Press On

I recently read of a young man whose short life illustrates the way we all should live.

This young man became a Christian as a teenager. In his early twenties, he felt God call him to the foreign mission field. In the back of his Bible he wrote two words and underlined them: NO RESERVATION. He had decided to hold nothing back from God. He was determined to give his all.

Later, after turning down some rather high paying jobs, he wrote these two words and underlined them: NO RETREATS. He had determined not to turn back from his purpose in life.

When he completed his seminary training, he went to the mission field. Too soon, however, he was stricken with a disease and died in a few weeks. At his funeral, the pastor read from the back of his Bible his words: NO RESERVATION. NO RETREATS. Then, he read the last words penned by him while he was laying on his hospital bed: NO REGRETS.

Today I’d like you to ask yourself some questions: "What am I living for? What is the goal of my life? Is my life making a difference? Am I living my life with no reservation, no retreats, and no regrets?"

It’s never too late to start. Paul said in Philippians, "But this 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.”

We can take hold of the failures of the past or we can take hold of the prospects of the future. God will help you if you just let Him.