Seize the Moment

Eastford Baptist Church
November 30, 2006

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

A young soldier and his commanding officer got on a train together. The only available seats were across from an attractive young woman who was traveling with her grandmother. As they engaged in pleasant conversation, the soldier and the young woman kept eyeing one another; the attraction was obviously mutual. Suddenly the train went into a tunnel and the car became pitch black. Immediately two sounds were heard: the “smack” of a kiss, and the “whack” of a slap across the face. The grandmother thought, “I can’t believe he kissed my granddaughter, but I’m glad she gave him the slap he deserved.” The commanding officer thought, “I don’t blame the boy for kissing the girl, but it’s a shame that she missed his face and slapped me instead.” The young girl thought, “I’m sure glad he kissed me, but I wish my grandmother hadn’t slapped him for doing it.” And as the train broke into the sunlight, the soldier couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He had just seized the opportunity to kiss a pretty girl and slap his commanding officer and had gotten away with both! Now, that young man understood how to seize an opportunity!
How about you? In the same way, we must take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way to fulfill our purpose in life. How are you using the time God has given you on this earth? Are you letting it just drift by, or are you seizing each moment as you move forward towards your great reunion with Jesus? Are you living each day with the goal of becoming more like Him?
What must we do in order to make the most of every moment we have on earth?
1. Get realistic about where you are presently. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect.” Paul says in this verse, “I recognized I have not yet arrived. I’ve got some growing to do.” There’s a very simple but profound truth expressed in this statement that’s easy to miss – “The beginning is not the end.” - Or to put it another way – “The start is not the finish.” But no matter how you say it, the basic concept is still the same. No matter how long you’ve been a Christian, you’ve not yet got to the place where Jesus is through with you. Seizing the moment starts with an awareness that we're not there yet, an awareness that we haven't arrived, that we've got a lot to learn and a lot to perfect in our life and a lot to yield over to the power of the Spirit of God. If you have gotten to the place where you feel satisfied, that's a very dangerous place to be. If you've had enough prayer and enough church and enough teaching of the Word of God and enough of the Bible and enough of Christian fellowship to satisfy you, you are in a very dangerous condition. Seize the moment by recognizing where you really are.
2. Get radical about where you want to be. “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Paul is saying, “I’ve come to know and understand why Jesus pursued me and I want to press after the very same thing he wanted for me.” He uses the language of an athlete running in a race – straining and running towards the goal with all his might. A runner has one thing in mind as he is running in a race – the goal line. All the exercise, all the training and all the preparation is done with one thing in mind – winning the race. If you want to seize the moment, you have to intentionally narrow your focus. Multi-tasking is highly overrated in our society. The world is full of people who are clever at much and successful at nothing because they never can stay focused on much of anything in their life. Paul says, “One thing I do.” “Forget the rest – what Jesus wants for me is best – so I’m going to focus on that and that alone.” Find the “one thing” Christ wants for you and get radical about pursuing it. Seize the moment by getting radical about what Jesus wants for your life.
3. Get Going! “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Seizing the moment requires responsive action. Once you get an understanding of what the Lord wants for you, keep your eyes on the prize and start moving towards it. It’s one thing to know what Christ wants for me – it’s another to start doing something about it. One of the more debilitating afflictions, which we all fall into from time to time, is procrastination. Don’t put off till tomorrow what Christ wants from you today. Trust in His goodness and faithfulness and step out in faith. Seizing the moment requires responsive action.
Sometime during the day Jesus might just set before you a unique opportunity to take a bold step of faith. It might involve witnessing to a stranger, comforting a friend with a Scripture verse or accepting a challenge to serve Him in some capacity. Whatever the situation, are you willing to seize the moment and respond in faith?

Celebrating His Radical Grace,
PT