughing a field with a team of horses shared anything
in common, but they do and the proof is in the practice.
A few years back at a county show there was a display
of ploughing, using teams of shire horses and the men
who gave the display made it look so easy and offered an
invitation for members of the public to have a go. Never one
to miss a challenge I came forward full of confidence. Unlike
the demonstrators though I found it impossible to plough
a straight furrow and mine ended up looking more like a
snake than a straight line. ‘What am I doing wrong?’ was my
exasperated plea to which I received this reply ‘Lad, you are
too busy looking at what has gone on behind you, learn to be
fixed on what is ahead – identify a focus to aim for. Then and
then only will you make progress’.
Jesus had taught the same truth in the Gospel of Luke
where he said
No-one who puts his hand to the plough and
looks (continuously) back is fit for service in the
Kingdom of God [9:62]
As a young man I occasionally represented my local county
at running the 200 metres sprint. Even to this day I can hear
my coach constantly shouting out to
me ‘Jennings, it doesn’t matter what
is going on behind you, focus only
on the winning post’. When I kept glancing
backwards it slowed me down allowing the other runners
to catch up and pass me. Like ploughing, the secret of
success is to stop being obsessed with what has gone on
(is going on) in the past and focus on what lies ahead.
The passage from Philippians above shows us that for
the apostle Paul this was an essential truth to be lived if the
believer was to advance in the service of Jesus. The past is
gone, it is in God’s hands, the secret is to focus on what lies
ahead, keeping our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. The same
is true for the life of The Boys’ Brigade and each and every
Company; we learn from the past, give thanks for the past
but live in the present striving for the future. To quote Paul, we
‘press onwards’ not backwards to meet the risen Christ who
calls us ever forward. The 21st century presents The Boys’
Brigade with many challenges and changes and some of
them can be a little frightening to think about, but the best
of all is that God is with us in Christ and when he is the focus
of our pressing forward, all things are possible.
48 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010