April 23, 2015
Let Go and Grab Hold
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own(Philippians 3:12 AMP).
Friend to Friend
Have you ever watched a performer on a flying trapeze under the massive circus tent? A short horizontal bar suspended by ropes or metal straps dangles high above the crowd. The aerialist grabs the trapeze bar, jumps off of a high platform, and swings through the air. He swings out once, swings back in above the platform, and swings back out again.
It is during the peak of the second swing out where the fun begins for those below. The performer releases the bar mid-air and grabs hold of another bar or second performer hanging from his knees, who swings toward him. Once caught, the crowd remembers to breathe. Somersaults, backflips, and triple twists wow the crowd, and each one requires the performer to let go and grab hold. Without the faith to do so, the trapeze artist would simply swing back and forth until the pumping momentum gave way to dangling...stuck in-between two platforms. Not the greatest show on earth.
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12 emphasis added). Another version expresses this verse this way: “I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own (AMP).
When you take hold, grasp and make your own, all of what Jesus had already taken hold of for you, you begin to experience life to the full. It’s not enough to know the promises of God, you’ve got to grab hold with all the firmness of the trapeze artist—release what is behind and take hold of what is ahead.
God’s promises are not automatic. We must move from knowing the promise, to believing the promise, to actually taking hold of the promise through obedient action in order to make it a reality in our lives. God told Joshua about the Promised Land, “I will give you every place where you set your foot” (Joshua 1:3). He and the Israelites had to “set their feet,” conquer the land, and grab hold of the promise that was theirs for the taking.
God’s power, provision, and purposes are for “whosoever will.” Will what? Will let go of all that holds you back from experiencing the abundant life of adventurous faith and grab hold of truth that makes it so.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, today I am letting go of the past and reaching forward with all I’ve got. I know that if I drive through life looking in my rearview mirror, I’m going to have a lot of wrecks. So I’m looking forward, moving forward, and reaching forward to seek You, obey You, and love You with all my heart.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Today I want you to use your imagination. Picture the trapeze artist. What would happen if he grabbed onto the swinging bar coming at him, but refused to release the one he started out with?
Keep that picture in your mind today. That’s what can happen when we refuse to let go of the past and try to grab hold of the present at the same time. We get stuck!
Why do you think we tend to hang on to the past? Share your answer on my Facebook page. Let’s compare notes.
More from the Girlfriends
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