Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV
What has Jesus laid hold of in you and what is He calling you to? What is your upward call?
Climbing one of the tallest mountains in the world is a perfect picture of the ultimate earthly "upward call", but also a metaphor for overcoming the spiritual challenges we face in our lives and the daily challenges faced by the people ARM ministers to in Uganda. We are on this journey because God has called us to the upward call of supporting the ministry of ARM and loving His children in Uganda.
We all face that moment in our life when we are presented a challenge that seems too great to achieve - that God-sized goal that we can't achieve on our own. Do we have the physical and mental capacity to do the hardest thing we can imagine? Do we have enough faith to really trust in God?
As we undertake this journey we are going to face many obstacles and I would like to encourage you with these words from Paul. When you feel like there is no way you can raise money; when you debate whether to stay in bed or get up and exercise to get in shape; when you doubt yourself or your ability to go on; when we are making that final push to the summit of Kilimanjaro at 4am, the temperature is -10F and you think you can't take another step because there is no oxygen to breathe; when it would just be easier to quit than go on - remember these words and press on for Jesus in His strength:
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
