Press on to lay hold

of God's upward call for you

for which Christ seized you.

-Philippians 3:12-14

God lifted a weight from me today. I felt pressure to be profound. I come home exhausted from the day, sit in front of my laptop, and try to figure out how to inspire an emotion in someone else that I'm not currently feeling. That doesn't work.

Today God used a song to remind me, "Della, you didn't inspire yourself. You can't inspire others. Share what inspires you. I'm the One stirring your blood when a song moves you or a Scripture lights us inside you. I'll stir others too."

Ahhh, weight removed.

Not long after that I started sharing one of my favorite scriptures with a couple of young ladies. Some scriptures you read over and over and then one day – a light comes on. Philippians 3:12 says:
King James English makes everything sound very polite. This verse is full of force. "I follow after..." means I pursue or press on fervently. The same Greek word is translated “persecute” in other parts of Scripture. Paul isn't talking about a casual following. He's talking about hot pursuit -like a hunter or a detective, determined to find what I'm after.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (KJV)

When a police detective finally apprehends the person they're after, they don't say, "We're not really that interested in you, but it's our job so I guess you better come with us if you don't have anything else to do." No way. When they apprehend their person, they do it with purpose! “You are coming with us - RIGHT NOW!"

That's how forcefully Christ grabbed you! You're not a Christian by accident. You didn't choose Him, He chose you. He sees things in you that you haven't seen in yourself. He seized you and said, "You are coming with me - RIGHT NOW! I have things for you to do. There are people who don't know Me and no one else can reach them like you can. YOU ARE THE ONE I WANT!"

Jesus is passionate about you. He needs you to be the most amazing you at the hospital, at the school, at the market, at the gas station. You don't realize how uniquely gifted you are, but He does. Don't trivialize your gift by saying, "Oh, that little thing? Everyone can do that." That's not humility, that's blindness. God made you to change your world. It doesn't matter how small or how large that world seems to you. He's the one who does the heavy lifting. You just have to love people and let the Holy Spirit work.

Embrace your uniqueness and fire up! Jesus seized you for a reason. Find that reason. Press on to seize that purpose for which you have been seized! John 15:16