Friday, December 10, 2010

Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward.

In my reading this morning, Paul grabbed me by the throat:


"Not that I have already obtained [resurrection from the dead] or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."


A bit of background: I've never liked Paul. He's smug, self-righteous, strict, and even a bit grandiose. In college, I purposely took a class on the writings of Paul, and announced to the group that I was there because I didn't like Paul. By the end of the class, I respected him, but I am still not a fan. There's something about him that doesn't make sense in my mind, and I can't really explain it.


That being said, I think that his contribution to Scripture was one of the most practical and nitty-gritty additions and that faith in Christ probably could not grow to a higher stage without Paul's teachings. Thus this morning, when he choked me out.


It was the "laid hold of" part. I'm familiar with the terminology on our end of things: we spend our entire lives reaching for that thing that we're promised, that's just beyond our fingertips. Should we ever encounter it, we would be certain to lay hold and never let go.


But the thought that Jesus Christ laid hold of me... and not at all because I was convenient or amusing or good. He laid hold of me for a purpose - His purpose. Which means I am valuable, I matter; He has me and will not let go because I am that thing He has been pursuing. And I am shaken.

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