Driven Toward Christ - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 8

PLUS...10 Things in Your Church That Alienate Introverts  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ &zwnj [Crosswalk.com Logo]( The Crosswalk Devotional  [Devotionals](        [Newsletters](        [e-Cards](      [The Crosswalk Devotional]( Driven Toward Christ By Emily Rose Massey “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. 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 3:12-14]( ESV I have always considered myself a goal-oriented person. When asked to describe myself during job interviews, I often used words like passionate, driven, hard-working, and loyal. Many times in my life, I intensely kept my “eye on the prize,” ran hard after what I wanted and achieved my goals. Tragically, this tenacity of running after my goals would distract me from the most important prize, Jesus Christ. The Spirit would convict me, and I would ask the Lord to help me rightly prioritize my time and focus. It’s beautiful to be driven and hard-working, but it is all in vain if your first passion is not your drive toward growing in your relationship with Christ. The stronger you develop your nearness to the Lord, the more you will become like Him. We must remember the most important race in this life is for the Kingdom of God, for the glory of Christ’s name, not ours. We must remain motivated by the glory of God. What motivates your drive toward Christ? For the Apostle Paul, it was the prize of the upward call of God: “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. 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” ([Philippians 3:12-14]( ESV).  [CONTINUE READING →](            You May Also Like:        [10 Things in Your Church That Alienate Introverts](  Janna Wright I was enjoying myself well–until the sharing time began. Each person in the room began to share personal struggles.  [CONTINUE READING →](       [The Joy and Struggle of Parenting a Big Family](  Amanda Idleman Over the last several months, as we have adjusted to having two toddlers and three bigger kids, I’ve found there to be many joys and struggles for me as a mom of many.  [CONTINUE READING →](            [Contestant Sings A Cappella Rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ And Even Simon Is Impressed](  GodTube.com A young woman on The X Factor UK gave a stunning “Amazing Grace” performance that left the audience on their feet and Simon Cowell thoroughly impressed.  [WATCH NOW →](        [10 Things We Can Learn from the Adulterous Woman](  Jennifer Slattery Regardless of what we have or haven’t done, the unnamed adulterous woman reminds us of the most hidden parts of ourselves. It reveals our desperate need for absolution and the unshakable reality of grace. Though evidence suggests this narrative wasn’t included in the original Scriptures, the truths presented reveal core aspects of God’s heart, His longings for us, and how we can be reconciled in Him.  [CONTINUE READING →](                            Bible Trivia Question of the Day                                           What animal `was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made`? A. The pygarg B. Behemoth C. The serpent D. The coney [ANSWER THE QUESTION →](     [Crosswalk.com Logo](  [Read about Salem Web Network](  |  [Unsubscribe](   [Email Preference Center](  |  [View in Browser](   © 2023 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk. Â