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A Posture of Faith: Eyes Forward, Arms Reaching

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A Posture of Faith

Faith isn't simply a belief you adopt, it's an operating system for your entire life. Every now and then our computers upgrade to newer and more up-to-date operating systems so they run faster and more efficiently. In the same way as computers have a variety of operating systems they work from, we as humans have different operating systems to choose to work from as well.  

Some operate from a system of faith in Christ and others operate from a system of faith in something or someone else (karma, nature, self, cars, money, stability, good deeds, chance, knowledge, morality, etc.). If you're someone who desires to operate from a system of faith in Christ, let's look at a fundamental building block that your OS works from.

A Posture of Faith: Eyes Forward, Arms Reaching

The Apostle Paul, reflecting on his life before Christ, urges the Christians in Philippi to do as he is striving to do - to adopt a posture of faith in Christ rather than the things of this world. Let's take a peek into what he told them:
I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. - Philippians 3, ESV

Paul is speaking of the goal of his life - to lay hold of the resurrection that comes in and through Jesus Christ. He brings it up in the context of sharing his mindset toward the things of his past and the (perceived) lack of things of his present. He puts to rest the need for confidence in what he has done and can do. 

Then, he drops in our lap the posture of faith: eyes forward, arms reaching. He says he forgets what is behind him and focuses fully on what is before him - the upward call of God. 

The Posture of Faith in Everyday Life

What would it look like to take on this posture every day that we are given life on earth?

These 7 things come to mind:

  1. We would leave yesterday's problems behind.
  2. We would reorient our eyes toward God to begin our day.
  3. We would move hindered relationships to reconciled relationships before the day's end.
  4. We would concern ourselves with the big picture and let God work out the details.
  5. We would fix our focus on God's mission and play our part.
  6. We would love forward.
  7. We would let go of our status and cling to the status of God.
Paul strived to have his eyes forward - focusing on the call of God - and his arms reaching - working toward the mission of God.

Will we do the same?

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