Moving Forward . . . God is not standing still why should I?

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ . . . yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 3:8-14)

People make resolutions about all sorts of things too, about a new diet, about a new exercise regime, about making more time for family, or for friends, about working harder, about quitting a bad habit, about starting a new habit...all sorts of things. As Christians, why not use the start of a new year as an encouragement to start a new habit that will enrich and encourage us in our Christian walk and faith. Some new ideas? •Aim to read the Bible more regularly during the week (this is known as a quiet time). This is a great way to grow in your understanding of God and his revelation of Himself in His Word (the Bible) throughout 2015. •Pledge to make prayer a regular part of your weekly Christian diet. Talking to your Heavenly Father shows that you rely on Him and that you want to thank Him for the good things He gives you and that you bring your concerns before Him. •Make going to church a priority for your week. Meeting with other Christians at church is something that The Bible encourages us to do so that we can build each other up and be and support to each other. •Organise to meet up with another Christian to read the Bible. You might be a fairly new Christian, so you could ask an older Christian to meet up with you throughout 2015 and read the Bible with you and help you learn a bit more. Or if you have been a Christian for a long time, maybe find someone who is younger in the faith than you and see if they might like to meet up with you and read the Bible with you this year. Disciple them . . . teach them what you know! Remember, when making these resolutions, we are not making them on our own will power and strength, we are standing firm in Jesus and He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us (1 John 4:13). Pray that God will strengthen and help you to be able to grow and be able to keep the resolutions and changes that you want to make for the new year!

God is not standing still. He is always on the move. Why should we be content with standing still?